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1971 Denver Broncos
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Record: 4-9-1, Finished 4th in AFC West Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 203 points (14.5/g), 24th of 26 in the NFL.
Allowed 275 points (19.6/g), 11th.
Differential of -72 points (-5.1/g), 18th.
Expected W-L: 4.6-9.4.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +1 (0.1/g), 12th.
Coached by Lou Saban (2-6-1) and Jerry Smith (2-3-0)
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1971 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Don Horn | 26 | 4 | 9 | 89 for 173, 1,056 yards, 3 td, 14 int, & 6 rushes for 15 yards and 0 td | Green Bay Packers / 1st / 25th pick / 1967 |
| QB | Steve Ramsey | 23 | 1 | 5 | 84 for 178, 1,120 yards, 5 td, 13 int, & 3 rushes for 6 yards and 0 td | New Orleans Saints / 5th / 126th pick / 1970 |
| RB | Floyd Little* | 29 | 4 | 13 | 284 rushes for 1,133 yards, 6 td, & 26 catches for 255 yards and 0 td | Denver Broncos / 1st / 6th pick / 1967 |
| FB | Bobby Anderson | 24 | 1 | 13 | 139 rushes for 533 yards, 3 td, & 37 catches for 353 yards and 1 td | Denver Broncos / 1st / 11th pick / 1970 |
| WR | Jack Gehrke | 25 | 3 | 10 | 14 catches for 254 yards, 0 td, & 1 rush for 2 yards and 0 td | Kansas City Chiefs / 10th / 265th pick / 1968 |
| WR | Jerry Simmons | 29 | 6 | 12 | 25 catches for 403 yards, 1 td, & 1 rush for 7 yards and 0 td | |
| WR | Dwight Harrison | 23 | Rook | 5 | 19 catches for 265 yards, 2 td, & 5 rushes for 36 yards and 0 td | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 35th pick / 1971 |
| TE | Billy Masters | 27 | 4 | 12 | 27 catches for 382 yards, 1 td, & 7 rushes for 71 yards and 0 td | Kansas City Chiefs / 3rd / 77th pick / 1967 |
| LT | Roger Shoals | 33 | 8 | 14 | Dallas Texans / 34th / 267th pick / 1962 |
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| LG | Larron Jackson | 22 | Rook | 9 | Houston Oilers / 4th / 81st pick / 1971 |
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| C | George Goeddeke | 26 | 4 | 12 | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 59th pick / 1967 |
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| RG | Mike Schnitker | 25 | 2 | 13 | 1 fumble recovered | Denver Broncos / 4th / 84th pick / 1969 |
| RT | Mike Current | 26 | 4 | 14 | 2 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 58th pick / 1967 |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Rich Jackson | 30 | 5 | 7 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | |
| LDT | Dave Costa | 30 | 8 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Los Angeles Rams / 3rd / 29th pick / 1963 |
| RDT | Paul Smith | 26 | 3 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Denver Broncos / 9th / 222nd pick / 1968 |
| RDE | Lyle Alzado | 22 | Rook | 11 | Denver Broncos / 4th / 79th pick / 1971 |
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| LLB | Dave Washington | 23 | 1 | 10 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Denver Broncos / 9th / 219th pick / 1970 |
| MLB | Fred Forsberg | 27 | 3 | 14 | 3 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 14th / 121st pick / 1966 |
| RLB | Chip Myrtle | 26 | 4 | 14 | 3 interceptions, 5 fumbles recovered | |
| LCB | Leroy Mitchell | 27 | 4 | 14 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Boston Patriots / 11th / 283rd pick / 1967 |
