SB Nation - Andre Hall

RB Andre Hall Waived

Mike Kerns — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:58:10 -0000

John McClain is saying that Houston waived RB Andre Hall to make room on the active roster for Dunta Robinson.

Horse Tracks 8/7/09 - Booing the home team? At practice? Seriously, folks?!

Douglas A. Lee — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:38:06 -0000

DP - Broncos' Dawkins has surgery on hand
BDawk is expected back in two weeks

DB - Day 7 Report - Broncos TV
Highlights and quotes from last night's practice at the Big IF.

DB - Day 7: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Day 7: Orton - Broncos TV
Kyle Orton spoke after Thursday morning's practice

DB - Day 7: A.M. Blog
Those missing practice yesterday morning were Brandon Marshall, Brian Dawkins and Rulon Davis.

DB - A Mile High First - Gray Caldwell
Over 13,000 showed up to watch the Broncos practice last night.

DB - Practice at INVESCO Live Blog - Gray Caldwell
Big plays by Alphonso Smith and Kenny McKinley in the return game and a solid showing by the run defense. In the passing game, big plays from Andre' Goodman and Brandon Stokley.

AP - Brian Dawkins' Injury Means More Reps For Rookie David Bruton

DP - Broncos close to signing Moreno, will try today

DP - Broncos' Moss says he's ready to work - Lindsay Jones
Jarvis spoke about his absence from practice, saying that he never pondered retirement. Perhaps today's the day for Knowshon; in addition to Orton, Matt Prater heard some boos. Marquez Branson and J'Vonne Parker suffered apparent knee injuries last night.

CSG - Broncos QB Orton hears boos after a couple of boo-boos - Frank Schwab

DP - Krieger: Simms learns he can stomach tough times
Krieger looks back Chris Simms' long recovery from his splenectomy. Simms says he didn't get rid of his scar tissue and strengthen his core until last year in Tennessee.

DP - Orton, Stokley make potent combination - Mike Klis

AP - Eddie Royal Emerging As Broncos Offensive Centerpiece

LVS - Mirage sues Denver Broncos player over alleged debts
The Mirage is seeking $20,000 in alleged gambling debts from LaMont Jordan

NYT - Research Shows Marino Is Comeback King, Not Elway - Mike Tanier
UH-OH

DP - 13,000 Fans turn out for Practice - Video

DB - Day 7: Transcripts - McDaniels and Orton

DP - Timing everything for McBean
Klis reminds us that Ryan McBean was drafted in the 4th round by the Stillers. Of course, they did cut him...Meanwhile, Legwold says there's a logjam at WR.

LTC - The Thick Blue Line
Brian Howell on NT Ronald Fields

DB - Open For Business
Mike Rice previewed the evening practice

DP - Free session draws a crowd at Invesco - Anica Wong

AP - "Boo-Birds" Make An Apperance At Training Camp - Arnie Stapleton

IS - Orton seizes his big opportunity
Nice to hear Kyle drives a hybrid and worked with green groups in Chicago...

CSG - Broncos: Kicker Prater having shaky camp - Frank Schwab

IDT - Drew Litton: The Broncos Injury Updates

DP - Cutler disses Denver fans on radio show
What a guy...

DP - Grin and Bear it: Cutler’s radio interview with .mp3

WYTV - Maurice Clarett Withdraws Request for Early Prison Release
On a human level, you've gotta feel bad for this guy and his issues. But boy, imagine if the Broncos had selected Marion Barber or Brandon Jacobs instead of him...

******************

SFC - Burgess traded to Patriots
Jokeland reportedly received a 3 and a 5 for Derrick Burgess

NFL - Raiders grant Burgess' wish, ship two-time Pro Bowl DE to Patriots

PFW - Patriots steal another from Oakland
Way to go, Al...

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Raiders p.m. update

CCT - Martin Snapp: Oakland Raiders deserve their due
Boo hoo. Jokeland ONLY has 13 HOFers. Must be rough getting such little respect...

KCS - Chiefs reportedly close to signing top draft pick Jackson

KCS - Chiefs camp buzz: Darling gets tossed from practice

SDUT - TV blackouts are likely to return this season

SDUT - LT hopes to form his own 2-H Club

SDUT - Jammer goes down hard, gets up mad

******************

NFL - Texans sign RB Hall, CB O'Neal
Kubes, Rick Smith & Co. added a couple of ex-Broncos in Deltha O'Neal and Andre Hall.

SI - NFL, Players Union labor dispute puts 2011 season in question - Peter King

NFL - Browns WR Stallworth meets with commissioner, apologizes for actions

NFL - Falcons lose WR Douglas for season to knee injury; White still holding out

NFL - Patriots say they're talking to Wilfork's agent about contract extension

Y! - Titans to wear No. 9 decal in honor of McNair

NFL - Niners mum on report that rookie WR Crabtree willing to hold out all season
Frankly, some people just don't know how good they've got it...

Y! - 49ers' Crabtree conducts convoluted holdout - Michael Crabtree

NFP - Crabtree’s ill-advised threat - Matt Bowen

NFL - With Spagnuolo at the helm, Rams embrace physical style of play - Steve Wyche

NFL - Parcells still in the spotlight, but Dolphins' success is a collective effort - Thomas George

SI - Colts hope changes will energize team - Don Banks

CBS - Colts camp report: Meet the new boss - Pete Prisco

Y! - Bears' turnaround goes beyond Cutlermania - Mike Silver

ESPN - Bears embracing Marinelli's methods - Chris Mortensen

Y! - Jets find consistency everywhere but QB - Charles Robinson

Y! - Stafford not making Lions' decision easy - Mike Silver

ESPN - Camp Confidential: Panthers eye next step

ESPN - Can an old coach change his stripes?
Matt Mosley previews Cowboys camp

NFP - Tavern talk: Worst game managers
Lombardi looks at the guys who can't handle the clock.

NFP - Diner morning news: Is Eli worth it? - Mike Lombardi

FOX - George deserves a shot, but does he want it? - Jason Whitlock
Whitlock actually thinks Jeff George should still be playing. Seriously?

PFW - Inductees Wilson, Smith epitomize Buffalo spirit

SI - What I learned from Peter King - Ross Tucker

NFP - 2009 NFP scouting series: Nebraska - Wes Bunting

NFL - While middle linebacker has lost draft value, good 2010 prospects remain - Gil Brandt

Texans Bringing In Former Saints CB Mike McKenzie

Mike Kerns — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:43:42 -0000

Pulling in another one from the scrap heap:

In addition to Deltha O'Neal and Jason Webster, the Texans are bringing in free agent CB Mike McKenzie for a tryout.
O'Neal might get the first look because he was with Gary Kubiak in Denver, but McKenzie has played the best football lately. Houston is also looking at free agent runners Andre Hall and Brad Lester. Lester wasn't drafted in April.

2009 Denver Broncos - Breaking Down the Roster - Running Backs

Douglas A. Lee — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:30:10 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

6 months ago: From left to right, Denver Broncos rookie running back Knowshon Moreno talks with fullback Peyton Hills and running back LaMont Jordan during the team's football minicamp at Broncos' headquarters in the southeast Denver suburb of Englewood, Colo., on Sunday, May 3, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Browse more photos »

The Broncos and Mike Shanahan developed quite a reputation for running the ball over the past 14 seasons. Denver basically became known as Running Back Central, where Shanahan and backs coach Bobby Turner turned several late-rounders into stars. While Shanny and Turner worked their magic in 2008 by turning seventh-rounder Peyton Hillis into a Denver cult hero, the season was noted more for its multitude of backfield injuries. New coach Josh McDaniels is no stranger to running-back attrition, as the 2008 Patriots suffered a similar fate; rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis started 3 games after being elevated from the practice squad.

Lesson learned, McDaniels and GM Brian Xanders spent the offseason turning over the depth chart. Among the pair's first moves were cutting P.J. Pope, Alex Haynes and Anthony Alridge; the departure of Cory Boyd followed soon after. Xanders and McDaniels began adding new runners at the start of free agency, signing Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan and J.J. Arrington in short order. Next came the draft, and the consensus of fans and experts alike was that Denver would emerge with at least one more back; the only question was when that would occur.

Although several fans were wishing for the Broncos to select Knowshon Moreno out of Georgia, most were expecting Denver to go defense-defense and fortify the front 7 with their two first-round picks (#12 and #18). While it appears that Xanders and McDaniels were hoping for such a scenario, the draft day board did not fall that way; highly-ranked 3-4 defenders Tyson Jackson and B.J. Raji went ahead of Denver's slot to Kansas City and Green Bay, respectively. Once their turn came around at #12, Denver's goal was to choose Moreno and DE/LB Robert Ayers with their two selections, in no particular order. Hearing that San Diego was trying to trade up to #13 in order to nab Moreno if Denver passed on the running back, Xanders and McDaniels pounced on the Georgia star.

Following the draft, Denver signed Kestahn Moore as an undrafted free agent; Moore was subsequently released in June. In the week following the draft, Denver cut Selvin Young, who had been projected as the starting back in 2008 before injuries derailed his season. The Broncos then added Darius Walker to the roster, who the Texans had chosen not to re-sign. J.J. Arrington's knee problems led to a failed physical and his eventual release in late May; the transaction cost the Broncos $100,000.

After the break, we'll take a deeper look at who the Broncos enter training camp with, and some expectations as to how the competition will play out:

Knowshon Moreno

#27 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 5-11

Weight: 205

Born: Jul 16, 1987

College: Georgia

Exp: Rookie

How Acq: 2009 Draft (1st Round, 12th Overall)

Contract: Unsigned

Moreno arrives in Denver with the highest expectations for a rookie back since Bobby Humphrey was supposed to help put John Elway over the top in 1989. Although several stars have occupied the Broncos backfield over the past 15 years (Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns), each player was able to fly under the radar before assuming the starting role. Not so for Knowshon, whose name is a combination of his father's moniker (Knowledge) and his mother's first name (Varashon). At Middletown South HS in New Jersey, Moreno completed his career as the state's all-time leading scorer and second all-time leading rusher in carrying Middletown to three straight championship titles. Knowshon's accolades at Georgia include being named the SEC's Freshman of the Year in 2007 and an AFCA All-American in 2008. He also joined Herschel Walker as the only Bulldogs to compile back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. It should also be noted that Moreno had 551 touches at Georgia and never fumbled.

Accomplishments aside, Knowshon brings a wide-ranging skill set to the Denver backfield; Coach McDaniels has spoken of Moreno's abilities as a runner, pass catcher and blocker. Wes Bunting of National Football Post wrote pre-draft that "(Knowshon)'s vision, toughness and ability to make people miss are rare." Meanwhile, Russ Lande of The War Room wrote, "Moreno is one of the most physical running back prospects our scouts have evaluated in years. Despite his lack of elite speed and burst, he is faster than expected and consistently outruns defenders who have angles on him. What's truly impressive is his ability to move well in tight quarters, a trait that separates the good NFL backs from the elite ones. He also is a polished receiver."

While it is difficult to project just how much Moreno will play in 2009, it is safe to say that Denver drafted him to be their #1 running back. During McDaniels' four years running the Patriots' offense, he never had a workhorse back at full health; therefore, it is uncertain whether McDaniels truly favors the committee approach he appears to, or a feature back to carry the bulk of the load. That said, look for Knowshon to emerge as Denver's de facto starting running back and to catch a lot more passes than we're used to seeing out of the Denver backfield.

Moreno is not yet under contract; naturally, how quickly he signs a deal may effect his development with the Broncos. As the twelfth pick, a simple look at Ryan Clady's contract (six years, $14.75 million incl. $11.415 million in guarantees) offers the framework for Knowshon's expected deal (with guarantees about 10% higher). Either way, he is quite obviously a lock to make the roster and should receive significant playing time for the Broncos in '09. Knowshon just celebrated his 22nd birthday on Thursday.

Correll Buckhalter

#28 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-0

Weight: 217

Born: Oct 06, 1978

College: Nebraska

Exp: 9th Year

How Acq: 2009 Free Agency (Philadelphia)

Contract: 2/27/2009: Signed a four-year, $10 million contract. The deal includes $1.8 million guaranteed. 2009-2012: Under Contract, 2013: Free Agent

Buckhalter signed with the Broncos in March after 8 seasons with the Eagles, during which he carried the ball 476 times for 2,155 yards (4.5 YPA) and 18 touchdowns in 74 games. CB also has 85 career receptions for 930 yards and 4 touchdowns. While these numbers would suggest low mileage on Buckhalter's knees, those joints haven't been too kind to Correll over the years; a torn ACL in his left knee cost him the 2002 season, while the 2004 and 2005 campaigns were lost to a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. However, Correll has been active for 49 out of a possible 53 games over the past 3 seasons in Philly (including playoffs). 2008 saw Buckhalter at his most productive (in terms of yards from scrimmage) since his rookie season, as he gained 369 yards rushing and 324 yards receiving, along with 4 total touchdowns. He did not fumble in 2008.

