By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

One by one the veteran pass catchers who welcomed Ashley Lelie to the Denver Broncos just two years ago and served as his mentors have moved on.

Wide receiver Ed McCaffrey has stepped into retirement and, this week, tight end Shannon Sharpe has moved into the broadcast booth.

That's an average of 111 receptions — and a lot of big plays — the Broncos will soon have to find somewhere else. And while nobody expects them to come from one person, there is no mistaking where the Broncos would like to see a lot of them come from this season, No. 85.

For Lelie, the man who wears that jersey and offers the best chance to stretch defenses, the knock of opportunity is both loud and unmistakable. And, so are the expectations for the former University of Hawai'i Warrior heading into his third NFL season.

"We expect a lot of him," a Broncos spokesman said yesterday amid the on-going preseason mini-camps where Lelie and 10-year veteran Rod Smith are the projected starting wide receivers.

Statistically, Lelie showed slight improvement from 2002, when he had 35 catches for 525 yards and two touchdowns, to last season, when he finished with 37 receptions and 628 yards and two TDs. But for several reasons — some of them to do with a new quarterback and other factors in getting the ball to Lelie — the Broncos had hoped for more.

Indeed, the Broncos have pointedly challenged Lelie, their first-round pick in the 2002 draft, to have a breakthrough year in 2004 toward what some have forecast as Pro Bowl potential.

Head coach Mike Shanahan, according to the Rocky Mountain News, went so far as to say during his January wrapup news conference, "I don't think Ashley took a step forward. I think Ashley probably played a little bit poorer than he did as a rookie."

Which is one reason why June Jones, the head coach for his three seasons at UH who recommended Lelie to the Broncos, said they had a "long talk" after the conclusion of last season.

"We talked a lot about what he needed to do (to prepare) for the 2003 season," Jones said. "One of the things I told him was that he needs to be there longer. He needs to be there before (practice starts) and be there afterward. He needs to do everything more than anybody else."

It is a challenge Lelie has apparently taken to heart with what the Broncos said is his earliest arrival yet for mini-camp.

"He knows this is going to be his year and he's set on working harder to make this the best year it can be for him," Jones said.

For Lelie, there is no time like the present to set about building his future.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertier.com or 525-8044.