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1974 Denver Broncos
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Record: 7-6-1, Finished 2nd in AFC West Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 302 points (21.6/g), 7th of 26 in the NFL.
Allowed 294 points (21.0/g), 22nd.
Differential of 8 points (0.6/g), 13th.
Expected W-L: 7.2-6.8.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +3 (0.2/g), 9th.
Coached by John Ralston (7-6-1)
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1974 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 | Charley Johnson | 36 | 13 | 12 | 136 for 244, 1,969 yards, 13 td, 9 int, & 4 rushes for -3 yards and 0 td | San Diego Chargers / 8th / 63rd pick / 1961 |
| RB | Floyd Little | 32 | 7 | 9 | 117 rushes for 312 yards, 1 td, & 29 catches for 344 yards and 0 td | Denver Broncos / 1st / 6th pick / 1967 |
| RB | Otis Armstrong*+ | 24 | 1 | 14 | 263 rushes for 1,407 yards, 9 td, & 38 catches for 405 yards and 3 td | Denver Broncos / 1st / 9th pick / 1973 |
| FB | Otis Armstrong*+ | 24 | 1 | 14 | 263 rushes for 1,407 yards, 9 td, & 38 catches for 405 yards and 3 td | Denver Broncos / 1st / 9th pick / 1973 |
| FB | Jon Keyworth | 24 | Rook | 5 | 81 rushes for 374 yards, 10 td, & 12 catches for 109 yards and 0 td | Washington Redskins / 6th / 144th pick / 1974 |
| WR | Haven Moses | 28 | 6 | 14 | 34 catches for 559 yards, 2 td, & 2 rushes for 16 yards and 0 td | Buffalo Bills / 1st / 9th pick / 1968 |
| WR | Billy Van Heusen | 28 | 6 | 12 | 16 catches for 421 yards, 4 td, & 1 rush for -1 yards and 0 td | |
| TE | Riley Odoms*+ | 24 | 2 | 14 | 42 catches for 639 yards, 6 td, & 4 rushes for 25 yards and 0 td | Denver Broncos / 1st / 5th pick / 1972 |
| LT | Claudie Minor | 23 | Rook | 14 | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 68th pick / 1974 |
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| LG | Larron Jackson | 25 | 3 | 8 | Houston Oilers / 4th / 81st pick / 1971 |
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| LG | Tommy Lyons | 26 | 3 | 14 | Denver Broncos / 14th / 350th pick / 1971 |
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| C | Bobby Maples | 32 | 9 | 14 | 1 fumble recovered | Houston Oilers / 4th / 26th pick / 1965 |
| RG | Tommy Lyons | 26 | 3 | 14 | Denver Broncos / 14th / 350th pick / 1971 |
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| RG | Paul Howard | 24 | 1 | 5 | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 54th pick / 1973 |
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| RT | Mike Current | 29 | 7 | 14 | 1 fumble recovered | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 58th pick / 1967 |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Barney Chavous | 23 | 1 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 36th pick / 1973 |
| LDT | John Grant | 24 | 1 | 13 | Denver Broncos / 7th / 166th pick / 1973 |
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| RDT | Pete Duranko | 31 | 7 | 9 | Cleveland Browns / 4th / 61st pick / 1966 |
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| RDE | Lyle Alzado | 25 | 3 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 4th / 79th pick / 1971 |
| LLB | Bill Laskey | 31 | 9 | 10 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | |
| LLB | Tom Jackson | 23 | 1 | 12 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 4th / 88th pick / 1973 |
| MLB | Ray May | 29 | 7 | 12 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 89th pick / 1967 |
| RLB | Tom Jackson | 23 | 1 | 12 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 4th / 88th pick / 1973 |
| RLB | Jim O'Malley | 23 | 1 | 5 | Denver Broncos / 12th / 296th pick / 1973 |