Shortly after Denver signed Buckhalter, he was unceremoniously linked to a drug dealer during a Pennsylvania court case. Fortunately, the convicted dealer denied selling marijuana to Buckhalter; no charges have been filed against the running back.

During his time in Philadelphia, Buckhalter was the primary backup to Brian Westbrook, filling in as the starter when necessary but averaging only 7.6 touches per game. While that number may rise in Denver, don't expect his role to change significantly. The Broncos have added Buckhalter for his versatility; Scouts, Inc. says, "Buckhalter is a productive back with a good combination of size and speed, displays good run skills and acceleration through the hole, has above-average hands with good open-field run after the catch ability." As stated above, the Broncos drafted Knowshon Moreno to be their top back; Buckhalter will get his touches, but he is still primarily a backup. It should also be noted that Correll has gotten reps as a kick returner, having taken back 37 kicks for 798 yards (21.6 YPR) for Philly in 2007.

Buckhalter signed a four-year deal in February, including $1.8 million in guarantees and worth as much as $10 million over the length of the contract. Salary details were not released. Those guarantees mean Buckhalter is a virtual lock to make the roster; of course, past history suggests a trip to the IR is always a possibility. Correll will turn 31 following Denver's Week 4 game versus Dallas.

LaMont Jordan

#32 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 5-10

Weight: 230

Born: Nov 11, 1978

College: Maryland

Exp: 9th Year

How Acq: 2009 Free Agency (New England)

Contract: 3/4/2009: Signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract. The deal included a $500,000 signing bonus. 2009-2010: Under Contract, 2011: Free Agent

Also signed at the outset of free agency, LaMont Jordan joins his fourth NFL team in 2009, and his third squad in three seasons. A versatile back, Jordan racked up 1,588 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns for the Raiders in 2005. However, it was his only standout season in a career thus far marked by underachievement. After spending the 2008 season with the Patriots, Jordan has stated his preference was to stay in New England; when that opportunity did not arise, he chose to follow Josh McDaniels westward. Perhaps he sensed that McDaniels knows best how to utilize his skills; although he did not catch any passes in 2008, Jordan did rack up his best YPA (4.5) on the ground since 2004, with 363 yards gained on 80 carries. What makes Jordan's lack of receptions in '08 stand out is that he hauled in 70 passes during that career-best 2005 season. LaMont fumbled once in 2008.

After spending four years as an understudy to future-HOFer Curtis Martin in New York, Jordan received an $11 million bonus to head west to Oakland. After that productive first season with the Raiders, injuries and perhaps a bit of laziness cut down Jordan's playing time and output in subsequent years. Last month, LaMont had some interesting comments which alluded to his attitude in prior years, saying he was "out here for the offseason program, something I’ve never really done throughout my career...I want to play at a lot less (weight) than what I’ve been playing. ...I never really put in the work to being my best, and that’s what I’m here doing now."

At his best and when healthy, Jordan is quite a load out of the backfield, packing 230 pounds onto a stout 5'10" frame. As those numbers would suggest, Jordan is not an elusive back, but one who is difficult to tackle. Scouts, Inc. says Jordan "can fill a need as a power back who catches the ball out of the backfield and can be hard to tackle once he gets to the second level or catches the ball in the open field." Expect Jordan to be a threat in short-yardage and goal-line situations for Denver, and possibly as a receiver out of the backfield. His knowledge and experience from spending 2008 with McDaniels in New England will surely help him in Denver.

Jordan signed a two-year deal including a $500,000 signing bonus and worth as much as $2.5 million. Like Buckhalter, Jordan's salary is unknown. His small bonus means LaMont is quite expendable in a salary-cap sense; but if he does show up in shape for camp, Jordan's experience with McDaniels in NE, excellent hands and size should make him a keeper. Durability has been an issue for Jordan at times, as a torn MCL landed him in IR in 2006 and calf problems kept him from dressing for eight games in 2008. LaMont will turn 31 after the Broncos' Week 9 contest versus Pittsburgh.

Peyton Hillis

#22 / Fullback / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-1

Weight: 250

Born: Jan 21, 1986

College: Arkansas

Exp: 2nd Year

How Acq: 2008 Draft (7th round, 227th overall)

Contract: 7/16/2008: Signed a four-year, $1.755 million contract. The deal included a $49,800 signing bonus. 2009: $385,000, 2010: $470,000, 2011: $555,000, 2012: Free Agent

photo via static.nfl.com

As mentioned in the intro, Peyton Hillis went from nearly undrafted to Denver folk hero in a matter of months, thanks to the bone-crushing hits he dished out; and that's when he was carrying the ball. Although Hillis was a star running back in high school, he was relegated to fullback in his time at Arkansas thanks to the arrival of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. After the Broncos selected him, Hillis was seen as a fullback with great hands to catch passes out in the flat. He certainly showed off those skills during Denver's Week 9 loss to Miami, tallying 7 receptions for an eye-popping 116 yards and a touchdown. But his role would grow...

Injuries to Selvin Young, Michael Pittman, Ryan Torain and Andre Hall left Hillis as the Broncos' primary ball-carrier midway through Denver's game in Cleveland on Nov. 6. Hillis punished opposing defenses for several weeks, highlighted by a 22-carry, 129-yard effort with a touchdown at a rainy Meadowlands (with your trusty author in attendance) against the Jets. Unfortunately, Peyton's wonderful rookie campaign came crashing down the next week as a circus-like catch resulted in a torn hamstring against the Chiefs. Despite the brief cameo atop the RB chart, Hillis managed to rack up 343 rushing yards (which led the team, sadly) with a 5.0 YPA and an impressive 5 TDs. His receiving numbers were also notable, with 14 catches for 179 yards and a stunning 12.8 YPR. While these are relatively small samples which should not be extrapolated to a full season, Peyton's statistics are surely evidence that he is a playmaker with versatile skills and a promising future. By the way, Peyton did not fumble in 2008.

The arrival of Moreno and Buckhalter indicate that dreams of Peyton Hillis as Denver's workhorse back are distant from fruition. However, one cannot envision the Broncos' 2009 season without a hefty role for Hillis. As Peyton related to his hometown paper last month, Josh McDaniels recognizes the player's wide skill set; he had the second-year player "getting snaps at running back, wide receiver, fullback and tight end." McDaniels offered a glowing review of Hillis, saying "He's got great hands, and he's a very tough runner to bring down when you give him the ball. So he'll do a lot different things for us." Look for Peyton to fulfill myriad roles in 2009; he'll be featured at times in one-back sets, he'll be motioning out wide to catch passes, he'll be lining up at times as a fullback, and maybe we'll even see him as the tailback in a two-back set from time to time.

Hillis is entering the second year of his four-year rookie deal which will pay him a salary of $385,000 in 2009. He is a lock for the roster and should see significant playing time. Peyton doesn't turn 24 until during the 2009 Playoffs.

Spencer Larsen

#46 / Fullback / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-2

Weight: 240

Born: Mar 04, 1984

College: Arizona

Exp:2nd Year

How Acq: 2008 Draft (6th round, 183rd overall)

Contract: 7/9/2008: Signed a four-year, $1.801 million contract. The deal included a $97,500 signing bonus. 2009: $385,000, 2010: $470,000, 2011: $555,000, 2012: Free Agent

photo via static.nfl.com

As a late-round selection last year, Spencer Larsen made the Denver roster on the strength of his special-teams play and versatility. His stadium-shaking hit on a kick return in Week 4 was arguably Denver's best tackle of the year and the only positive memory from that horrific game in Kansas City. Later on in the season, Larsen made headlines as a starter on offense (fullback), defense (linebacker) and special teams (kick coverage); he was the first Bronco in team history to do so. In fact, he received the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for his efforts. A groin injury slowed Larsen down in December, and he did not play in Denver's losses versus thePanthers and Bills.

Although Larsen's versatility means he offers Denver roster flexibility (backup FB and ILB are the same guy), he is (to this point) nothing special as far as fullbacks go. MHR's own Styg50 wrote "Larsen was only adequate as a blocking FB however, and he has mentioned how uncomfortable he would be if he was ever asked to carry the rock," in his review at season's end. Larsen did not carry the ball or catch a pass in 2008 for Denver. However, he needn't worry much; if the past four seasons in New England are any indication, there won't be a lot of touches allocated to the fullback position.

Larsen is entering the second year of his four-year rookie deal which will pay him a salary of $385,000 in 2009. The fact that Spencer fills more than one spot on the depth chart means he would be a very difficult player to cut. Having spent 2003 and 2004 on a Mormon mission in Chile, Larsen entered the NFL at an older age than most, turning 25 this past March.

Ryan Torain

#42 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-1

Weight: 225

Born: Aug 10, 1986

College: Arizona State

Exp: 2nd Year

How Acq: 2008 Draft (5th round, 139th overall)

Contract: 7/9/2008: Signed four-year, $1.903 million contract. The deal included a $198,000 signing bonus. 2009: $385,000, 2010: $470,000, 2011: $555,000, 2012: Free Agent

photo via static.nfl.com

Ryan Torain entered the league with some rather unfair expectations. As a running back and a fifth-round choice of the Denver Broncos, Torain was doomed to fail from the very beginning. After all, his draft position and injury-shortened senior year at Arizona State made Ryan the obvious heir apparent to the crown of Late-Round Denver Running Back Comes From Nowhere to Top 1,000 Yards and Turn Every Fantasy Football League Upside Down. The shoes of Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson and Olandis Gary are hard to fill; Torain suffered a freak elbow injury during training camp, and throughout his recovery there were whispers that he would be the starting running back for Denver upon his return.

Granted, the reputations Mike Shanahan and Bobby Turner were bestowed as Running Back Whisperers was not undeserved; they did often turn what other teams deemed chicken you-know-what into chicken salad. But Torain, who has seemingly never been able to stay healthy for more than a couple months, had no chance. His pro debut resulted in a single yard gained on three carries (yes, that's 3 carries, 1 yard) versus Miami. A few nights later, the national stage was to be Torain's; Denver's matchup against the Browns was televised on the NFL Network and the previously-mentioned slew of RB injuries meant it was finally Torain Time. Although Ryan showed an odd and upright running style, it worked for most of the first half, as he racked up 68 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Savvy fantasy-football owners everywhere rejoiced. Torain did not fumble.

But as quickly as Torain Time had arrived, it departed just like that; an awkward tackle near halftime turned out to be a torn ACL in Ryan's left knee. His rookie season was over, after just 15 carries and six quarters of football. In addition to the knee and elbow injuries of 2008, Torain lost much of his senior season to a fractured toe. As a sophomore at Butler Community College in 2004, he missed several games with an ankle sprain. The hope, of course, is that Torain is someday able to find better health (fortune?) and make good on the promise he showed while at ASU (93.8 rushing yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry in 19 games). Those numbers, along with his large measurables, make Torain sound like a smaller version of Brandon Jacobs. However, his aforementioned upright running style mean he's more often receiving than doling out contact.

Torain is entering the second year of his four-year rookie deal which will pay him a salary of $385,000 in 2009. Health is clearly an issue; even if he is able to practice and perform in training camp, Torain may still find himself in competition with Darius Walker for the final RB spot on the roster. But his size, talent, potential, and injury history make Ryan much more likely to be on the 53-man roster, IR or PUP list than on the Broncos' cut list. Torain did participate in individual drills in June minicamps with a brace on his left knee, which is obviously a good sign for his future in Denver. Ryan will turn 23 during the upcoming training camp.

Darius Walker

#43 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 5-11

Weight: 205

Born: Oct 21, 1985

College: Notre Dame

Exp: 2nd Year

How Acq: 2009 Free Agency (Houston)

Contract: 5/7/2009: Signed a two-year contract

photo via static.nfl.com

Walker entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Gary Kubiak's Texans in 2007. A star for the Fighting Irish, Darius was highly productive despite only seeing action in four games with Houston. He tallied 264 yards and 1 TD on 58 carries, plus 81 yards on 13 receptions for a total of 345 YFS; these are impressive numbers for any back, let alone an undrafted rookie. Walker has not fumbled in the NFL. 2008 was a lost year for Walker, as he spent 5 weeks on the Texans' active roster but saw no action; he otherwise had three practice-squad stints - two with Houston and one with St. Louis.

