December 3, 2008 2:52 PM

Broncos-Chiefs news conferences

The possible return of Nate Webster means jack-of-all-trades Spencer Larsen will shift back to fullback after starting the past few games at linebacker. "We do have more depth at the linebacker position and we needed a little bit more depth (on offense)," coach Mike Shanahan said at his Wednesday news conference. "At least with Andrew (Pinnock) playing the fullback position with Spencer, at least we have a little more depth at fullback."

* Shanahan said his team is cognizant of the egg it laid at Kansas City earlier this season, losing 33-19 in against a team that has won only one other game, and will not need a motivational speech. "Our football team realizes if you're not ready to play, or you don't play your best, you're going to get beat in the National Football League. Any given Sunday, if you're not playing at your best, you're going to get beat, whether it is home or away."

* Running back Peyton Hillis continues to impress. A versatile player at Arkansas, the seventh-round pick joked that he was 10th on the depth chart at tailback during the preseason when in fact, according to Shanahan, "he was never on the depth chart. You just don't know. When guys go down and others step up and feel they can play in the NFL...they make some plays. I think Spencer has demonstrated that on special teams."

* Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler believes the vaunted Broncos rushing attack is a perfect suit for Hillis, a fullback in the preseason who rushed for 129 yards on Sunday at New York. "This offense, this running scheme, is designed for him," Cutler said. "More of a one-cut, get downhill, get your five or six yards and then every once in a while get a 30 or 40-yarder. He's done a good job. He's a smart kid. I think we've used him effectively and have tried to play off his strengths. He has stepped up to the challenge."

* Kansas City running back Larry Johnson rushed for a season-best 198 yards against the Broncos in September. He later missed four games because of an injury and has struggled in three games since his return, but Johnson always seems to give the Broncos his best shot. "He's pretty good. He's not doing it just to us, he's doing it to a lot of teams," Shanahan said. "He did have a great day against us. I take my hat off to him. Any time you average around seven yards a carry in 200 yards, we've got a lot of work to do. Hopefully we play a little bit better this weekend.

"Any time you get beat, you want to come back and play extremely well. I was very disappointed when a team runs the ball on us like they did. That caused us to do some things differently. We went on a stretch for four games where we played very poorly with our run defense, and the last four games we've done a lot better, with the exception of the fourth quarter of the Raiders game."

* The Chiefs are coming off their second victory of the season, a 20-13 win at Oakland. "Kansas City is playing much better," Shanahan said. "They're a much better football team right now than when we played them. So if we don't bring our A-game, the same thing will happen."

* As inconsistent as the Broncos have played at times, it seems remarkable they actually might have a chance to clinch the AFC West Division crown with a win on Sunday, if the San Diego Charger lose on Thursday night against Oakland. "We talked after the Jets game about how funny the NFL is and how this season, you can't tell what's going on week-to-week," Cutler said. "You look at a game, you're almost certain one team is going to win and the other team does. It's a crazy league. I'm sure there will be some more twists and turns before this thing is all over with."

* Inexperience and injuries have forced Chiefs coach Herman Edwards to juggle his lineup and schemes even more than he expected in a season he knew would be filled with growing pains anyway. "We're probably a lot different than we were the first meeting," Edwards said. "We deal basically out of the shotgun formation, as most people can see. We're more of a spread offense than we were in the past."

* Edwards noted the improvement the Broncos have made since Johnson romped through them in September. "Schematically, they're playing their gaps well and their linebackers are filling them. They're doing a good job. You've got to give the coaching staff credit for that, and the players."

* The Broncos have lost three consecutive home games, but the Chiefs have gone 0-7 at Invesco since the stadium opened in 2001. "We've gone in there, and most of the time before the half, the game is lopsided. Then it's tough. The crowd gets involved and they do a good job getting after you."

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