On second thought . . .
One day after a 42-19 loss to San Francisco that knocked his team out of the playoff picture, Denver Broncos coach Wade Phillips yesterday said he probably erred in allowing ailing quarterback John Elway to play as long as he did, and also said his team's defensive strategy was flawed.
"John wasn't able to move around like he wanted to," Phillips said, referring to Elway's left knee injury that had sidelined him the previous game. "He wasn't able to get out of the way, but we didn't know that. Maybe we should have put Hugh [Millen, the backup] in from the start."
Millen replaced Elway in the third quarter and promptly completed 13 straight passes, leading Denver to two quick scores. Coupled with seven straight completions to end last week's game, Millen tied the AFC record of 20 in a row set by Cincinnati's Ken Anderson in 1983.
Putting worst foot forward
With one game remaining, Miami is still waiting to score its first touchdown in the first quarter. The Dolphins have been outscored 82-15 in the opening quarter, but have outscored the opposition in every other period.