Despite those encouraging statistics, Walker is apparently not that great at anything in particular. As Scouts, Inc. put it, Walker "is not quite as big as you'd like and not quite as fast as you'd like, but he does have some quality running skills...He adds some value as a situational player who can spell the starter and run routes out of the backfield, but does not have enough physical skills to make you think he has a chance to ever be a starter." It does not appear that Walker has had any notable injury problems.

Walker signed a two-year deal with Denver; terms of the contract were not released. It's safe to assume Walker received a minimal signing bonus (figure less than $100,000) and money will not be a factor in the decision whether to keep him on the roster. If the Broncos' other backs are healthy, it would be a surprise for Walker to make the 53-man roster. Assuming another team does not snatch him up come August, don't be surprised to find him on Denver's practice squad. From my research, it appears that Walker still has practice-squad eligibility; he has only accrued one season (2007) and during that year he dressed for fewer than nine games (6, to be exact). Thanks to broncobear for help with that one. Walker will turn 24 following Denver's Week 6 Monday Night game in San Diego.

Overall Outlook

The common threads which seem to link Denver's running backs are versatility and sure-handedness; Josh McDaniels clearly prioritizes players who have the ability to run with the football, to get out of the backfield and catch passes, hang onto the football when they've got it, and to stay in and block when more protection is necessary. Expect to see more passes thrown the backs' way, if Josh McDaniels' time in New England is any indication. Look for Moreno to be the starter, with Buckhalter and Hillis seeing a good amount of touches, Larsen filling in at times as fullback, Jordan getting carries in short-yardage and goal-line situations, with Torain's role dependent upon his health, and Walker on the bubble. As for strategy, it is safe to say that Denver will return to a more balanced offense in 2009 than we saw last year; more runs near the goal line and more draws to combat the 3-4 defenses of San Diego and Kansas City. For more on Josh McDaniels and the running game, check out this earlier piece from broncobear and myself - Divining the McDaniels Way.

Broncos Dreams and Musings July 3, 2009

Emmett Smith — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:48:55 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

4 months ago: Denver Broncos linebacker Darrell Reid, left, talks with head coach Josh McDaniels before drills during the team's football minicamp at the Broncos headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Sunday, June 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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The Denver Broncos and Michael Lombardi

I was meandering through some old materials this weekend when I found a pre-draft set of concerns about the Broncos by Michael Lombardi. I had thought at the time that they were reasonable and a fair consideration, so I kept them around. Here is what he said:

DENVER

Who is going to be the Broncos starting quarterback? Can they repair, restore and revive the relationship between Jay Cutler and the head coach?
With the switch to a 3-4 there are plenty of positions up for grabs, but the essential question is this: Who will rush the passer from the outside?
Denver forced only 13 turnovers last season and clearly lack speed on every level of their defense. Who is going to be their playmaker?
The Broncos struggled to cover anyone, even with Champ Bailey, and finished with just six interceptions for the season. Who can cover?
Can they expect to get another year out of Casey Wiegmann at center? They struggled when they played physical defensive teams

I thought, even then, that these were excellent questions. There was not doubt that pre-draft, the Broncos had reason to give pause to even the most voracious fans. This led to a lot of musing on what happened and dreams of what might be. That being said, let's take them one at a time and see if Denver did anything to work out those concerns.

Question 1: Who will be the Quarterback?

The Broncos made a decision to give up on the more emotionally fraught and fragile situation with Jay Cutler, cut their losses and make a deal that would yield a starter in Orton and kept their backup in Simms. That same deal also netted them (in essence) Knowshon Moreno and Alphonso Smith and 'half' of Richard Quinn, with a caveat involving the trade of a 3rd-round pick for a 5th-rounder (There are different ways to parse this, but this one seems most accurate to me). However, the issue of who starts at QB, although important, is secondary to the issue of whether or not the Broncos got good value in a trade that most industry people agreed that they had to make. While it’s easy for fans to argue (as I have myself) that it would be grand and emotionally satisfying to see them sit Cutler on the bench for a while, that kind of thing can poison a locker room and distract a team already facing huge changes. It isn’t reasonable and it wasn’t going to happen. I have to say that they seemed to do very well with a tough situation.

In addition, the arrival of Tom Brandstater, who will probably suit up as an emergency quarterback and who will begin his apprenticeship under Head Coach Josh McDaniels and the two QBs ahead of him is a very good sign. Brandstater has all of the tools to become a very good backup or even a starter in the NFL. He needs time and work, and should be able to receive both.

Question 2: Who will rush the passer?

This is a great question. It was then and it still is now, prior to training camp. One of the many areas of weakness last year was the inability to get pressure on the QB (or the running back or the receivers, for that matter). Part of that will shake out from the front 3, and other than Ronnie Fields it seems open right now. But the draft yielded one Robert Ayers, lately of Tennessee, who was one of the best young DEs in this year’s options. Will he rush the QB well? This could be one of the questions that determines the outcome of the Broncos season (The production of Knowshon Moreno is the other).

A change in scheme is also letting them move Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder to the outside and will let them create a wide variety of looks and options. Moss's and Dumervil's weakness against the run made them less effective coming in from the outside - the change in scheme could create a better disguise for what they are going to do. Denver will be moving towards a full time 3-4 defense, but will give a lot of different looks over the course of the season. See here for SlowWhiteGuy’s helpful look into one way to view this change.

We're going to rush the passer with scheme as well as players, as hoosierteacher pointed out with his excellent series on the Ted Blocker.

Question 3: Who will be the playmakers and create turnovers? Do we have enough speed?

To me the first section was and is the biggest question. Who will be the playmakers? You need to look at this question from two angles. If, by this, you mean to create turnovers (And it seemed that was the thrust of the question) there was a quick response by the Broncos. The answer was to redo the entire secondary, with only a scant few holdovers. They are looking to Andre' Goodman and Alphonso Smith as well as Champ to knock down and pick off passes, to Darcel McBath (David Bruton may take longer to mature, but he has the potential to be a lot more than a special teams player) to learn centerfield and look for opportunities, and Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill to prevent the kind of repetitive big plays that hamstrung them in the 2008 season.

I'm not huge on extrapolating stats. The players get injured or have a career year, the scheme changes and with few exceptions, rookies aren't going to get what they did in college. Still - you have to look at the overall stats to see where you were and what needs to change. When you add up last year's turnovers versus our new starters, the new players so far outdid the Broncos measly 13 defensive turnovers that you have to be impressed, and Alphonso Smith was brilliant at creating turnovers in college - fumbles as well as interceptions. The emphasis in training camp has included new drills on how to function if you're the 2nd or 3rd player to a tackle - you generally ignore the man (if he's going down) and hammer on the ball. It wouldn't even matter if he's getting away from Tackler 1 as long as you get the ball loose. Watching film from last year, it was clear that we did that erratically, but not with any consistency. We lost several fumbles to teams that used this practice. Will we be better? I hope so. Are we better prepared via personnel and approach. Assuredly.

If by playmaking you mean 'coming up big with plays to stop drives' you would have to include the massive restructuring of the front 7 as well. Ayers, Doom, Moss, Woodyard, probably Reid and certainly Williams in some degree of rotation, probably with A. Davis at LILB to start, will have to step up. I'd expect Spencer Larsen to be a backup to start and to be moved around from special teams to fullback to inside linebacker, although he may well take the job at linebacker later in the season or in next year's training camp. Fields has been noted by a few writers as the steal of the off-season, and there's reason to believe that since his explosion off the snap was the best on the 49ers D-Line last year. There are too many options for NT and DE to cover here, but that fact in and of itself makes my point. There will be no shortage of folks who can step up. The question of whether they will step up will begin to be answered in training camp.

I did look with interest on the part of this question that involved speed. I'll concede part of the issue - Shanahan drafted for speed for a long time, but we ended up with a smorgasbord of players, styles and abilities due to the revolving door at defensive coordinator and the accompanying revolving personnel door. We became neither fish nor fowl, although we managed foul pretty well.Many of our most recent pickups aren't incredibly fast nor incredibly slow. Bruton looks to be a backup - he's incredibly fast for a safety. McBath is just fast. Smith - there will always be an asterisk in my mind around the players from this year's draft. The timing was flat-out off. He's not a burner, but neither is he slow.

Most importantly, the scheme that we are setting in motion will use more zone coverage to minimize the issues of speed. We drafted fairly well for speed as well - Darcel McBath is in the 4.58 range, Bruton was in the 4.46, A. Smith was 4.51, not a burner but very quick and agile. Ayers only had a 4.9 40 - slow for a linebacker, but good for a defensive end. Jarvis Moss, on the other hand, is a 4.7 40 guy. Overall, I'd still have to say that Lombardi has a point. Scheme will have to help us here or we'll see issues from it, but I'm Ok with that as we stand now..

Question 4: Coverage and Interceptions

This is a great question. My own feeling is that they had answered it in spades at both the cornerback and the safety positions before the draft and filled out the answer sheet in depth during the NFL draft. Champ is healthy, they added Alphonso Smith in the draft and Andre Goodman in free agency. Jack Williams or Josh Bell will have to step up to stay on the team. They also did 'a little' at the safety position, with Brian Dawkins there to anchor the team and Renaldo Hill to start. Behind them are three young players, all distinct and with different skillsets.

Jerry Angelo got my honest appreciation for this comment in a recent National Football Post article by Matt Bowen. It brought out some issues on our safeties.

"...it's obvious that Angelo sees the safety position as a concern heading into this summer, and not just in Chicago.

"It's the poorest-played position in football right now," he said. "It's very hard to find a safety that can tackle high to low," meaning players who can tackle from the free safety spot in the open field. As Angelo said, there's so much emphasis placed on athleticism and ball skills at the position that sound tackling has become a thing of the past. "

This is one area where Angelo and I are in full agreement, and when I read it I suspected that our own Hoosierteacher wouldn't argue much with us either. In fact, I took this chance to ask him about this remark and appreciated his reply so much that I wanted to include it here:

"The big problem with safeties (in my opinion) at many levels of football is the mistaken belief that they are just extensions of the cornerback position. This line of thinking has safeties valued for the ability to race to a passed ball and intercept or disrupt. But this is not the classic role of safeties, and the effect of this type of thinking is what has hurt the position.

Safeties are, above all else, the last line of defense. They must be sure, open field tacklers because they are intended to stop any ball carriers (runners or receivers) that get past the front seven and corners. The ability to tackle, speed, and read plays are the most important ingredients. When one of those skills (almost always "tackling") is sacrificed to get a safety with "good hands" for interceptions", the position suffers. Good hands should be seen as icing on the cake for a safety, not as a requirement."

In addition to the pleasure of a chance to learn from MHRs master of Xs and Os, the other thing I love is that along with Josh Barrett, the Denver Broncos now have three young, hard hitting safeties (Barrett, David Bruton, McBath) that can play on special teams and who love to make tackles. Having lacked a decent backfield general for years, the Broncos suddenly find themselves with a plethora of riches among the veterans and the youngsters. Will they keep all of them, or will Vernon Fox make the team. I'm better that Fox falters in training camp, but I could be wrong.

With Renaldo Hill starting as the season opens and both McBath, the current heir apparent and David Bruton behind him both having great scouting reports as bright players and sure tacklers, the Broncos are finally paying attention to the defense as a unit, rather than to one position (cornerback, for example, or DE) during one draft and a second position (DL) the next. The upgrade of quality, with new FA players brought in at all positions and a lot of great young talent there from the draft and an unparalleled CFA class, is pointing towards a huge change from the past two years and brings a smile to my face.

By the way, this article on safeties and on Rodney Harrison in particular, also by Matt Bowen is a better than average look at the position and the skills it requires.

I've mentioned this, but have you noticed that the Broncos have more talent in the defensive backfield than at any time in modern memory? Think about it. With Champ Bailey and probably Andre' Goodman starting and Alphonso Smith able to bring his zone coverage skills to the table as a nickel back, we finally have a decent crew at cornerback. Even better, Goodman and Hill have played well together in the past so we've got some built-in continuity. There will be changes in scheme and terminology, granted, but these two know and understand each others tendencies. Even better, they are paired with Champ and Brian Dawkins, who brings instant leadership and drive to a secondary that last year was best described as ‘porous'. We are much, much better than we were last year.