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| LCB | John Rowser | 30 | 7 | 10 | 4 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Green Bay Packers / 3rd / 78th pick / 1967 |
| RCB | Calvin Jones | 23 | 1 | 14 | 5 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 15th / 373rd pick / 1973 |
| SS | Bill Thompson | 28 | 5 | 14 | 5 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 61st pick / 1969 |
| FS | Charlie Greer | 28 | 6 | 10 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 13th / 330th pick / 1968 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Jim Turner | 33 | 10 | 0 | 11 of 21 field goals & 35 of 38 extra points | Washington Redskins / 19th / 259th pick / 1963 |
| P | Billy Van Heusen | 28 | 6 | 12 | 75 punts for a 40.3 average, 1 blocked | |
| PR | Bill Thompson | 28 | 5 | 14 | 26 punt returns for a 13.5 average and 0 td | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 61st pick / 1969 |
| KR | Otis Armstrong*+ | 24 | 1 | 14 | 16 kick returns for a 24.1 average and 0 td | Denver Broncos / 1st / 9th pick / 1973 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyle Alzado | 25 | DE-DT | 14 | 14 | 255 | 6-3 | Yankton | 4/3/1949 | 3 | Denver Broncos / 4th / 79th pick / 1971 |
| Otis Armstrong*+ | 24 | RB | 14 | 14 | 196 | 5-10 | Purdue | 11/15/1950 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 1st / 9th pick / 1973 |
| LeFrancis Arnold | 22 | G | 2 | 0 | 245 | 6-3 | Oregon | 11/24/1952 | Rook | |
| Boyd Brown | 22 | TE | 14 | 0 | 222 | 6-4 | Alcorn State | 5/24/1952 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 17th / 432nd pick / 1974 |
| Barney Chavous | 23 | DE-DT | 14 | 14 | 252 | 6-3 | South Carolina State | 3/22/1951 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 36th pick / 1973 |
| Ralph Cindrich | 25 | LB | 1 | 0 | 228 | 6-1 | Pittsburgh | 10/29/1949 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 119th pick / 1972 |
| Steve Coleman | 24 | DE | 2 | 0 | 252 | 6-5 | Delaware State | 8/8/1950 | Rook | |
| Ken Criter | 27 | LB | 14 | 0 | 225 | 6-0 | Wisconsin | 2/17/1947 | 5 | |
| Mike Current | 29 | T | 14 | 14 | 274 | 6-5 | Ohio State | 9/17/1945 | 7 | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 58th pick / 1967 |
| Tom Drougas | 25 | T-G | 3 | 0 | 257 | 6-4 | Oregon | 12/25/1949 | 2 | Baltimore Colts / 1st / 22nd pick / 1972 |
| Pete Duranko | 31 | DE-DT | 14 | 9 | 250 | 6-2 | Notre Dame | 12/15/1943 | 7 | Cleveland Browns / 4th / 61st pick / 1966 |
| Randy Gradishar | 22 | LB | 14 | 3 | 233 | 6-3 | Ohio State | 3/3/1952 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 1st / 14th pick / 1974 |
| Tom Graham | 24 | LB | 5 | 0 | 235 | 6-2 | Oregon | 4/15/1950 | 2 | Denver Broncos / 4th / 102nd pick / 1972 |
| John Grant | 24 | DT-DE-NT | 13 | 13 | 241 | 6-3 | USC | 6/28/1950 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 7th / 166th pick / 1973 |
| Charlie Greer | 28 | DB | 11 | 10 | 205 | 6-0 | Colorado | 4/4/1946 | 6 | Denver Broncos / 13th / 330th pick / 1968 |
| Lonnie Hepburn | 25 | DB | 14 | 4 | 180 | 5-11 | Texas Southern | 5/12/1949 | 3 | Miami Dolphins / 13th / 333rd pick / 1971 |
| Paul Howard | 24 | G | 14 | 5 | 260 | 6-3 | BYU | 9/12/1950 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 54th pick / 1973 |
| John Hufnagel | 23 | QB | 4 | 0 | 194 | 6-1 | Penn State | 9/13/1951 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 14th / 348th pick / 1973 |
| Larron Jackson | 25 | G-T | 14 | 8 | 270 | 6-3 | Missouri | 8/26/1949 | 3 | Houston Oilers / 4th / 81st pick / 1971 |
| Tom Jackson | 23 | LB | 13 | 12 | 220 | 5-11 | Louisville | 4/4/1951 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 4th / 88th pick / 1973 |
| Charley Johnson | 36 | QB | 14 | 12 | 200 | 6-1 | New Mexico State,Schreiner College | 11/22/1938 | 13 | San Diego Chargers / 8th / 63rd pick / 1961 |
