Olandis Gary is 31 yards shy of breaking Denver's single-season rookie rushing record.

In 11 games as the Broncos' starting tailback, the fourth-round pick has rushed for 1,121 yards on 258 carries (4.3 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns. That's four more yards than Davis had in his rookie season and 31 yards shy of Denver's rookie record held by Bobby Humphrey.

"I told T.D. a long time ago that he was my idol," Gary told the Denver Post. "Just to accomplish those feats is great."

When Gary took over as Denver's starter, the Broncos stood at 0-4. Since then they have gone 6-5, winning their last two games against Seattle and Detroit. In those two games, Gary has rushed for a combined 368 yards and one touchdown.

"He's playing better and better every week, especially the last couple of weeks," Denver receiver Ed McCaffrey said. "He's always been breaking tackles and making extra yards after he gets hit. The last couple of weeks, he's made some big, big runs and showed a little bit of speed."

Gary's superb play has everyone in Denver anticipating Davis' return and the powerful all-Bulldog backfield that they will form.

"Oh, yeah," receiver Rod Smith said. "We might throw the ball about three times a game next season. Me and Ed (McCaffrey) are going to get fired. But other than that, we'll be all right."

Here's a look at how some of the league's most intriguing rookies fared in Week 16. Each Tuesday during the regular season, ESPN.com offers its report cards for the Class of '99.

PLAYER, STATS	THE SKINNY
Olandis Gary, RB, Broncos vs. Lions 29 att., 185 yds., 1 TD	For the second straight week, Gary established the Broncos' single-game rookie rushing record. Last week, Gary rushed for 183 yards, breaking Terrell Davis' rookie mark of 176. The rookie from Georgia followed that up on Christmas Day by rushing for 185 yards in the Broncos' victory over the Lions. He ran for only 11 yards in the first half, then exploded for 174 yards and a touchdown in the second half. "He was awesome," tight end Byron Chamberlain said. "He kind of started off slow. He kept running hard, kept hitting the holes hard, and sooner or later, it seemed like those guys didn't even want to tackle him."
Edgerrin James, RB, Colts vs. Browns 28 att., 103 yds., 3 TDs 4 rec., 25 yds.	There's not much left to say about James that hasn't already been said. The rookie from Miami (Fla.) continued his amazing season by rushing for 103 yards and three touchdowns in a victory at Cleveland. He is now the leading rusher in the NFL with 1503 yards and is tied with Stephen Davis for the most touchdowns in the NFL with 17. James also set an NFL rookie record with his 10th 100-yard rushing game.
Kevin Johnson, WR, Browns vs. Colts 2 rec., 29 yds.	In the Browns' last game of the season Johnson caught only two passes for 29 yards. However, the rookie from Syracuse finished the season with 66 receptions for 986 yards -- both tops among rookies -- and eight touchdowns. Cleveland owns the No. 1 pick in next year's draft, and the prospect of adding Florida State's Peter Warrick to a receiving corps that already includes Johnson and fellow rookie Darrin Chiaverini has to have the Dawg Pound salivating.
Darrin Chiaverini, WR, Browns vs. Colts 3 rec., 40 yds., 1 TD	If the end of Chiaverini's season is indicative of what's to come, then fans in Cleveland have to feel like they got one of the steals of the draft. The fifth-round pick from Colorado finished the season with 44 receptions for 487 yards and four touchdowns, with three of those touchdowns coming in the Browns' final three games.
Cade McNown, QB, Bears at Rams 9-for-16, 125 yds. 3 att., 18 yds.	McNown sat out the second half of Sunday's loss to the Rams with a strained right thigh. He was 9-for-16 for 125 yards and was sacked four times, including the final play of the first half. The rookie from UCLA said he was hit from behind and strained his right thigh while uncoiling to throw a pass. "It hurt when I threw hard, and it kept getting worse each time I threw," McNown said. "I could have gutted it out, but I wouldn't have helped the team."
Jevon Kearse, DE, Titans vs. Jaguars 2 tackles 1 sack	For the second straight week, Kearse broke the NFL rookie record for sacks. It was believed that Kearse broke the record last Sunday against the Falcons with two sacks. However, the Falcons appealed the second of Kearse's two sacks on Dec. 19 and the Elias Sports Bureau ruled the stop wasn't a sack. That left Kearse with 12½ sacks (tied for the rookie record) heading into Sunday's game against the Jaguars. He sacked Jay Fiedler just before halftime to lift his season total to 13½ -- good for the AFC lead and the rookie record.
Shaun King, QB, Buccaneers vs. Packers 17-for-30, 133 yds. 1 TD, 1 INT	King completed 17 of 31 passes for 133 yards to improve to 3-1 as Tampa Bay's starting quarterback. He threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Warrick Dunn and led two other second-half drives that ended in touchdowns. On the season, King has thrown six touchdown passes and only four interceptions.
Ricky Williams, RB, Saints vs. Cowboys 23 att., 61 yds. 3 rec., 31 yards	Williams, out the last four games with turf toe, returned to lineup for the Saints' upset victory over the Cowboys. He carried the ball 23 times for 61 yards. The former Heisman Trophy winner needs 123 yards in New Orleans' final game to reach the 1,000-yard mark.