Question 5: Can Casey Wiegmann play, and can the Broncos play physical football?

Let's move on to the second issue right away. I know that Lombardi meant this in terms of the offensive line, but it's such a good question that I though we should look at the entire team this way. The Broncos gave up way too much to other teams in terms of physicality last year and prior to that. Shanahan preferred speed to size; there are arguments both ways. I'm of the school that wants both, but will take the speed guys if they (and Wesley Woodyard is my favorite current example of this) like being physical, regardless of size, and enjoy taking on the challenge of a team trying to out-muscle them.

It's not necessarily a situation of preferring one or the other. Lots of players give you both - look at Ryan Clady on offense or Ron Fields on defense, each of whom is very fast /explosive/agile for their position. We have quite a few examples of getting both now - David Bruton ran a 4.46 40 at Combine and had the third highest number of tackles on Notre Dame in 2008. NFLDraftScout.com calls Bruton a playmaker "with the size, speed and athleticism to potentially be a good starter and very good special teams player." (There's video at the link I provided). Then there's the physicality of players like Robert Ayers, Alphonso Smith (who was referred to by Jonathan Hull of fantasyfootballjungle.com as the Steal of the Draft) and Jack Williams, all of whom are fast but not burners, yet incredibly tough players.

It's interesting to me that Buckhalter is still our fastest running back (Yes, even despite his knee surgeries) and that Hillis is just slightly (.02 - .04 seconds) faster than Moreno, yet Moreno's nimbleness has astonished people, while Hillis just runs them over like gophers in the road. Toughness - would anyone out there take Selvin Young and Andre Hall over Moreno and Hillis when it comes to toughness? I'm just asking. Toss in Buckhalter and Jordan and our squad is even stronger. I know - the injuries last year did seriously hurt the Broncos RB squad, but even so... Top to bottom, we just have a much better group at RB. We have a question mark at Torain, but we brought in a couple of young guys to cover us if Torain doesn't get well (don't be surprised if they get him on IR to start the season and to give themselves an option later when there are 2009's injuries to deal with). But toughness? It's a very new year, and for that I'm thankful. This is a tough bunch of guys.

When Parcells won the Super Bowl against the LA Rams in January of 1991, he leaned over to Will McDonough for the Boston Globe who had also been a long time friend, and while waiting for the post game press conference to begin he loudly whispered two words: "Power Football!" During the days following conference, he noted the same thing twice more:

"...I've coached this game for a long time, and I know one thing," said Parcells, two days later. "Power football wins games." He then repeated it, just for emphasis.

Personally, I love speed but I know that Parcells was often right. I believe that speed has to be paired equally with the ability to match up, stand up and finish up. That takes power and strength (and scheme, which we often lacked). Games are usually won in the 4th quarter and we lost too many that way, whether by lack of strength or lack of conditioning. Our free agent acquisitions like Brian Dawkins, Renaldo Hill and Andra Davis are also very mentally tough, as is undrafted college free agent Rulon Davis, for example (Davis also has run his 40's in as little as 4.8, although his combine time was 5.06). Tough wins games. Tough generates the stats that correlate to wins. Given the smaller, lighter DEs that we've found ourselves with (Moss, Doom, etc), turning them into bigger linebackers makes a lot of sense. We also added a little weight, players like Fields, Parker and Askew

Moving back to the first part of the final question - How about Casey Wiegmann and the physicality of the Broncos O line approach? There are two good questions here. Can Wiegmann play another year? He says that he can and the Broncos have responded with a 2 year contract so they obviously believe him. The odds are very good, and yet the Broncos had the sense to hedge their bets. They drafted two good offensive linemen. They have Kory Lichtensteiger as the guard/center apparent, Tyler Polumbus at tackle, new center Blake Schlueter and an assortment of other options. 'Steiger has a reputation for toughness that borders on sheer nastiness and he's down to 295 of rock muscle (from up to 310 lb) and dropped some soft weight. Our new offensive lineman, Seth Olsen, was described by draftcountdown.com as "Very tough...Plays with a nasty demeanor" and plays at about 306 lb. Just our new kind of guy - he was also elected as a member of the Leadership Group in all four of his playing seasons for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Wiegmann is light for his position - listed at 285. The guys behind him are a little bigger - 'Steiger at 295, even Schlueter at 290 - but adequate for a zone blocking center (Denver will add other blocking schemes, and actually used to use some other schemes, but we will keep the predominance of the ZB). The question will be whether they can play with technique and leverage - for the ZB, that's the real issue.

As far as being physical, by the end of last year the Broncos were playing much more physically on offense. Their run blocking was a work in progress last year - by the end, they were hammering out holes for people that you either hadn't heard of or didn't want to, but the holes kept coming anyway. The relative size of Seth Olsen gives us a clue as to the direction they will go in – the retention of line coach Rick Dennison says a lot for the zone blocking approach, but they will be adding other blocking schemes as well. They may be looking at bigger guards than they have used in the past. Ryan Clady’s 325 lb. goes a long way towards creating a bigger, tougher line, and the genius of their zone blocking scheme will always put more of a premium on athleticism than just sheer road-grader size. Olsen is big but not huge at 306 yet he's very strong and late rounder Blake Schlueter is smaller yet very athletic (and mean). He's more of the lineman that Denver used in the past, but something about him drew the Xanders/McDaniels team to him. That 'something' was simple - he's incredibly fast, agile and tough as nails, is a master of the knockdown despite his lighter weight (leverage and technique are big tools for him and wields them like sledgehammers) and was a team captain in his junior and senior year.

I'm still not sure about Ben Hamilton. He just didn't seem quite the same guy. Could just have been the year off, maybe something else was going on. I don't see any signs that it was concussion-based, by the way. I do wonder if he's vulnerable to an in-camp challenge by a younger guy. McDaniels has shown one thing - he's not huge on sentimental holdovers.He needs to win.

You could also question this one issue from Lombardi: I'm pretty sure that Casey Wiegmann, among others, out-played, disarmed and diffused Kris Jenkins and a host of other players. It seemed, after looking at the numbers and the tape, as if the Broncos O line was pretty physical themselves. I thought that the physicality questions were better asked of the rest of the team, but maybe that's just me.

Conclusions:

Michael Lombardi asked a lot of good, insightful questions regarding where the tam came from at the end of last year and where it's trying to go. What stands out to me is how well these questions were answered. In looking back at the players that we (often mercifully) let go, the free agents acquired and the way that we handled the draft, the Broncos did a solid job of providing players that answer what I thought were fair, sensible queries.

They ranged from the quarterback to the pass rush, to playmakers at each level of the defense, to the quality of the secondary and defensive backfield and back again to offense. There was one question on Casey Wiegmann and another on the level of physicality on the Bronco, particularly the offensive line. Frankly impressed at how well they’ve answered them to the extent that they can, pre-training camp. I think that every team has a high level of expectation from the fans during the weeks prior to training camp. A certain allure can abound, sometimes realistic, sometimes false. How do you tell which is which?

I think that there are several means. We cannot truly understand how the Broncos are matching players to scheme simple because we do not, cannot know the schemes. But many of us have done substantial work on the statistics and schemes that our current coaches have used in the past. We've done more analysis of last season than any year in my memory (our available tools improve as does the quality of the people we have researching and writing). We can look at who stayed, who went and who was ushered out the door and consider the background and stats on those who replaced them. Taking all known factors into account, I'm impressed at how well we answered the valid and reasonable questions that were put to the Broncos early last spring. With the onset of summer, training camp is nearly in our grasp.

Bring it on!

AFC West Offseason Progress Reports by Position: RB

John (obviousman) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:05:22 -0000

Considering the overwhelming lack of response to the first installment of this series, I considered stopping it altogether. Then I re-read it and liked it. Seriously, what's not to like? Even if you don't agree with all of my opinions, it stands as another reminder of the turmoil this division has faced outside of San Diego. Two of the three teams have new starting quarterbacks that have question-marks attached to them. The other one has a new veteran breathing down his neck for the starting job and a new offensive coordinator. What's not to love as a Chargers fan?

So I'm going to try this again. I hope there's a better response this time as we analyze the backfields of AFC West teams and rate the offseason changes that have (or haven't) been made.

via nicklohr7.files.wordpress.com

San Diego Chargers: Change by addition and possibly by approach. Going into 2008, the consensus was that LaDainian Tomlinson was the #1 back and would return to form after his injury in late 2007. Jacob Hester had been drafted to be his backup and to replace Michael Turner. Well, very quickly we learned that Hester could be an effective player but the coaching staff obviously thought he didn't have what it took to be a backup and Darren Sproles came in to do the job.

Sproles actually wound up outperforming Turner's 2007 performance. Take a look:

	RushAtt	RushYds	RushTDs	RushYPC	Rec	RecYds	RecTDs
Turner (2007)	71	316	1	4.5	4	16	0
Sproles (2008)	61	330	1	5.4	29	342	5

What drop-off? After looking at these numbers, I almost went back on my idea that Sproles should be the 3rd string RB. Actually, that phrase isn't right. I believe the Chargers should have a RB by committee. There's so many reasons for it. One, it'll extend LT's career. Two, LT and Sproles would be healthier and more rested for the playoffs. Three, it gives Gartrell Johnson a chance to grow on the field without much pressure. I could go on and on. Anyways, I almost went back on that after seeing how successful Sproles was last season. I almost said "Ah, the hell with it, give Sproles more carries and keep Gartrell on the bench." Then I remembered last year's running game. It was poor because LT was hurt, true, but the thing that stood out the most was how it lacked versatility. Every time the ball was handed off the defense knew that the RB wanted to go outside. They knew the RB would try and win the battle with speed instead of power and there was nobody on the team to change their mind.

Jacob Hester was drafted to be that power back that gives the offense versatility. It's who he was in college. Although he was small, he was a bit of a bruiser but also had speed and soft hands. Other NFL teams were worried that he wouldn't be able to be a bruiser in the NFL and they may be right (when it comes to his running, anyway). Gartrell Johnson, to me, equals all the reasons I mentioned above. Because of their size, Sproles is just as big a risk as Tomlinson to get worn down and injured. I don't really care if either of those guys see the field in the first 5 games of the season. I want them late in the season and in the playoffs to be at the top of their game. So, what did the Chargers do to their running game over the offseason? They had their FB beef up and created some versatility in the backfield by drafting a power back.

Offseason Grade: B+. My grade at the end of the season will be more telling. I'm still worried that these three guys are not going to be used the right way. I'm concerned we're going to get to Week 17 and Gartrell, with less than 20 carries under his belt, will have to start a game because LT is hurt and Sproles isn't trusted to be a starter. I don't want playoff weeks centered around LT's injuries anymore. I'm hopefuly we're past that and this pick gives me hope, but we'll see...

via i.a.cnn.net

Kansas City Chiefs: Larry Johnson is a bum. There, I said it. My definition of a "bum" when it comes to sports is somebody who is so talented that their team keeps relying on them, even though year after year the guy lets them down. Is it LJ's fault? Well, the off-the-field problems certainly are, but the on-the-field problems may not be.

In 2006, Larry Johnson carried the rock 416 times. That seems like a lot, doesn't it? Well, it's the most amount of carries by one running back in one season in the history of professional football. Some other guys right behind him on that list? Eddie George and Jamal Anderson. Two guys that physically broke down after being overworked. Not only that, LJ turns 30 in November. So his body's working against him already. Since that 2006 season, in which Johnson went to the Pro Bowl and carried the Chiefs to a 9-7 record, Larry has had a hard time staying healthy. Yet, the Chiefs keep looking for him to return to form.

In 2007, Johnson managed to get into 8 games. In 2008, it was 12. Want a picture of how his performance, when healthy, has gone down? Lets look at how efficient he's been over the course of his career.

	RushAtt	RushYPC	TDs	Fumbles
2004	120	4.8	11	0
2005	336	5.2	21	5
2006	416	4.3	19	2
2007	158	3.5	4	1
2008	193	4.5	5	5

Every team wants a guy that can score 20 times and fumble less than 5 times each season, but fumbling as many times as you're getting in the end zone should not make you the centerpiece of an offense. Plain and simple, LJ doesn't have anything left. I'm actually surprised he had those big seasons in 2005 and 2006 considering how he was run into the ground at Penn State, but basically have the first-half of 2004 off probably helped that.