| Calvin Jones | 23 | DB | 14 | 14 | 170 | 5-7 | Washington | 1/26/1951 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 15th / 373rd pick / 1973 |
| Bob Kampa | 23 | DT | 4 | 1 | 252 | 6-4 | California | 4/26/1951 | 1 | Buffalo Bills / 3rd / 77th pick / 1973 |
| Jon Keyworth | 24 | RB | 14 | 5 | 230 | 6-3 | Colorado | 12/15/1950 | Rook | Washington Redskins / 6th / 144th pick / 1974 |
| Bill Laskey | 31 | LB | 14 | 10 | 235 | 6-3 | Michigan | 2/10/1943 | 9 | |
| Floyd Little | 32 | RB | 14 | 9 | 196 | 5-10 | Syracuse | 7/4/1942 | 7 | Denver Broncos / 1st / 6th pick / 1967 |
| Fran Lynch | 29 | RB | 12 | 0 | 205 | 6-1 | Hofstra | 12/3/1945 | 7 | Denver Broncos / 5th / 110th pick / 1967 |
| Tommy Lyons | 26 | G-C | 14 | 14 | 230 | 6-2 | Georgia | 8/7/1948 | 3 | Denver Broncos / 14th / 350th pick / 1971 |
| Bobby Maples | 32 | C-LB | 14 | 14 | 250 | 6-3 | Baylor | 12/28/1942 | 9 | Houston Oilers / 4th / 26th pick / 1965 |
| Billy Masters | 30 | TE-SE | 13 | 1 | 240 | 6-5 | LSU | 3/15/1944 | 7 | Kansas City Chiefs / 3rd / 77th pick / 1967 |
| Ray May | 29 | LB | 14 | 12 | 230 | 6-1 | USC | 6/4/1945 | 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 89th pick / 1967 |
| Claudie Minor | 23 | T | 14 | 14 | 280 | 6-4 | San Diego State | 4/21/1951 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 68th pick / 1974 |
| Marv Montgomery | 26 | T | 4 | 0 | 255 | 6-6 | USC | 2/8/1948 | 3 | Denver Broncos / 1st / 12th pick / 1971 |
| Haven Moses | 28 | WR-SE | 14 | 14 | 208 | 6-2 | San Diego State | 7/27/1946 | 6 | Buffalo Bills / 1st / 9th pick / 1968 |
| Jim O'Malley | 23 | LB | 14 | 5 | 229 | 6-1 | Notre Dame | 7/24/1951 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 12th / 296th pick / 1973 |
| Riley Odoms*+ | 24 | TE | 14 | 14 | 230 | 6-4 | Houston | 3/1/1950 | 2 | Denver Broncos / 1st / 5th pick / 1972 |
| John Pitts | 29 | DB | 14 | 4 | 218 | 6-4 | Arizona State | 2/28/1945 | 7 | Buffalo Bills / 1st / 22nd pick / 1967 |
| Steve Ramsey | 26 | QB | 7 | 2 | 210 | 6-2 | North Texas | 4/22/1948 | 4 | New Orleans Saints / 5th / 126th pick / 1970 |
| Joe Rizzo | 24 | LB | 11 | 0 | 220 | 6-1 | Kings Point | 12/17/1950 | Rook | Buffalo Bills / 15th / 369th pick / 1973 |
| Oliver Ross | 25 | RB | 7 | 0 | 210 | 6-0 | Alabama A&M | 9/18/1949 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 16th / 398th pick / 1973 |
| John Rowser | 30 | DB | 11 | 10 | 190 | 6-1 | Michigan | 4/24/1944 | 7 | Green Bay Packers / 3rd / 78th pick / 1967 |
| Mike Schnitker | 28 | G | 12 | 0 | 245 | 6-3 | Colorado | 12/30/1946 | 5 | Denver Broncos / 4th / 84th pick / 1969 |
| Jerry Simmons | 32 | WR-SE | 14 | 2 | 190 | 6-0 | Bethune-Cookman | 11/14/1942 | 9 | |
| Mike Simone | 24 | LB | 14 | 0 | 210 | 6-0 | Stanford | 5/20/1950 | 2 | |
| Ed Smith | 24 | DE | 11 | 3 | 241 | 6-5 | Colorado College | 10/23/1950 | 1 | Denver Broncos / 13th / 319th pick / 1973 |
| Paul Smith | 29 | DT-DE | 4 | 2 | 256 | 6-3 | New Mexico | 8/13/1945 | 6 | Denver Broncos / 9th / 222nd pick / 1968 |
| Larry Steele | 24 | P | 1 | 0 | 182 | 5-10 | Santa Rosa Junior College | 1/5/1950 | Rook | |
| Otto Stowe | 25 | WR | 8 | 0 | 188 | 6-2 | Iowa State | 2/25/1949 | 3 | Miami Dolphins / 2nd / 47th pick / 1971 |
| Bill Thompson | 28 | DB | 14 | 14 | 201 | 6-1 | Md-Eastern Shore | 10/10/1946 | 5 | Denver Broncos / 3rd / 61st pick / 1969 |
| Jim Turner | 33 | K | 14 | 0 | 205 | 6-2 | Utah State | 3/28/1941 | 10 | Washington Redskins / 19th / 259th pick / 1963 |
| Maurice Tyler | 24 | DB | 14 | 0 | 188 | 6-0 | Morgan State | 7/19/1950 | 2 | Buffalo Bills / 10th / 235th pick / 1972 |
| Billy Van Heusen | 28 | WR-SE-P | 14 | 12 | 200 | 6-1 | Maryland | 8/27/1946 | 6 | |
| Team Total | 26.3 | 14 | 224.8 | 6-1.9 | 3.6 |