Broncos veterans don't want to quit just yet

ENGLEWOOD • Running back Michael Pittman was knocked to the ground during a training camp drill, lost a fumble, and limped to the Denver Broncos' sideline.

Why, again, is Pittman putting himself through this? Drudging through 90-degree heat as a backup tailback is a long way from Pittman's Super Bowl XXXVII performance, when his 124-yard game was a key to Tampa Bay's only Super Bowl title.

 Pittman, who will turn 33 on Aug. 14, has 10 solid years and 5,307 rushing yards in the NFL, a much better career than most fourth-round draft picks. Yet here he is in Denver, admittedly having some trouble learning a complicated new offense with no definitive role on the team. In training camp, he has been the third tailback behind Selvin Young and Andre Hall.

Pittman has no regrets.

"I could retire and be fine, be OK," Pittman said. "But I love playing football.

"Sometimes it's hard. It's my 11th camp. If you don't have love for the game, you can't do it. I still love the game."

The Broncos are like every other team, with some veterans fighting through training camp for a chance to extend their careers, even in a role that is far removed from earlier glory.

Motivation isn't the same for each player. Money is an obvious factor. And not all players blindly love the NFL, which can be a cutthroat business. However, accomplished veterans usually have some factor other than money that drives them to hang on for another season or two.

In Darrell Jackson's career he has 487 receptions, 6,942 yards and 50 touchdowns - numbers that put him among the best receivers in the NFL this decade. Yet he settled for a one-year deal with the Broncos that included no certainty about his role, although he currently is holding off Keary Colbert for a starting spot.

Jackson didn't have any intention of quitting when he went unsigned for the first month and a half of free agency. He said he wanted to play 10 years, and this is only his ninth year.

"Then when I get to 10, if you got something in the tank you go longer than that, and right now I think I could go 12 or 13," Jackson said.

Defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban had a different agenda. He missed the 2007 season with a torn Achilles' tendon. He signed a one-year contract to come back to the Broncos for a modest $730,000 salary, and this offseason he found he didn't have a starting spot anymore.

Ekuban didn't want his last NFL experience to be struggling through rehabilitation workouts during the season.

"It's a humbling experience when you're not playing, and you get more hungry," Ekuban said. "I truly missed being in the locker room, being with the guys.

"I still feel I have a couple good years left in me, and my biggest concern was to hang it up early and say ‘What if?'"

When Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who didn't last very long in retirement before decided he wanted to play again, is brought up, many of the Broncos' veterans understand what he is going through.

"He's got more in his tank, and he's a competitor," Jackson said. "When you're a competitor, it's not about the money, it's about being able to play ball, have fun and get to that goal, which is everybody's goal - the Super Bowl."

CONTACT THE WRITER:

476-4891 or frank.schwab@gazette.com.