So in 2008 the Chiefs drafted Jamaal Charles. He was effective when he played (5.3 Yards Per Carry), but the coaching staff seemed to prefer Johnson. Going into 2009, LJ is again the starter. He's been a two-time Pro Bowler, a player with off-the-field issues, injury-prone and someone who is not afraid to speak out against his coach to the media. Why is KC still pinning their hopes on him? Because he's a bum, and they're getting suckered in. It happens to the best of us (I'm looking at you, David Boston).

Offseason Grade: D. Okay, so Charles is a year older and wiser. That's the only reason they don't get an F (LJ is another year older as well). Jamaal is also probably a better fit for Haley's offense because he's a great receiver coming out of the backfield. He should be given the starter's role and Johnson should be shopped, but that's not happening this year. Maybe next year. The Chiefs drafted little-known Javarris Williams out of Tennessee State this year, but if he sees the field it'll be as a FB only.

via www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

Denver Broncos: Okay, let's see if I can cover it all without my head exploding.

2008 backfield: Michael Pittman, Peyton Hillis, Selvin Young, Tatum Bell, Andre Hall, P.J. Pope, Ryan Torain

Before I get to the 2009 backfield, a crazy statistic. The Broncos didn't have a single running back with more than 76 carries last season. LT can get to that number in 3 games and they didn't have a single guy get to it in an entire season. Peyton Hillis started the most games for them last season, with 6, and even some of those he started as the fullback. What an unbelievable season for the Broncos backfield.

2009 backfield: Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter, ~~J.J. Arrington~~, Peyton Hillis, LaMont Jordan, Ryan Torain, Darius Walker

Arrington is crossed out because he was signed by the Broncos and later released, I believe because he failed a physical. Is Moreno an improvement over Pittman? Sure. I could see that. Is Buckhalter better than Selvin Young and Tatum Bell? Hmmmmm. I don't know. I'd say he's about equal, but he's older and a bigger injury risk. If it would've been cheaper I would've stuck with Selvin Young. Torain has potential but will probably never see the field now and I'm unsure why they even grabbed Darius Walker. Four new RBs for a coach that's known for his passing game. Odd, isn't it?

Offseason Grade: C+. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and assuming that Moreno is good. Not great, but good. I'm a little concerned with a change in the run-blocking philosophy because those guys are too small to do anything else but cut-block. The Jordan and Walker signings just seem like the team is planning for their RBs to start dropping like flies again. This grade is very dependant on how Moreno performs and if Buckhalter can contribute anything without getting injured.

via www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

Oakland Raiders: I gave the Raiders a good grade when I was doing the progress reports for QBs and I immediately noticed traffic coming in from Raiders sites and forums. They liked what I said. They said "Even Chargers fans can see that this has been a great offseason for the Raiders!" I want to answer that by saying I do think that the Raiders have had a better offseason than KC and Denver, in terms of players that were brought in, but that doesn't mean I'm picking them for second in the division. Nor do I think they'll beat the Chargers this year. With that being said, get ready for another good grade for the Raiders....

The Raiders have a three-headed running game. Justin Fargas carries the bulk of the load (because he's the most consistent, in terms of performance and health), Darren McFadden is the big play guy who needs to stay fresh and healthy and Michael Bush is a bruiser who can put away games when Oakland has the lead. All three of those guys were good last season and there was no need to replace them. So the Raiders did the smartest thing you could possibly do for a backfield of young, talented running backs. They signed Lorenzo "get behind me for 1000 yards" Neal to be their starting fullback. Then they started filling holes on their offensive line with good free agent players, like Khalif Barnes.

Are you one of those people that think the signing of Lorenzo Neal doesn't mean that much? Let's look at the RBs that Neal has lead to 1,000 yards seasons:

Adrian Murrell
Warrick Dunn
Eddie George (twice)
Corey Dillion (twice)
LaDainian Tomlinson (five times)

...and the only reason he's had any seasons without a 1,000 yard rusher behind him is because he's played for some teams that split carries (like the Raiders). Coming up on 40 years of age, Neal isn't what he once was but he's certainly good enough to improve the Raiders run-blocking. He'll get the most out of those three talented backs.

Offseason Grade: A. Any time you can sign a future Hall of Famer to be in on every running play, that's going to get you a good grade in my book. With signings like Garcia and Neal, the Raiders are trying to add some greatly-needed veteran leadership to the locker room and in film study. I don't know that it'll turn into more than two or three more wins in 2009 from 2008, but it should help all of their young players in the long run. The Chargers used the same philosophy years ago by bringing in players Neal, Roman Oben, Chris Chambers, Marlon McCree and Randall Godfrey.

Running Backs, The NFL Draft and Value

Douglas A. Lee — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:30:08 -0000

As I noted in The Fall of the Denver Rushing Attack, there's been some romanticism when it comes to evaluating the Denver Broncos and their running backs over the years. Obviously, there are many significant factors that support this sentiment, as Mike Shanahan and Company (Bobby Turner, Alex Gibbs, Rick Dennison) turned Terrell Davis and Mike Anderson from 6th-rounders into elite NFL running backs. Mid-round picks (Denver's and other teams') like Olandis Gary and Reuben Droughns found major success in Denver as well. Clinton Portis and Tatum Bell were also quite productive as Broncos, but they were 2nd-rounders. Therein lies something of a problem. TD and Anderson begot a reputation (or myth) that Shanny and Turner could turn anyone into a quality NFL runner.

In fact, it seems that Shanny himself bought into that misguided notion himself. He proceeded to dump his leading rusher over the course of four consecutive off-seasons. First, Clinton Portis was shipped off, followed by Droughns, Anderson and Tatum Bell. Perhaps Shanny thought he could turn a lemon into a cup of lemonade each fall, then turn around and trade that cup of lemonade for something else he wanted, like a cornerback (Champ & Bly), or a Cleveland Brown (not enough room to list them here). Or maybe he decided never to dish out a big contract to a running back, a position where stars break down sooner than most. He got burned by TD's big contract (not that he had a choice) and got rid of Portis before he had to deal with paying him. Then followed undrafted players like Mike Bell, Selvin Young and Andre Hall. Each had modest success in Denver, but nothing sustained or significant. More to follow, after the break...

Of course, Shanny wasn't the only one guilty of drinking the Broncos Running Back Punch. We all did - how many of you either drafted or lobbied your friends and colleagues to draft Selvin Young or Ryan Torain for their fantasy teams? Nobody? Anyone? Just me? Okay, then. Never mind. I drank the Punch. Well, I'm pretty sure every football writer and prognosticator across the country did so as well, not to mention most Broncos fans. I am pretty confident in surmising that most of us thought to ourselves at some point (or mentioned to a buddy), "Well, you know the Broncos will be able to run the ball this year." Or, maybe it was "Of course you know Shanny is going to turn one of these bums into a thousand-yard rusher." Perhaps it was "Well, I bet you'll see big things out of this kid Quentin Griffin / Selvin Young/ Ahmaad Galloway / Brandon Miree / Maurice Clarett / Ryan Torain at some point. Shanny and Turner know what they're doing."

Look, I'm not knocking Shanny or Turner. In tandem, they did some remarkable things with runners at whom other teams turned their collective noses up. Terrell Davis and Mike Anderson will forever be known as two of the best 6th-rounders in the history of the NFL Draft. But don't forget - Portis, Tatum Bell and Droughns were all 2nd-rounders. Yes, Detroit cut Droughns loose for free - but they did think enough of his work at Oregon to spend a 2nd-round choice on him. He didn't truly come out of nowhere.

So what does any of this have to do with 2009? Well, as many of you might have noticed, it's Draftivus here at MHR! With the decimation of the 2008 Broncos running game to injury (7 runners placed on IR), many here are calling for Denver to use a draft choice on another running back. Yes, Peyton Hillis showed himself to be quite the tough runner and we all have high hopes for him. But it's fairly safe to say that he can't do it alone - many of today's teams have two starting-quality runners, the best examples being Carolina, the Giants, Miami and Tennessee.

Of course, once folks agree that we need another running back or two, the next question is "In what round do we choose said running back?" Here's where Shanny's past successes may or may not cloud our judgment. Many of us have come to believe that running backs are easily found later in the draft - we point to TD and Mike Anderson as late-rounders, while undrafted players like Priest Holmes, Ryan Grant and Willie Parker stand out in the mind. Naturally, there have been great runners unearthed at every level of the Draft and beyond. But exactly how often does that happen, and what are the chances of digging up such a gem?

I decided to look back at the RBs chosen by round, in the last ten NFL Drafts, 1999 through 2008. Naturally, you would expect a decline in quality as you go lower in the draft, but how much of a decline? And how many gems are found later on? First, let's take a look at the average season for running backs chosen in the last 10 years...

Avg. NFL Seasons of Running Backs Drafted 1999-2008
Round	Picks	Att	Yds1	Rec	Yds2	YFS	TD	YPG	#>Avg	%>Avg
1	31	192.0	806.7	26.5	202.0	1,008.7	6.9	80.1	27	87%
2	26	112.8	461.7	19.2	151.0	612.7	3.4	49.8	15	58%
3	30	77.8	323.5	16.7	134.7	458.2	2.3	38.6	12	40%
4	42	52.7	218.4	11.0	84.7	303.1	2.3	28.0	13	31%
5	29	25.5	109.1	7.0	52.1	161.2	1.1	14.6	3	10%
6	30	34.8	144.5	9.0	66.7	211.2	1.3	20.3	4	13%
7	45	11.4	50.8	4.0	33.7	84.5	0.4	10.8	4	9%
Tot/Avg	233	72.4	302.1	13.3	103.6	405.6	2.5	34.6	78	33.5

Just like my look at Shanny's Drafts, I have broken down the running backs' careers and calculated what the average season has been like - this will balance out the fact that some players' careers only began last year, while some players have been around for 8 or 9 years. Therefore, measuring each running back's career is not a fair indicator. Instead, let's look at the average season of running backs selected in each round, and then how they performed in games they actually dressed.

As always, let me first explain each category by guiding you across a row (the first two columns represent totals). Starting with the 1999 NFL Draft, there have been 31 running backs chosen (Picks) chosen in the 1st round (Round). This includes both halfbacks and fullbacks, but does not consider the Supplemental Draft (only one running back has been chosen in the Supplemental Draft since 1999 - Tony Hollings went to Houston in 2003). Now, onto the averages - over the careers of each 1st-round running back chosen from 1999 to 2008, each player's average season has looked like this: 192 rushing attempts (Att) for 806.7 yards (Yds1), with 26.5 catches (Rec) for 202 receiving yards (Yds2). Those numbers add up to 1,008.7 yards from scrimmage (YFS) and resulted in 6.9 rushing and receiving touchdowns (TD).

The last three columns refer to actual production per game played. The average 1st-round RB selected from 1999 to 2008 has produced 80.1 yards from scrimmage (YPG) in the games that he has dressed for. For illustrative purposes, LaDainian Tomlinson tops this category with 122.5 YFS per game and Brandon Jackson of Green Bay is exactly on the average of all running backs drafted, at 34.58 YFS/game. Back to the 1st-rounders...of the 31 players chosen, 27 of them have produced at least the average of 34.58 YFS/game (#>Avg). These 27 players account for 87% (%>Avg) of the 31 players drafted.

Here is what stands out to me...