| RCB | Bill Thompson | 25 | 2 | 14 | 5 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 61st pick / 1969 |
| SS | Charlie Greer | 25 | 3 | 13 | 3 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 13th / 330th pick / 1968 |
| FS | George Saimes | 30 | 8 | 13 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Kansas City Chiefs / 6th / 48th pick / 1963 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Jim Turner | 30 | 7 | 0 | 25 of 38 field goals & 18 of 18 extra points | Washington Redskins / 19th / 259th pick / 1963 |
| P | Billy Van Heusen | 25 | 3 | 0 | 76 punts for a 41.8 average, 1 blocked | |
| PR | Bill Thompson | 25 | 2 | 14 | 29 punt returns for a 9.4 average and 0 td | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 61st pick / 1969 |
| KR | Bobby Anderson | 24 | 1 | 13 | 8 kick returns for a 23.4 average and 0 td | Denver Broncos / 1st / 11th pick / 1970 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyle Alzado | 22 | DE-DT | 12 | 11 | 255 | 6-3 | Yankton | 4/3/1949 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 4th / 79th pick / 1971 |
| Bobby Anderson | 24 | RB | 13 | 13 | 208 | 6-0 | Colorado | 10/11/1947 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 1st / 11th pick / 1970 |
| Jay Bachman | 26 | C | 14 | 0 | 250 | 6-3 | Cincinnati | 12/8/1945 | 3 | Green Bay Packers / 5th / 132nd pick / 1967 |
| Walt Barnes | 27 | DT-DE | 4 | 0 | 245 | 6-3 | Nebraska | 1/19/1944 | 5 | Washington Redskins / 2nd / 21st pick / 1966 |
| Gordon Bowdell | 23 | WR | 2 | 0 | 203 | 6-2 | Michigan State | 10/9/1948 | Rook | Baltimore Colts / 7th / 182nd pick / 1971 |
| Sam Brunelli | 28 | T-G | 5 | 4 | 270 | 6-2 | Colorado State | 12/13/1943 | 5 | |
| Butch Byrd | 30 | DB | 14 | 0 | 211 | 6-0 | Boston University | 9/20/1941 | 7 | Buffalo Bills / 4th / 25th pick / 1964 |
| Carter Campbell | 24 | DE-LB | 14 | 2 | 240 | 6-4 | Weber State | 9/29/1947 | 1 | San Francisco 49ers / 8th / 191st pick / 1970 |
| Dave Costa | 30 | DT-DE | 14 | 14 | 250 | 6-2 | Utah | 10/27/1941 | 8 | Los Angeles Rams / 3rd / 29th pick / 1963 |
| Ken Criter | 24 | LB | 11 | 0 | 225 | 6-0 | Wisconsin | 2/17/1947 | 2 | |
| Mike Current | 26 | T | 14 | 14 | 274 | 6-5 | Ohio State | 9/17/1945 | 4 | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 58th pick / 1967 |
| Joe Dawkins | 23 | RB | 8 | 0 | 223 | 6-0 | Wisconsin | 1/27/1948 | 1 | Houston Oilers / 10th / 249th pick / 1970 |
| Tom Domres | 25 | DT | 5 | 2 | 260 | 6-3 | Wisconsin | 10/19/1946 | 3 | Houston Oilers / 10th / 268th pick / 1968 |
| Fred Forsberg | 27 | LB | 14 | 14 | 235 | 6-1 | Washington | 7/4/1944 | 3 | Denver Broncos / 14th / 121st pick / 1966 |
| Jack Gehrke | 25 | WR | 14 | 10 | 178 | 6-0 | Utah | 1/14/1946 | 3 | Kansas City Chiefs / 10th / 265th pick / 1968 |
| George Goeddeke | 26 | G-C-T | 12 | 12 | 253 | 6-3 | Notre Dame | 7/29/1945 | 4 | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 59th pick / 1967 |
| Cornell Gordon | 30 | DB | 14 | 0 | 187 | 6-0 | North Carolina A&T | 1/6/1941 | 6 | New York Jets / 23rd / 179th pick / 1964 |
| Charlie Greer | 25 | DB | 13 | 13 | 205 | 6-0 | Colorado | 4/4/1946 | 3 | Denver Broncos / 13th / 330th pick / 1968 |
| Dwight Harrison | 23 | DB-WR | 10 | 5 | 187 | 6-1 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 10/12/1948 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 35th pick / 1971 |
| Don Horn | 26 | QB | 9 | 9 | 195 | 6-2 | San Diego State,Washington State | 3/9/1945 | 4 | Green Bay Packers / 1st / 25th pick / 1967 |
