DP:Bailey receptive to offense

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http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~86~2341224,00.html

Bailey receptive to offense

By Patrick Saunders

Denver Post Staff Writer

The Broncos are looking to their defense to find a playmaker for their offense.

Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey lined up as a wide receiver Tuesday during practice at training camp.

Bailey, who likely will be part of the Broncos' third-down pass packages, said practicing at wide receiver is no training camp stunt.

"Why waste your time? I don't think we are wasting any time," he said. "I mean, they know I can play and they know I can do it. So they aren't going put me out there to get my hopes up. I told them I want to do it, and they put me in there and we are going to do it."

Bailey is a proven receiver. In his junior season at Georgia, he caught 47 passes for 744 yards and five touchdowns. All told, he caught 59 passes for 978 yards at Georgia while starting at cornerback for three seasons. In 2000, in his second season in the NFL, Bailey caught three passes for 78 yards for the Washington Redskins.

When he joined the Broncos this spring in a trade that sent running back Clinton Portis to Washington, Bailey lobbied coach Mike Shana- han for playing time at wide receiver. Now it looks like he's going to get it.

"They said they were going to do it, but you are never really sure what you are going to get until they give you the (offensive) package," Bailey said. "They gave me that about a week ago and I've been kind of studying it, trying to figure out what I'm going to do."

During practice Tuesday, Bailey ran mostly quick slants across the middle, although he did go deep a couple times.

"That's what I got now, but hopefully it will increase as time goes by," Bailey said. "I have to get productive first. ... I have to get some catches in first."

Bell getting close

Rookie running back Tatum Bell is hoping to make his preseason debut Saturday night in Seattle. Bell, a second-round pick out of Oklahoma State, missed the first two games because of a fractured finger. Bell underwent surgery last month and had pins inserted into the middle finger of his right hand.

"As of now it looks like I'm going to play," Bell said. "It's all up to my pain threshold."

Bell said he's looking forward to showing the Denver coaching staff he can compete for playing time.

"I don't want to go out there and just be another back, I want to go out there and be a difference maker," he said.

Bad news for Pierce

The Broncos got discouraging news about outside linebacker Terry Pierce's injured knee. Pierce suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee Sunday night in Denver's 16-6 preseason loss at Buffalo.

The original prognosis was he would miss three to four weeks, but Shanahan said Pierce is expected to be out four to six weeks.

"Terry has always been a quick healer," Shanahan said. "I would not be surprised, knowing Terry, if he's ready for the first (regular- season) game (against Kansas City on Sept. 12). But a third-degree MCL is quite serious, and we will just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he's back."

Pierce is the Broncos' second outside linebacker to suffer a knee injury in the preseason, which has three games left. Jashon Sykes suffered a sprained MCL of his left knee in the opener against Washington on Aug. 9 in Canton, Ohio.

To add depth to the depleted unit, the Broncos signed linebacker Cornelius Anthony and waived veteran wide receiver Willie Jackson.

Anthony, 6-feet and 235 pounds, played in 17 games with San Francisco the past two seasons, posting one solo tackle at linebacker and 16 tackles on special teams.