Top heavy! I actually expected lesser results from the 1st round and more production from the 2nd and 3rd rounds. In other words, I expected the top talent to be more evenly-dispersed throughout the first 2 or 3 rounds. The 1st-rounders have outproduced the 2nd-rounders by 65% in offensive yardage and 103% in touchdowns, per player/season.
1st Round, then Bust Not only is the drop-off in production a bit of a shock to me, I was stunned to see that so few of the 2nd-rounders performed up to par. 42% of the 2nd round running backs chosen from 1999 to 2008 did not/have not averaged better than 34.6 yards per game. That is mind-boggling.
1st Round Production! 21 out of those 31 first-rounders have racked up at least 60 YFS/game over their careers, which is quite a surprise.
But what about those 1st-round Bums? Many 1st-round RBs did not live up to their billing, but most of them were at least decent NFL runners. The only 4 subpar runners have been Rashard Mendenhall, TJ Duckett, Trung Canidate and Chris Perry. Only Canidate is out of the league, while the others may still improve their numbers.
Where are the late-round gems?! Well, there just aren't that many, quite frankly. Our view of running backs has been colored by first-round busts like Blair Thomas and Ki-Jana Carter and late-round gems like TD and Anderson. But, a deeper look reveals that such late finds are far and few-between. In fact, out of the 104 running backs chosen in the 5th, 6th and 7th rounds from 1999 to 2008, only 5 players have amassed more than 2,000 yards of offense over their careers - Sammy Morris and Michael Turner in the 5th round, Mike Anderson and Chester Taylor in the 6th round and Derrick Ward in the 7th.
5th Round is later than we thought. Like many Broncos fans, I had believed the 5th round wasn't that late to find a runner. But that's not the truth. Only 3 out of the 29 runners chosen have performed up to average - Cecil Collins is tops (anyone remember him? me, neither), followed by Michael Turner and Tim Hightower. Folks, those are some slim pickings.
How about 6th-rounders? Again, Mike Anderson is helping his fellow 6th round mates up. Chester Taylor, Wali Lundy and Cedric Houston are the other three players above water. Lundy and Houston racked up 3 seasons between them, so now how do the 6th-rounders look?
And 7th-rounders? Well, all four above-average guys are still active, so they have a reasonable chance to help improve the fortunes of their fellow 7th-rounders. Those four are yes, our very own Peyton Hillis, the guy broncobear is hoping for in Derrick Ward, Kenneth Darby and DeShawn Wynn. Impressed? I didn't think so. Perhaps Ahmad Bradshaw will contribute, but what many fail to realize is that he's done nothing yet (599 YFS in 27 games, or 22.2 yards per game).
5th-7th Round = Crap Shoot. In total, 11 players chosen in those rounds have been better than average, or 10.5% - to be generous, that's a 1 in 9 chance of your late-round running back performing at a halfway-decent level as a running back. That's not so good. Granted, 2 of those 11 guys were chosen by Denver (Anderson and Hillis), but keep in mind that Hillis has done it over the course of 10 games. Yes we all love him, but please try not to crown him a stud running back just yet.

I should be clear - my point is not to say that Denver needs to use a 1st-round choice on a running back. However, I do feel that the mindset of us Broncos fans for several years now has been "Let's just pick up a running back in the 6th round, Shanny and Turner will turn him into a star." Let there be no doubt - obviously, Denver has been successful at such endeavors plenty of times, well more than their share. But it just doesn't happen all the time, and the Broncos were able to take these late-round fliers because they had the cushion of an already-strong running game. Olandis Gary was chosen immediately after TD's MVP performance of 1998, and Anderson was selected with TD coming back from injury and Gary already having proven himself.

Today, the Denver running corps is in a different state, coming off a difficult and injury-filled season. Whether Peyton Hillis proves to be "The Man" or McD utilizes him as half of a running back tandem, Denver needs at least one more starting-quality runner. But the notion that "excellent running backs are easy to find" isn't all that accurate, even for the Broncos - I'm hoping that Denver chooses another year to gamble on late-rounders.

MHR's 2008 Position Review -- Running Backs

Jeremy Bolander — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:12:24 -0000

Few positions among Denver's battered crew have as much controversy surrounding them, in regards to what they are capable of producing. NYCbroncosfan makes a strong case for limited production as a philosophical trend, and advocates addressing the running game by taking a hard look at the personnel, in order to cut the dead weight and replace with production where necessary. Even as he stated his case, the Broncos fired RBs PJ Pope, Alex Haynes, and fan-favorite, Anthony Alridge.

And that is just the beginning of the hard look.

What remains of the 2008 RB M.A.S.H. unit consists of change-up runners Tatum Bell, Selvin Young and Andre Hall. It also has the power styles of RBs Michael Pittman and Ryan Torain, as well as FB Peyton Hillis. As a wild-card, RB Cory Boyd managed to survive the first purge, while true FB Andrew Pinnock and converted MLB Spencer Larsen, playing at FB, rounds out the crew.

The reason RB is such a controversial position going into 2009 is because the number of variables cause the splits between the different camps to be amorphous and ill-defined. In defending one's opinion against one argument, a person finds that they actually hold an opinion they hadn't endorsed. One thing is quite certain however: the position was plagued by injuries in 2008. Try to follow along...

It started with Torain, Alridge and Hillis, with Hillis never getting enough reps in camp due to a lingering hamstring injury, Alridge and his own hamstring injury going to IR with what was called a sprained foot, and Torain breaking his elbow. Torain would eventually return on Nov.6th only to go to IR with an torn ACL. When Torain went down, Young was battling a torn groin he sustained 5 weeks earlier. It would sideline him for two games before he ruptured a disc in his neck and would be moved to IR, only a week after a hamstring injury IR'ed Hillis. Of course, they weren't alone on IR as Hall and Pittman had gone on IR earlier. Hall went to IR after a short season that featured 3 games limited by a wrist injury, 5 games limited by an ankle injury, and finally a hand injury that ended his season. Pittman had suffered through a broken rib after falling awkwardly on the ball earlier in the season but was finally sent to IR with numbness from a neck injury that wouldn't dissipate. Pope, one of the final pieces added near the end of the season would also go to IR for a hamstring injury, and even part-timer Larsen would suffer through bouts with a hip injury, and a groin injury that limited him as the season wound to a close.

A list like this can only stupefy and amaze, but at some point the shock wears off and you have to ask, "Did we bring this on ourselves?"

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - Tatum Bell	6	44	249	41.5	5.7	37	2	10	57	9.5	5.7	12	0

Tatum Bell literally came out of nowhere to help out for half a season. He occupied the change-up role as well as he ever did, but unfortunately, most of his actual production came only in the final game against San Diego, and frankly, that production came as a bit of a surprise. It wasn't that I was shocked to see him get a couple of long runs, it is that up to that point, he had shown that he was STILL a player who went backwards on first contact. He actually seemed like he was running with a little purpose, but one game is hardly a decisive sample, and the rest of the evidence contradicts his supposed value. Tatum has a much better attitude, mostly due to the reality check that being out of football provided for him, but he is still an underachiever who can't seem to realize his potential. When you add in that that potential fades every year, you will begin to understand why he isn't a strong candidate to end up in camp in 2009. While possible, it is more likely that Denver lets his FA status run its course without making an offer. His history of injuries, particularly his nagging bouts with turf toe, create a a situation where his roster spot may be more valuable than he is.

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - Andre Hall	8	35	144	18.0	4.1	16	0	3	25	3.1	8.3	11	0

Not a year goes by where Hall doesn't seem to feel the lingering effect of the high ankle sprain he suffered in high school. Most who have suffered from the injury can attest to its longevity, and for Hall it seems to crop up once a year. But outside of the ankle sprains he suffers, his hands seem to give him more trouble than anything. In 2008 he injured his thumb in camp, than hurt his wrist early in the season, which limited him in practice, and put him on more than one inactive list for a game, and though his ankle slowed him down, it wasn't until he suffered a undisclosed injury to his hand that he got placed on IR.

But of all the change-up backs, Hall may have the most talent, and he certainly has the strongest running style. His low profile protects him more than it hurts him, and he knows how to fall forward. Talk of fumble-itis may be levied against Hall, but outside of the back to back fumbles against NE, he hasn't had any problems in that area. And while injuries may be considered a concern for Hall, I am only worried about the ankles, because the rest is pretty ticky-tack and I firmly believe that it was his standing in Shanny's doghouse that kept him off the field and contributed to his IR more than the beat-up hands.

As an exclusive-rights free agent, I would expect Hall to be invited to camp with an easy-on-the-eyes contract, with an expectation of showing that he can still perform against competition. If he stalls out in camp, he won't make the opening day 53.

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - Selvin Young	8	61	303	37.9	5.0	49	1	3	16	2.0	5.3	8	0

In many ways, Young and Hall are mentioned in the same sentences. Though they were both signed to the active squad in the same year, and were both UFAs, Hall is actually a step ahead of Selvin in the development category, having played more college ball, and joined the Broncos a year earlier. But Young is the one tagged with being the better back of the two over the last two years, including being penciled in as a de facto starter several times, and even making the "Promise."

But Selvin has never risen to any of the lofty expectations placed on him, and it isn't just a trend limited to the Broncos. At Texas he missed 3 games in 2003 with a torn groin. In 2004 he missed the entire season with a broken ankle. In 2005 he injured his right ankle on two separate occasions, missing two games each time. In 2006 he missed a game with a left ankle sprain, and then missed two more games with a rib injury. In 2007 with the Broncos he injured his elbow and was limited in practice, and then sprained his knee and would end up missing five games as the season, and the Broncos playoff chances wound down and out.

2008 was no exception to this trend. In October he strained a groin muscle which would chronically limit him in games and practice starting in week 5. By week 10, he had completely torn the groin and was out for three weeks. When he finally returned, a solid hit would rupture a disc in his neck, sending him to IR. Folks, there is no reset button on the human body. Selvin is sustaining injuries at a rate that practically precludes the ability to recover, and frankly, the total is astonishing at this point.

But when healthy, there is no doubt that Selvin can produce. So much so in fact, that he was labeled a starter in waiting at Texas, behind Cedric Benson and by Mike Shanahan in Denver. His is a great story, about a kid who discovered how character can help you overcome adversity, but the production will never be there if we ask for too much.

Because Selvin is signed, there is no doubt he will be present in camp. If he is smart he will focus on nailing down the starting change-up back role, and do his best to stay healthy. The Broncos will probably only retain two change-ups, so he has little room for error, but he should still be able to make the team. But unless something drastic changes in regards to his chronic injuries, he is on the path out of Denver over the next couple of years.

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - Michael Pittman	8	76	320	40.0	4.2	20	4	10	112	14.0	11.2	40	0

Pittman has the kind of veteran mindset that a young team like Denver needs, and which was always coveted in New England. It is the mindset where a player runs each play like it is going to be their last, and where everything gets left out on the field. There is an excellent chance that McJedi will also covet it, but Pittman's free agent status may make the decision less than a slam dunk.

Before hurting his ribs, and then sustaining a scary neck injury, Pittman brought some much needed physicality to the Broncos offense. What the offense then lacked in versatility, it made up for by determination. But when good defenses keyed on Pittman, he began to take a beating. Though he is an older player, he has kept the mileage low while in Tampa Bay, and he has a good attitude towards his own health and fitness, so that trend should continue. But to get the most out of him, the reps will need to be kept to minimum, which means that he will be #3 at best on the depth chart. As the #3 he creates a standard that the starters will have to meet or beat, with versatility and drive, but in a rebuild, the luxury of stocking the team with great RB talent may not be there. As a #2, the value for Pittman and the Broncos simply isn't there, as he would take too much of a beating in that role, and be used up by the time the December football rolls around, when he will be needed most. If the Broncos plan on bringing in top RB depth, Pittman should be a keeper, but if they plan on going with what they have, Pittman will probably be let go to find a better situation, while the younger bruisers are retained, to take the beatings that are sure to come. Pittman reported after the season that he is 100% healthy, so the onus is on the staff to decide what kind of team they are looking to become as the Broncos move forward.

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - Ryan Torain	2	15	69	34.5	4.6	19	1	0	0	0	0	0	0

The biggest question mark hovers over Ryan Torain, who has played less football than I have over the past two years. He hasn't exactly been stocking shelves at Walmart, but he certainly hasn't been able to run full speed for some time. Starting in 2005 with the Sun Devils, he missed four games, and then in 2007 missed a total of nine games, including the final seven of the year with a fractured right toe and ankle injuries. In Denver, of course, he didn't get off to a hot start, with the worst news being the damaged ACL.

While people point to his very limited play against Cleveland as promising, I found that I didn't really like what I saw, including a nearly vertical running posture, and a lanky, drawn-out style that exposes him to too many different force angles. But there were pluses, including his vision and quick cutting ability.

After missing over 90% of critical practice time and game experience over the last two years, Ryan Torain is heading into a brand new offensive system, and is essentially a rookie all over again. Outside of working with Turner and Dennison last year, he has nothing going for him, and will need to bring everything he has to the table.

I can't imagine Denver cutting him before training camp, but any medical alerts about him should be weighted very seriously with regards to his future. I am hoping to see nothing less than "100%" and "Full Speed." It is very important that the RBs be ready to absorb McJedi's new offense starting with OTAs. Any holdup and the Torain Train may never make the station.

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - Peyton Hillis	10	68	343	34.3	5.0	19	5	14	179	17.9	12.8	47	1

There is little to be added to the discussion on Hillis that BroncoBear didn't already cover in his fantastic piece, Peyton Hillis: The Hammer in 2009? 61% of MHR users felt that Peyton had proven what he needed to in his action as a starter, in order to be considered the primary back in the new offense. I will try to limit myself here to looking at the downside of Peyton as a the projected starter.