| Jerry Inman | 31 | DT | 14 | 3 | 256 | 6-2 | Boise State,Oregon | 2/4/1940 | 5 | |
| Larron Jackson | 22 | G-T | 14 | 9 | 270 | 6-3 | Missouri | 8/26/1949 | Rook | Houston Oilers / 4th / 81st pick / 1971 |
| Rich Jackson | 30 | DE-LB | 7 | 7 | 255 | 6-3 | Southern | 7/22/1941 | 5 | |
| Larry Kaminski | 26 | C | 3 | 3 | 245 | 6-2 | Purdue | 1/6/1945 | 5 | |
| Floyd Little* | 29 | RB | 14 | 13 | 196 | 5-10 | Syracuse | 7/4/1942 | 4 | Denver Broncos / 1st / 6th pick / 1967 |
| Fran Lynch | 26 | RB | 10 | 1 | 205 | 6-1 | Hofstra | 12/3/1945 | 4 | Denver Broncos / 5th / 110th pick / 1967 |
| Tommy Lyons | 23 | G-C | 11 | 1 | 230 | 6-2 | Georgia | 8/7/1948 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 14th / 350th pick / 1971 |
| Billy Masters | 27 | TE-SE | 14 | 12 | 240 | 6-5 | LSU | 3/15/1944 | 4 | Kansas City Chiefs / 3rd / 77th pick / 1967 |
| Bill McKoy | 23 | LB | 14 | 0 | 235 | 6-3 | Purdue | 7/17/1948 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 5th / 115th pick / 1970 |
| Leroy Mitchell | 27 | DB | 14 | 14 | 190 | 6-1 | Texas Southern | 9/22/1944 | 4 | Boston Patriots / 11th / 283rd pick / 1967 |
| Marv Montgomery | 23 | T | 12 | 0 | 255 | 6-6 | USC | 2/8/1948 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 1st / 12th pick / 1971 |
| Randy Montgomery | 24 | DB | 3 | 0 | 182 | 5-11 | Weber State | 8/12/1947 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 7th / 167th pick / 1970 |
| John Mosier | 23 | TE | 11 | 1 | 220 | 6-3 | Kansas | 3/1/1948 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 6th / 141st pick / 1970 |
| Chip Myrtle | 26 | LB | 14 | 14 | 225 | 6-2 | Maryland | 2/6/1945 | 4 | |
| Dickie Post | 26 | RB | 6 | 1 | 190 | 5-9 | Houston | 9/27/1945 | 4 | San Diego Chargers / 4th / 94th pick / 1967 |
| Steve Ramsey | 23 | QB | 9 | 5 | 210 | 6-2 | North Texas | 4/22/1948 | 1 | New Orleans Saints / 5th / 126th pick / 1970 |
| George Saimes | 30 | DB | 13 | 13 | 186 | 5-11 | Michigan State | 9/1/1941 | 8 | Kansas City Chiefs / 6th / 48th pick / 1963 |
| Mike Schnitker | 25 | G | 13 | 13 | 245 | 6-3 | Colorado | 12/30/1946 | 2 | Denver Broncos / 4th / 84th pick / 1969 |
| Roger Shoals | 33 | T | 14 | 14 | 260 | 6-4 | Maryland | 12/13/1938 | 8 | Dallas Texans / 34th / 267th pick / 1962 |
| Jerry Simmons | 29 | WR-SE | 14 | 12 | 190 | 6-0 | Bethune-Cookman | 11/14/1942 | 6 | |
| Paul Smith | 26 | DT-DE | 14 | 14 | 256 | 6-3 | New Mexico | 8/13/1945 | 3 | Denver Broncos / 9th / 222nd pick / 1968 |
| Bill Thompson | 25 | DB | 14 | 14 | 201 | 6-1 | Md-Eastern Shore | 10/10/1946 | 2 | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 61st pick / 1969 |
| Clem Turner | 26 | RB | 14 | 0 | 236 | 6-1 | Cincinnati | 5/28/1945 | 2 | Cincinnati Bengals / 4th / 83rd pick / 1969 |
| Jim Turner | 30 | K | 14 | 0 | 205 | 6-2 | Utah State | 3/28/1941 | 7 | Washington Redskins / 19th / 259th pick / 1963 |
| Olen Underwood | 29 | LB | 14 | 4 | 220 | 6-1 | Texas | 5/25/1942 | 6 | New York Giants / 14th / 183rd pick / 1965 |
| Billy Van Heusen | 25 | WR-SE-P | 14 | 0 | 200 | 6-1 | Maryland | 8/27/1946 | 3 | |
| Dave Washington | 23 | LB-TE | 14 | 10 | 223 | 6-5 | Alcorn State | 9/12/1948 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 9th / 219th pick / 1970 |
| Jim Whalen | 28 | TE | 3 | 2 | 210 | 6-2 | Boston College | 5/20/1943 | 6 | Boston Patriots / 3rd / 23rd pick / 1965 |
| Team Total | 26.1 | 14 | 224.8 | 6-1.8 | 3.3 |