Davis becomes forgotten man

NEW ORLEANS - Injured tailback Terrell Davis stood just outside a Superdome end zone Sunday, a pack of cameras recording his comments on the Denver Broncos' non-injured tailback, Mike Anderson.

It was Anderson who had just whisked away Davis' Broncos single- game rushing record as well as the NFL rookie rushing record with 251 yards.

Davis, tilting slightly thanks to the plastic boot on one foot, said he was happy for Anderson, how much he genuinely likes his teammate, how he wanted Anderson to cap the Broncos' stunningly easy win over the Saints by breaking the NFL single-game rushing record.

That's when Anderson trotted by and the crowd of Broncos fans hovering above the tunnel stopped yelling for Davis' attention and let loose a mini-roar in honor of Anderson.

It isn't often when a man as young as Davis, all of 28, watches his legend pass him by.

Now that the second of Davis' rookie replacements in two seasons has run wild over some of Davis' records, it seems certain the Broncos could stick an equipment manager in their backfield and, if they're blocking well, he could stumble around for 100 yards. Their remarkable offensive line and its expert scheme, when finely tuned, is what's running roughshod over teams like the Saints, not the guys carrying the ball.

They'll still get the glory. Olandis Gary did last season. Now Anderson's soaking it up. But they are obviously smaller factors in this rushing offense than anyone ever thought.

Of course, none of the Broncos were willing to say that Sunday.

"We can't just stick anybody back there," said receiver Rod Smith. "You've got to hit the holes and when there isn't a hole you have to go over some guys. That's what Mike was doing."

Well, OK, except Smith was the guy they stuck in there last week and he rushed three times for 78 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown.

And when Anderson was out for a few series after suffering a bruised knee, a guy named KaRon Coleman came in and was chopping off 6 yards a carry.

Anderson came back, bruised knee and all, and passed Corey Dillon's NFL rookie rushing record and was threatening Dillon's NFL record of 278 yards - set oh-so-memorably against the Broncos this season. Anderson accomplished this against the Saints defense, which allows a 100-yard rusher maybe once a season, tops.

So, while limping around the sideline in a protective boot, Davis was downgraded from Terrell the Conquerer to Terrell Who?

Just two years ago Davis, already a Super Bowl MVP, was cutting and blasting his way to a 2,000-yard season and pundits were sending him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was supposed to be the guy who carried the Broncos through John Elway's retirement. Sure, he always heaped praise on his offensive line and the tight ends and the wide receivers blocking downfield, but every running back does that.

Who knew he was really right?

Well, Anderson has proved that once and for all. Sure, he's a solid running back. He's big, he's deceptively quick. But the last time he played in the Superdome, he was playing the drums. Anderson never even played high school football. He was in the band. Then he joined the Marines.

Not exactly the career path of the next Walter Payton.

The unsung hero story is how the line has overcome the loss of Mark Schlereth and regained its stature as a force to be feared. The linemen are easy to overlook. They're small by offensive line standards. They're almost completely anonymous.

"Mike ran hard," said offensive tackle Tony Jones. "But we should get a lot of the credit."

They won't. It's hard to appreciate a good offensive line. It's easy to appreciate a running back.

So Anderson was the man of the hour, trotting off the Superdome field to all the acclaim. He became the celebrity of the day, lucky to have fallen onto the right team at the right time. Maybe he knew that.

Davis must have known. That was him once. It's not anymore. He watched Anderson pass him by, watching him carry the legend of the great Broncos running back out into a cold, windy New Orleans day.

Runaway rookie

YARDS PLAYER OPPONENT CARRIES, TDs RESULT DATE 251 Mike Anderson at New Orleans 37, 4 touchdowns Denver, 38- 23 12/03/00 215 Terrell Davis vs. Cincinnati 27, 1 touchdown Denver, 38-20 09/21/97 208 Terrell Davis at Seattle 30, 1 touchdown Denver, 21-16 10/11/98 207 Terrell Davis at Buffalo 42, 1 touchdown Denver, 23-20(OT) 10/26/97 195 Mike Anderson at Seattle 30, 2 touchdowns Denver, 38-31 11/26/00

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