In Peyton's corner you have his toughness, the vote of confidence from his Pro Bowl center, his tremendous hands, heck, even his choice of end-zone celebration endears him to the fans. The dissenting opinions are few and far, and there is little traction for a truly spirited debate about Peyton's potential. But one idea which can stand on its own is how Peyton's virtues of toughness, fearlessness and power coupled with his particular bruising style of play put him in harm's way as often as they help the team, much like Jay's take no prisoner's mentality frequently reverses the field for the Broncos. Peyton is a player who draws hits like a magnet draws iron, and the result is a battering that only he has the ability to stand up to. This style of play led to fractured vertebrae in college, but again his toughness shines through, with the injury sidelining him only half the expected amount of time.

In the final analysis I have only two concerns regarding Hillis. The first is whether he will be available for a December playoff run, due to the pounding he would take as a starter, and the second, which is intimately tied to the first, is that I question whether he would be used to his maximum potential if he were required to be lined up in the backfield as the main back all the time.

As much as I enjoyed his two games of toting the rock from the RB position, the game that really stands out to me is the Miami game, where Hillis occupied the H-back role that garnered him so much acclaim at Arkansas. It took advantage of his skills such as his hands and quickness in ways that simply will never be realized as a 1st-and-10 RB. The match-ups that he can exploit in the one-on-one scenarios afforded by the H-back role simply don't exist at the level of the trenches. Can he run in the trenches? Absolutely. So can Cutler, and for a very healthy yards per attempt, too. But is he at his BEST in the trenches? I would say no. Hillis can certainly patch up the running back position, but only at the cost of the kinds of production that force teams to game-plan around him, when they fear what he could do as he roams around the offense, lining up as a RB in short yardage situations, flaring out as a FB to be the uncovered 3rd down reception, lining up as a TE to pressure the seam, and lining up wide as a WR where no one accounts for him and he magically appears uncovered in the end-zone.

Bottom line is that Hillis is the surest option at RB currently on the roster. But he would be stepping down in production and worth to occupy that role. It would be the equivalent of lining Dallas Clark up at RB. I'm sure he would bring some physicality to the position, but then he wouldn't be available to destroy defensive schemes for Peyton Manning as a H-back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the above group, the roster rounds out with RB Cory Boyd, FB Andrew Pinnock and FB/MLB Spencer Larsen.

As a FB, I don't know if Larsen catches onto the starters, but his versatility should catch the eye of McJedi. In a perfect world Larsen is in the running for ILB and we can forget this FB nonsense, but the fact is that he has experience at FB, and he struggled at MLB in very limited exposure. His Special Teams play guarantees a roster spot however, so he should be around through and after camp. Larsen was only adequate as a blocking FB however, and he has mentioned how uncomfortable he would be if he was ever asked to carry the rock. That may come to him with time, and as always, the hope is that his offensive skills can be left to the "trick plays" section of the playbook, and we all know what McJedi pulled out of his hat in that area while in NE.

Boyd is a project RB who failed a physical involving his knee when he was waived by TB last year. It is interesting that he survived the first wave of cuts, but as a late-season desperation signing one has to wonder how much longer he will hold on. He is currently sitting on an exceptionally valuable roster spot, even for the 72-man roster, so this will probably come down to Bobby Turner's evaluation of him.

Andrew Pinnock, the only true FB on the roster, may have his spot cemented from that fact alone, as he was never activated in 2008, despite Larsen having hip and groin injuries ahead of him. The potential is there, however, as Pinnock was never truly cut from SD. He was drafted to replace Lorenzo Neal under Schottenheimer, but LoNeal proved to be a durable commodity, and by the time he was let go, SD had moved away from that style of blocking FB, preferring the Hester style of, if I may be so bold, "wimpy" FB. Pinnock is a smart player, and has the speed and size to be a versatile FB. But if he were cut tomorrow, I don't suppose I would be terribly surprised.

Poll

Out of Bell, Boyd, Hall, Young, Pittman, Torain, Hillis and Pinnock, How many do you think will make it to the opening day 53-man roster?

All eight!

3 votes

Only seven.

3 votes

Only six of them.

13 votes

Five at most.

109 votes

Four. The rest won't make the cut.

187 votes

Just three, and you'll never guess which ones!

145 votes

Two, I can't believe we got by with these guys.

53 votes

513 votes | Poll has closed

ANY GIVEN FRIDAY: n00bs FTW!

Josh from Hollywood — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:00:07 -0000

Welcome to 'Any Given Friday', where we love it when the NFL is on four days a week (even if our wife doesn't), where we can't remember so many big games between potential playoff teams in one week before (including head-to-head games for the #1 seed in each conference), and where we'd never call ourselves the worst blogger in America (at least, not as long as howtheyscored is still posting).

The league has several great choices for coach of the year -- it does every year. But what makes this year remarkable is that three of the very best candidates are rookie coaches -- Tony Sparano, John Harbaugh, and Mike Smith. These aren’t just coaches in their first year with new teams, but first time head coaches -- guys with no prior experience. All three have their teams at 9-5 and in the thick of the playoff hunt.

I've mentioned this before here, but the only season I can recall with three rookie coaches this successful was 1992, when Dennis Green took over the Vikings, Bill Cowher became the head man in Pittsburgh (both went 11-5), and Mike Holmgren grabbed the reins in Green Bay (9-7). Two of them went on to win Super Bowls (and lose Super Bowls) with those teams, and the other went to two conference championship games.

The only other virgin head coach this year (non-interim division), Jim Zorn, has Washington at a respectable 7-7 (though they did go 9-7 a year ago). He could've easily been in the discussion of the best rookie coach as well, if he hadn’t a) allowed the ‘Skins to fade badly down the stretch, b) needlessly benched and publicly criticized his best offensive player, and c) called himself “the worst coach in America”. This has only intensified rumors that Zorn might be one-and-done in D.C., a la Schottenheimer in 2001, and Daniel Snyder could be preparing to make Cowher an offer he can’t refuse. So, while Coach Zorn does his daily affirmation, Stuart Smalley-style, let’s narrow the discussion to The Big Three.

They come from different backgrounds -- offense, defense, and special teams. One (Smith) was a coordinator for five years at the pro level before being hired. The other two had never been coordinators at the pro level, Harbaugh never had at any level. The one common thread: They all changed their starting QB in the first year, either through trade or draft. So keep in mind, the GM’s for these teams should be getting a lot of credit as well. The question is, which of them has done the best job thus far. Before you answer, let’s take a closer look at the candidates:

Tony Sparano has completely turned around the 1-15 Dolphins, with a big (fat) helping hand from Bill Parcells. He’s relied on the running game (led by everybody’s favorite, the Wildcat formation) and a good defense (led by sackmaster Joey Porter). The acquisition of Pennington and health of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams gave him a good start, and he’s run with it. Sparano has led the biggest turnaround in terms of wins, but of course a lot of credit needs to go to Parcells. Bonus points for having a name resembling one famous TV character, and a face (and body) resembling another.

John Harbaugh has led his turnaround of 5-11 Baltimore with some help from rookie QB Joe Flacco, improved line play, and the Baltimore staple -- defense. They always had the defensive stars -- Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata -- but injuries and a hopeless offense took the sting out of their bite. Harbaugh has used Flacco’s ability to avoid big mistakes and a reliance on the running game to re-energize the D, and they’re playing as well as they have in years. But a lot of credit for that must go to defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. Bonus points for landing an NFL head coaching gig before Captain Comeback.

Mike Smith has done the seemingly impossible in Atlanta. Not just turning around the 4-12 Falcons, but making everybody forget about Michael Vick. A big assist goes to first-year GM Thomas Dmitrov for top pick Matt Ryan and free-agent acquisition Michael Turner. There was already talent there -- Roddy White, John Abraham, Jerious Norwood -- but those two changes more than anything appear to be responsible for the turnaround. Even so, the job Smith has done can’t be minimized -- given a choice of a franchise to take over this past off-season, I don’t think there were many who would’ve chosen Atlanta over Miami or Baltimore. Big, big bonus points for getting all up in Antonio Bryant’s grill. For that alone, he's got my vote.

We'll take a look at all the weekend's games after the jump...

Baltimore (9-5) at Dallas (9-5)

Cowboys: Is there anybody in the league who fumbles more than Tony Romo? After two more fumbles last week -- one a fumbled snap, which seems to happen to him all the time -- he might be the NFL’s Mr. Fumble. Kurt Warner once held that title, and he’s still in the league, but he seems to have improved in that regard. Warner credits switching to gloves for his better grip, so maybe Romo should talk to him.

Ravens: One play in last week’s Pittsburgh/Baltimore game got lost amid all the talk about the ending. Leading 9-6, with just a few minutes remaining, Baltimore faced a 3rd and 8 at the Steelers’ 27. Joe Flacco dropped back to pass, and held onto the ball too long. Unaware of the pocket closing around him, Flacco was sacked and fumbled. The ravens recovered, but the play knocked the team out of FG range. The Ravens punted, and though they pinned the Steelers deep, Pittsburgh drove 92 yards to score. But because the ridiculous Jeff Reed penalty I talked about in Monday’s post, the Ravens got the ball back near midfield, and drove near FG range. Had they cashed in their earlier FG opportunity, the Ravens wouldn’t have had to force the ball into the end zone. But by that time, a FG would do them no good, and their corresponding aggressiveness got them picked off in the end zone to win the game.

The pick: COWBOYS

Cincinnati (2-11-1) at Cleveland (4-10)

Ken Dorsey is sort of like the NFL’s version of 'Rudy'. He's not big enough, or fast enough. His arm isn’t strong, or accurate. I can just hear it now: “You’re five-foot-nuthin’, a hundred and nuthin’.” he really has no business still being in the NFL. But he’s smart, and he gutsy, and he gives you all he’s got. The difference between Kenny and Rudy is that every now and again Dorsey has to play for an extended period, and then people see that he sucks. That’s when the fans of his team stop thinking he’s a cute story and start booing. When you think about it, the only reason that Rudy never got booed is that he never got to play enough. If the coaches at Notre Dame threw him out there to play every down against Michigan, he’d would’ve been blown up all day and booed off the field. People don’t make movies about things like that.

The pick: BENGALS

Miami (9-5) at Kansas City (2-12)

The Dolphins have clearly taken the Bill Parcells model of defense and ball-control to heart. Stat O’ The Week: Miami has amazingly only turned the ball over 10 times in 14 games this season. They’re on face to break the all-time record of 14 in a 16-game season, held by the 1990 Giants -- a team coached by... (yep, you guessed it) Bill Parcells. That team won the Super Bowl, and I don’t see that in the Dolphins’ future, but still: Way to hold onto your balls, Miami!

Random question, has anyone ever turned the ball over fewer times than they had losses the previous year? (Take a minute to wrap your head around that one)

The pick: DOLPHINS

San Francisco (5-9) at St. Louis (2-12)

Was there a worse set of downs run last week than the Niners had from a 1st and 10 at the Miami 28 late in the 2nd quarter? It went: Sack, Bruce catch for 1st down called back on illegal formation penalty, then another sack to bring up a 3rd and 23 on the Miami 41. Rather than try and pick up 5+ yards to set up a Nedney FG, they went for it all on a bomb to Josh Morgan, leading to a punt (which, by the way, was fumbled into the end zone by Tarell Brown).

This is the kind of sequence which always seems to kill the Niners in close games, and encapsulates all that’s annoying about the Niners offense -- spotty line play, formation-type penalties at crucial times, and questionable play-calling. Ahh, the Niners, I love ‘em.

All that said, I think they get a road win this week against the Lambs.

The pick: NINERS

Arizona (8-6) at New England (9-5)

The last few weeks, Arizona has had a few chances to show they are for real, and not a mirage constructed out of garbage NFC West wins. Thus far, they have failed. They played the defending champion Giants pretty tough in Week 12, but allowed 37 points at home to lose by eight. The next week, they went on the road against a struggling Eagles team on Thanksgiving, and took one on the chin, 48-20. Last week, they again faced a potential playoff team, and got curb-stomped at home by the Vikings, 35-14.

Yes, they had clinched the division last week and had less to gain from a win than the Vikes, but opening the game by falling behind 21-0 has to be a concern -- especially when considering they did the exact same thing vs. the Eagles. In Philly, it took the 21 minutes to do it. Sunday, it took just over 12 minutes. Arizona also has to be a bit disheartened by the way they’ve not just lost to quality opponents, but looked outclassed.

