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--> --> Injuries force Broncos to simplify offense vs. Seahawks DENVER (AP) - Mike Shanahan, the innovative offensive mastermind who confounded opposing defenses during two Super Bowl-winning seasons, has gone retro. Forced to use inexperienced players, especially at wide receiver, because of injuries, Shanahan has simplified his offense. He's taking a decidedly conservative approach in an attempt to eliminate youthful mistakes. Run the ball. Throw safe passes. Run it some more. With fewer formations and a condensed playbook, it's an offense more suited for Bob Griese than for his son Brian. But it's what Shanahan's Denver Broncos will deploy against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. "You have to," Shanahan said. "You don't want to give the other team the game. You're going to be more conservative and do things that are going to give you a chance to win. It would be nice to go out there and run our usual style of offense, but you'd make mistakes. We've done that in a couple of games, and it's cost us. "Now, as these guys get more experienced, we can do more things each week. I do feel a lot more comfortable than I did a few weeks ago." Wide receiver Chris Cole, one of the recipients of the scaled-back offense, said, "They're giving us an opportunity to make plays and do less thinking, just going out there and being natural, playing off instinct. I think it has helped us a whole bunch." But not enough, obviously. The Broncos played an almost perfect - if old-fashioned - game last week in Miami, taking a 10-0 lead through three quarters before two critical turnovers led to the Dolphins' 21-10 comeback win. Shanahan admitted his team's current talent level is "not even close" to his Super Bowl teams of 1997 and 1998. "We've got guys who haven't played, guys who have very few catches in the NFL," he said. "Some guys have been hurt. These young guys have some talent, but they make mistakes." Now the Broncos are 6-6 and most likely need to win their final four games to qualify for the playoffs. Although their longest winning streak this season is two and they've alternated wins and losses the last seven games, the Broncos are, to a man, confident they can reel off four straight. "But we have to worry about going 7-6 right now," running back Terrell Davis cautioned. The first obstacle is a Seahawks team (6-5) that manhandled the Broncos 34-21 in Seattle on Oct. 14. "We just have to be more physical than they are," Davis said. "The last time, they came out and pretty much had their way with us." Seattle's Shaun Alexander rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns in that game. The Seahawks also scored on an interception return and a blocked punt. Since Ricky Watters was sidelined with a shoulder injury in the third game of the season, Alexander has emerged as one of the NFL's best young backs. He has rushed for 954 yards and 10 touchdowns in the last eight games. His 12 TDs overall rank him second in the NFL in scoring by non-kickers. "Shaun has carried the ball close to 30 times a game, and he has responded beautifully," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "He's learning how to be the every-down back. I think he still wiggles too much, but I don't want to take any of that instinct away from him, because he does make long plays happen in a game." Alexander broke a 60-yard scoring run for the first score in the previous Denver game. Four weeks ago, he ran for a franchise-record 266 yards against Oakland that included an 88-yard scoring dash. The Broncos will counter with Davis, who returned to the lineup last week after his second knee operation of the season and rushed for 97 yards. "I'm really happy for him if he's healthy," Holmgren said of Davis. "I remember Terrell when he almost, in my opinion, single-handedly beat us (Green Bay) in the Super Bowl. He was a very special back at that time, and he went on in the next couple of years to do some awesome things. "He's still a relatively young guy. When he starts feeling good again about his legs, any running back that good is going to continue to be good." End Advance Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing