While the NFL has long ranked its offenses and defenses by yards gained and yards allowed, it has always decided things with the scoreboard.

And when the Broncos began to gather officially this week in their off-season conditioning program - a "voluntary" affair unless, of course, you want to play - they had some points on their minds.

"We need those touchdowns," Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said. "If we're putting up those touchdowns, with our defense, we know we can do some big things. We need some more big plays. We can drive the ball, we've shown that, but those big plays, they are things we've done in the past, and we need to find some more of those."

When it comes to offense, however, and the relationship to important wins, the Broncos have certainly been a quirky bunch in coach Mike Shanahan's tenure. They usually put up the yardage, they usually put up the points and they usually play with the lead.

In Shanahan's 11 years, they have been in the league's top 10 in points scored 10 times and in the top five four times. They have been in the league's top 10 in yards gained nine times and in the top five eight times.

Yet since the end of the 1998 season title run, they have one playoff win to show for a lot of that. Because it's about real power, the meek inherit nothing in the NFL.

Power is the difference between the points scored and points allowed. The years have proved that point differential throughout the league is a rather nice power index.

Look at last season, when the top five teams in the league in point differential were Indianapolis (plus-192, plus-12 per game), Seattle (plus-181, plus-11.3 per game), Denver (plus-137, plus-8.6 per game), Carolina (plus-132, plus-8.3 per game) and Pittsburgh (plus-131, plus-8.2 per game).

Count the ballots, and you find the Colts finished with the league's best record at 14-2, while the other four teams slugged it out in the conference championship games - Seattle and Pittsburgh then played in Super Bowl XL.

That's power.

Kansas City was the league's top offense in yards gained, and it didn't make the playoffs. Tampa Bay led the league in fewest yards allowed and didn't make it out of wild-card weekend.

The league's worst in point differential were San Francisco (minus-189, minus-11.8 per game), Houston (minus-171, minus-10.7 per game), New Orleans (minus-163, minus-10.2 per game) and Tennessee (minus-122, minus-7.6 per game). They finished 4-12, 2-14, 3-13 and 4-12, respectively.

Power? Not so much.

So, armed with two first-round draft picks, including the 15th pick, the Broncos could be in search of some power the last weekend of April. They will also be armed with the knowledge Shanahan's two best teams - the Super Bowl winners in the 1997 and 1998 seasons - were also his leaders in the differential.

The 1997 team was tops in the league in points scored and yards gained, but more importantly was a plus-185 in points. The 1998 team scored a franchise-record 501 points - second in the league that season - to be plus-192.

In Shanahan's 11 years, the team has been a minus once - minus-4 in 1999. That said, however, last season was the first since 2000 where the team's point differential was more than 100.

It was also the first time the team had won at least 13 games since 1998.

Ill-timed decision

As teams around the league are convening for their in-house draft meetings over the next several weeks, Denver native LenDale White may not like what will be - and has already been - said behind closed doors.

Several teams contacted this week were furious White did not run at USC's pro day Sunday; two teams said they had even gone specifically to see him. White told team officials he had a sore hamstring from an injury he suffered at the combine.

White also bench-pressed 225 pounds just 15 times - or one more time than punter Tom Malone did.

Since he didn't work out at the scouting combine, that leaves White without much calendar to work with to help his cause and the very real perception some teams now have that he hasn't been working with his football future on the line.

And make no mistake, perception has pushed more than one player down the board.

The teams who trust the game tape, like the Broncos usually do, will be more apt to grab him, but there is no question his failure to work out has hurt his rating in some of those conference rooms.

He was the first player at USC since Marcus Allen to have back-to- back 1,000-yard rushing seasons - Reggie Bush won the Heisman and didn't do that - and he was the USC back of choice when the Trojans needed to pound the ball in the end zone.

Still, a player who had ankle surgery in January 2005 and was held out of spring drills later that year because of academic troubles needs to slam the door on doubts if he wants to be in the upper half of the first round.

And White simply can't, in some teams' eyes, until he runs 40 yards to do it.

Scoring is not a problem

• The Denver Broncos would like to see more pop on offense this season. Where they have finished in Mike Shanahan's tenure as coach:

Year Points NFL rank W-L

1995 388 9th 8-8

1996 391 4th 13-3

1997 472 1st 12-4*

1998 501 2nd 14-2*

1999 314 18th 6-10

2000 485 2nd 11-5

2001 340 10th 8-8

2002 392 7th 9-7

2003 381 10th 10-6

2004 381 9th 10-6

2005 395 7th 13-3

*Won Super Bowl