The Cards get another crack at respectability with a game at New England this week. An icy cold, 10am start against a good team on the road is something Arizona will likely have to face in the playoffs, so this would be a good time to show they’re capable. On the other hand, New England probably needs this game to maintain their tie atop the AFC East and stay in the thick of the playoff hunt.

The pick: PATRIOTS

New Orleans (7-7) at Detroit (0-14)

Time is running out on Marinelli’s Men -- they have but two games to avoid 0-16 infamy. I’ve gone on record as saying Detroit will run the table, but this week they appear to have an outside shot in this, their last home game of the season. (Scoop up those tickets fast, Lions fans, they’re going fast!) The Saints are coming off a tough loss which knocked them out of the playoff race, and have lost Reggie Bush for the season.

On the other hand, I’m sure the Saints don’t want the embarrassment of giving Detroit its only win, New Orleans will have 10 days of preparation time for the Lions, and Drew Brees still has something to shoot for: Brees has an outside chance at Dan Marino’s passing yardage record. Brees needs over 700 yards passing in the last two weeks of the season, and with not much else left to play for, he might be trying to get all of him this week.

The pick: SAINTS

Pittsburgh (11-3) at Tennessee (12-2)

As if last week wasn’t tough enough for the Titans -- they lose a tight one to Houston (due in part to Fisher’s controversial decision to forego a late FG), get a little exposed at QB (Kerry Collins: 15/33, 181 yards, INT), and lose DT Albert Haynesworth to a sprained MCL -- they took another couple of hits as the week went on. First, it was announced both Haynesworth and DE Kyle Vanden Bosch would miss the rest of the regular season, then Haynesworth made the Pro Bowl.

Wait, that last one doesn’t sound bad, right? Well, it is. See, according to Haynesworth’s contract, making the Pro Bowl allows him to be an unrestricted free agent this off-season. While that is a problem the Titans don’t have to deal with until after their season is over, Haynesworth’s injury could cause that to come a whole lot earlier. Last year, the Titans got off to a 6-2 start before Haynesworth got hurt (allowing more than 22 points only once). Tennessee went 0-3 while Haynesworth sat out (allowing at least 28 points in each game), then got back on track once he returned to the lineup, going 4-1 to send the season (and allowing more than 20 points just once -- the Chargers scored 23 on them, but needed OT to do it).

If that same trend holds this year, the Titans could lose both their final two games (Pittsburgh and Indy) and head into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak. Even just one loss -- this week to Pittsburgh -- will likely cost Tennessee home-field throughout the playoffs. The bright side for Tennessee: As pointed out in the comments of Monday’s post by Fooch and Professor Bigelow, the Titans cannot blow their division title or bye, even with a loss to the Colts resulting in a tie atop the NFC South due to a tweak in the tie-breaker rules a few years back.

The pick: STEELERS

San Diego (6-8) at Tampa Bay (9-5)

San Diego: The Chargers aren’t completely out of the AFC West division race just yet. If they win this week, and Buffalo upsets Denver, they can win the division by beating the Broncos the final week of the year. If they stay two games behind the Broncos and beat them next week, they’ll lose the division by a game, and that Ed Hochuli blown call from early in the season would look pretty big. It would essentially be the difference in winning the division or watching the playoffs from their coaches for both the Chargers and Broncos.

Tampa: The Bucs really need to stop the bleeding. After losing two tough division games on the road, they are now the odd team out of the NFC playoff picture (losing tiebreakers to Dallas and Atlanta). Last week, their offense gave them very little despite their D and special teams giving them opportunities (All 10 of their points came off two turnovers -- a Ronde Barber pick led to a TD, and a blocked punt late in the 4th quarter was the only reason they were about to force OT).

The pick: BUCCANEERS

Carolina (11-3) at NY Giants (11-3)

The winner of this game automatically clinches home field advantage throughout the playoffs in the NFC. Like the Titans, the Giants seemed a mortal lock to be the top seed in their conference, have stumbled, are now battling injuries headed into the biggest game of the year, and are in danger of entering the playoffs struggling. They can remedy all that with a win on Sunday night, but should they lose, their 2008 season would suddenly look a lot like a mirror image of their 2007 season -- rather than catching fire down the stretch, they could be getting ready to fade.

Speaking of mirror images, Carolina is looking like a pretty close reflection of the 2007 Giants team -- dominant O-line/RB platoon, big play WR, good defense with a good pass rush. It could be their turn to ride that excellent combination to a glorious playoff run. But last year, the giants proved again and again, they could win big games on the road. At this point, I still need to see the Panthers -- and more specifically Jake Delhomme -- prove to me they can do that, too.

The pick: GIANTS

Philadelphia (8-5-1) at Washington (7-7)

By now everybody knows about DeSean Jackson’s infamous play earlier in the year when he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. If you missed the Monday night, you may have missed Asante Samuel doing the exact same thing while returning an easy pick-six. Well, it was the same until he realized his mistake and quickly picked up the ball before it went out of bounds. How unbelievable is it that two players from the same team made the same mistake, both on Monday night? The odds against that have to be enormous.

The pick: EAGLES

Atlanta (9-5) at Minnesota (9-5)

Falcons: Matt Ryan had one of the worst games of his short career last week, but he continued to show he might already be the best QB in the NFL at throwing on the run. I know that’s probably at least in part hyperbole, but he really is amazing, and reminds me a bit -- just a bit -- of a young Joe Montana. Of course, I’ve also thought the same thing about other QB’s who never really made it through the years, but that’s some of the highest praise I can give.

Ryan seems equally capable of throwing on the run to his right, his left, moving forward in the pocket, or dropping back. He displays touch, and surprising arm-strength, and never seems to give up on a play. He also seems to avoid those big mistakes guys who never give up on plays (Favre, Romo, etc.) usually make. If I had to start a team from scratch, I’m not sure I wouldn’t pick him first. He’s not the best player in the NFL, but he’s very good, plays the most crucial position, and appears to be getting better from week to week.

Vikings: As for the Vikes QB situation, they've announced they're starting Tavaris Jackson this week -- and likely for the foreseeable future -- after he complied a 141. 7 passer rating in a game and a half since taking over the then-injured, now-healthier Gus Frerotte. The question is, if Jackson struggles at home in this ultra-important game, how quickly will Minnesota coach Brad “The ‘Stache” Childress pull the trigger and go to the veteran?

The pick: VIKINGS

Houston (7-7) at Oakland (3-11)

I saw plenty of the Steve Slaton in college at West Virginia, and always had him pegged as a gloried 3rd down back. When he was drafted by the RB-poor Texans, I thought he could be a valuable weapon if used sparingly at first -- on 3rd downs and kick returns. Call it "The Tiki Barber/Brian Westbrook Plan". But when preseason hype had some calling him a fantasy sleeper, I thought people were overrating him. Man, was I wrong.

It’s become clear Slaton has what it takes to be an every down back. His moves and quickness have never been in question, and after 206 carries, he’s shown he can take the pounding. On Sunday, on a big 3rd and 2, he showed that toughness, bulling through Haynesworth and the Titans D-line for the 1st down when it appeared he was stopped. His big day (24 carry, 100 yards) helped the Texans upset the Titans, was his fifth time over the century mark this season, and put him over the 1,000 yard mark. He also iced the game with two long runs in the final minutes, the final one, on a 3rd and 8, ended with him intelligently sliding down in-bounds to keep the clock running and clinch the game.

Slaton is a candidate for Rookie of the Year, and may be the missing piece the Texans offense has been looking for to stabilize their long-dormant running game. If so, this late-season surge could be a sign of things to come in Houston. With a win at Oakland, the Texans will clinch their second straight non-losing year, and give themselves a chance to play for a winning record next week.

The pick: TEXANS

NY Jets (9-5) at Seattle (3-11)

The football gods giveth, and they taketh away. Two weeks ago, you’ll remember the Jets got a 2nd half kick return from Leon Washington to take the lead against the Niners, only to have it called back. Last week, they gave up a 2nd half kick return to Roscoe Parrish to lose the lead to the Bills, only to have that called back as well. Then as a topper, they were the recipients of an early Christmas gift from J.P. Losman, in the form of a game-winning fumble/TD. If not for those breaks, the jets could very well be on the outside of the playoff race looking in. But they likely won’t mean a thing if they can’t get their first win on the west coast after going 0-3 so far this season -- at San Diego, Oakland, and San Francisco.

The pick: JETS

Buffalo (6-8) at Denver (8-6)

While the Denver passing offense has been great (3rd in NFL in passing yards, 5th in TD’s, top 10 in both rating and YPA), their running offense -- once their strength, has taken a back seat. On the surface, the numbers don’t look too bad -- the Broncos are averaging 4.5 YPC (5th in the NFL) -- but they're 16th in rushing yards, 19th in rush TD’s, and way back at 26th in attempts. A healthy YPC average is less useful when it is attained by surprising people with the run, rather than dictating with it. So, how did the running game fall so far behind the passing game in Denver? In a word, attrition. The Broncos have had such a revolving door at RB, Shanahan would rather rely on Cutler and their receivers than whoever they got back there.

First, big free agent pickup Travis Henry forced his own suspension/release with drug use. Then replacements Andre Hall, Michael Pittman and Selvin Young were hurt (Young missed seven of eight games prior to last week when he had a key fumble). Converted FB turned starting RB Peyton Hillis was very impressive, then was lost for the season to yet another injury. So, the Broncos have been forced to use guys named Ryan Torain and P.J. Pope, and even re-signed their former RB, Tatum Bell, despite the fact he was released by the Lions, and is now best known for stealing a teammate’s luggage. Last I heard, the Broncos had just placed this ad on Craig’s List: "RB WANTED -- NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY".

The pick: BRONCOS

Green Bay (5-9) at Chicago (8-6)

With Minnesota playing another potential playoff team, the Bears need to win, and hope Minnesota stumbles. They’re in good position to do just that -- Green Bay is on a horrendous slide, blowing a string of close games, and the Bears have had 10 days of preparation since their win over the Saints.

In that Thursday night game vs. New Orleans, I noticed something interesting. I’ve been paying attention to audible fan reaction a lot this season. It began when I noticed that in a lot of NFL stadiums, the fans don’t know exactly when to cheer. For instance, when a referee calls a penalty for “illegal contact”, a savvy fan base like Pittsburgh knows right away the penalty is on the defense, while in Carolina there’s no reaction until the ref says “defense”. In Chicago last Thursday, the Bears were driving for an important score late, and TE Greg Olsen appeared to get out of bounds. At the very moment the side judge wound his arm to signal to keep the clock running, the crowd let out a thunderous barrage of boos. That’s a good crowd.

The pick: BEARS

LAST WEEK: 11-5

THIS WEEK 1-0

Poll

Which rookie head coach has done the best job so far in 2008?

Tony Sparano

28 votes

John Harbaugh

8 votes

Mike Smith

36 votes

72 votes | Poll has closed

Broncos place Andre Hall and Michael Pittman on Injured Reserve

John Bena — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:38:04 -0000

BRONCOS ALSO SIGN DT MATTHIAS ASKEW TO PRACTICE SQUAD

The Denver Broncos on Monday placed running backs Andre Hall (left hand) and Michael Pittman (neck) on their reserve/injured list, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced. Both players were injured during Denver's game against Miami on Sunday.

The club also on Monday signed defensive tackle Matthias Askew to its practice squad.

Hall, a second-year running back in his second year with the Broncos, saw time in all eight games for Denver this year and registered 35 rushes for 144 yards (4.1 avg.) along with three receptions for 25 yards (8.3 avg.). He also returned a team-high 21 kickoffs for 469 yards (22.3 avg.) and tied for the Broncos' team lead with six special-teams tackles (5 kickoff, 1 punt).

Pittman, an 11th-year running back in his first year with the Broncos, appeared in all eight games (3 starts) for Denver this year and posted 76 rushes for 320 yards (4.2 avg.) with four touchdowns along with 10 receptions for 112 yards (11.2 avg.). He recorded his 11th career 100-yard rushing game with 109 yards on 20 carries (5.5 avg.) during the Broncos' game vs. Jacksonville on Oct. 12.

Askew (6-foot-5, 302 pounds) is a third-year defensive tackle who joins the Broncos' practice squad after competing in the Redskins' 2008 training camp. Selected by Cincinnati in the fourth round (114th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft from Michigan State University, Askew has appeared in six career games (all with the Bengals) and owns six tackles (2 solo) along with one forced fumble. He was a two-time all-state selection at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and was born on July 1, 1982.