Terrell Owens (10) drops a pass as Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris (25) defends. (Byron Hetzler-US PRESSWIRE)

For a split second during the Denver Broncos-Seattle Seahawks game, it looked like the 2008 Pro Bowl out there.

Champ Bailey was covering Terrell Owens and Bailey got the best of him. It was Bailey’s only pass deflection of the game and his only mark in the stat book other than zero, but it was still a statement-maker. It was veteran vs. veteran, two of the best of all time at their respective positions, at one time or another.

To be honest, that Bailey-Owens moment could have never happened if Seattle head coach Pete Carroll didn’t take a gamble on picking up the loud-mouthed wide receiver. Owens could have been spending another year on his leather couch away from football.

Instead Owens packed his bags for Seattle because they were the only team to actually pick up the dice in the first place. He put in two weeks of hard work on the practice field, and worked his way into Carroll’s heart in the meantime.

That’s why Owens got the call to start for the Seahawks Saturday night. That’s why Owens had the chance to break away from second year cornerback Chris Harris in the first half and literally have opportunity slip through his fingertips.

“That was the first big ball he’s had thrown to him in a long time and unfortunately it got away from him on the deep ball,” Carroll said of the sure-fire dropped touchdown pass following the game. “It was unfortunate, but he’s got to get back in action and it’s his first time out there, and he’s caught a lot of deep balls in practice, so I know he can make those plays for us.”

Carroll doesn’t shy away from acquiring fading and troublesome wide receivers. He picked up eight year veteran Braylon Edwards in the off season as well.

Owens didn’t have a reception against the Broncos, but that doesn’t matter to Carroll.

“I’ve seen him day-in and day-out and I know he’s working and how he’s learning the stuff,” Carroll said.

This is the last plane, train, or automobile to the NFL for Owens. He blows it here, and his career is likely over. Carroll, on the other hand, is bringing in the old to get the new to step it up.

It’s the ultimate win-win.

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Peyton Manning in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

The Seattle Seahawks rained on Peyton Manning’s home debut by beating the Denver Broncos 30-10.

Manning went 16-for-23 for 177 yards, and threw 2 interceptions in one half of play. The first pick was a tipped ball by defensive end Red Bryant that ended up in the hands of outside linebacker K.J. Wright. The second was a wobbly pass intended for Cornelius Ingram that was picked off by safety Jeron Jackson.

Manning moved the ball competently, especially in the first half’s closing drive. He ran the two-minute offense perfectly marching the Broncos down inside the red zone. Unfortunately tight end Jacob Tamme dropped a pass in the end zone to kill the drive. The Broncos had to settle for a Matt Prater field goal to make it 10-9 at the half.

“I was pretty pleased with the first half,” head coach John Fox said. “Other than the 0-3 turnover margin, I thought we did pretty good to take the lead 10-9 before the half.”

Willis McGahee saw plenty of action with 8 carries for 28 yards including a 1-yard touchdown run to lead the team in rushing.

The Broncos starting defense held the Seahawks to all field goals in the first half, and just 103 yards of total offense. Rookie Derek Wolfe, Mike Adams, and Joe Mays led the team in tackles in the first half with four a piece. Chris Harris led all players with three pass deflections and he added two solo tackles.

Four year veteran David Bruton was an all-star on special teams. He had two special teams tackles and got his hands on two punts. He’s a lock to make this 2012 roster with that kind of play.

“It felt great, just to put on the film that I’m a threat,” Bruton said following the game.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks blew things wide open in the second half of play. The Broncos were outscored 21-0 in the second half as back up QB Russell Wilson made a solid case for himself going 10-for-17 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns.

To compare and contrast, Broncos backup QB Brock Osweiler went 5-for-11 for 38 yards and took a sack. That’s a far cry from his 4-for-7 for 38 yards and a touchdown performance last week against the Bears.

Caleb Hanie and Adam Weber didn’t take a snap for the Broncos. Instead, Fox and Co. wanted Manning and Osweiler to get the reps. Don’t mistake Osweiler as the definite No. 2 guy, however.

“Without watching the tape, it’s a little bit premature to make those assessments, but all along we knew that was going to be an evaluation that was going to take all four games,” Fox said of deciding on the backup quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks aside, the major concern for the team in the second half was the missed tackles. It wasn’t just one guy either. For example running back Kregg Lumpkin went 16 yards for the score after three guys couldn’t wrap him up.

The Broncos gave up 228 yards on the ground.

“I thought we were a little shoddier,” Fox said of the team’s defense. “We came in the game a little light on defense as well and that kind of showed as the game progressed, but I think it’s fairly evident we have a lot of work to do in that area.”

Last week, the Broncos looked week-one-ready. This week, it’s clear that they still have a lot of work to do before September 9 rolls around.

The great thing about preseason is it’s all part of the process. Get those turnovers, missed tackles, dropped passes, and missed assignments out of the way now.

Another week of practice and learning from those mistakes is on tap. So are the San Francisco 49ers in seven days. Let’s see how these Broncos bounce back.

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Pete Carroll during the 2nd half against the Tennessee Titans. (Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE)

A few notes of interest as we prepare to watch the Denver Broncos host the Seattle Seahawks in preseason game No. 2. These come courtesy of the team’s weekly press release.

- There were 36 new players that made their debuts in a Broncos uniform last week against the Chicago Bears.

- The 28-point win over the Bears tied for the eighth best mark for a preseason game in franchise history.

- The Broncos defense held the Bears to 0-of-11 on third downs.

- The Broncos’ current roster has 39 new players, including 19 veteran free agents, 12 college free agents, seven draft selections, and one trade acquisition.

- The Broncos and the Seahawks have 9 preseason meetings and the Broncos hold an 8-1 record over the Seahawks.

- The two teams have 52 regular season meetings, and the Broncos own a 34-18 record over the Seahawks. The last regular season meeting was in Sept. 2010 when the Broncos beat the Seahawks 31-14.

- The first roster cut comes after preseason game No. 3 when the team must trim the roster to 75 players. They currently have 90 players on the roster.

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