Denver ? The road back from his injury has been a grueling one, his lengthy rehabilitation made more difficult by nagging doubts about whether he would ever recover fully.

But Ed McCaffrey has responded with a productive season for the Denver Broncos.

Showing steady improvement throughout the year after breaking both bones in his lower left leg early in the 2001 season, the wide receiver has caught 62 passes for 791 yards entering Sunday’s regular-season finale against Arizona. And he’s gained admiration from his teammates and coaches.

“He’s had a great year,” coach Mike Shanahan said Friday. “There were some questions going into summer camp if he’d be able to make it through, but he’s played well.”

Although he still limps occasionally, McCaffrey said his injured leg “feels pretty good.”

Sometime during this season, McCaffrey changed his attitude — from being a receiver coming off a major injury to being a receiver, period.

“My mindset now is I’m like every other receiver in the league,” he said. “I want to make big plays every time I get a chance.

“I think I’ve progressed a lot from the beginning of the season. When I look at film from earlier in the year, I see I’m much further ahead of where I was at that point in the season. I realize now that in those first couple of weeks, I wasn’t 100 percent.

“Hopefully, with a whole offseason to go, I’ll be in even better shape next year.”

In 2000, McCaffrey had his third straight 1,000-yard season for the Broncos, catching a team-high 101 passes.

Primed for another big year, his season ended abruptly in the opener on Sept. 10, 2001. Catching a pass over the middle in a Monday night game against the New York Giants, McCaffrey collided with safety Shaun Williams and broke the tibia and fibula in his left leg — an injury that could have ended his career.

Denver wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, center, is congratulated by teammates Clinton Portis, left, and Rod Smith after McCaffrey's 69-yard touchdown pass reception in the first quarter against the San Deigo Chargers on Oct. 6.

As he awoke from surgery the following morning, McCaffrey struggled to process the images he was seeing on television of the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington.

“There wasn’t a lot of time to feel sorry for myself,” he said. “It took my mind off my leg, that’s for sure.”

McCaffrey faced an arduous recovery, rehabbing almost daily for 11 months. His regimen included riding a stationary bike, walking on a treadmill and jogging on a treadmill until he began running outdoors last April.

Tireless in his workouts, McCaffrey surprised many of his teammates by joining them at training camp in July.

Slowed by a strained quadriceps muscle during the preseason, he also battled a neck stringer during the regular season. But he battled on.

In an emotional return to the lineup in this year’s opener, he caught two passes for 50 yards, including a 23-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter that proved to be the game-winner against the St. Louis Rams.

Denver receiver Ed McCaffrey (87) pushes away New England defender Victor Green (27) after a catch on Oct. 2.

“Having Eddie back was a huge lift for our team,” fellow receiver Rod Smith said.

In the fourth game, he had eight catches for 90 yards, then had six catches for 113 yards the following week. He had eight receptions for 116 yards against New England on Oct. 27, and seven for 126 against San Diego on Dec. 1.

McCaffrey, who will be 35 next season, is impatient with those who suggest he might be in the twilight of his career, and that his injury might hasten his retirement.

“You see guys like Jerry Rice and Darrell Green still out there playing at 41, 42, at skill positions,” he said. “Steve Beuerlein and Rich Gannon — there are a bunch of dudes who are a lot older than me. I don’t think age has anything to do with it.

“Coming back from a broken leg was hard, I’m not going to lie to you. It was no joke. It was a difficult rehab, a lot of extra work every day for a whole year. Going through the season takes a little extra rehab and icing to get through. But I love the game of football. It’s been a dream come true for me to play.”