Who will be Robin to Montee Ball’s Batman?
“What does remain a mystery is who will be the change of pace back and provide relief for Montee Ball? At the current time, the backfield is wide open behind the sophomore running back- like room for a whole European country’s population, wide open.”
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Knowshon Moreno is gone.
We’ve all had the time to let it sink in and have accepted it, for the most part. It’s time to let Montee Ball take the reigns of the Broncos backfield and he is certainly the best man for the job – at least of the guys on the current roster. In a Peyton Manning led offense, this entails reading defenses along with Manning and picking up those blitzes, a necessity because No. 18 sure loves those single-back sets and doesn’t want to end up on his ass due to a less aware running back.
Although I am a tad skeptical that Ball is up for the challenge, I am also optimistic that he can handle it and learn on the job. We may not see huge 75 yard breakout runs this season from Ball, however if he can provide necessary breaks for Manning’s 38 year old arm and do a decent job blocking, they should be just fine.
What does remain a mystery is who will be the change of pace back and provide relief for Montee Ball? At the current time, the backfield is wide open behind the sophomore running back- like room for a whole European country’s population, wide open.
According to Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, “Right now it’s an open competition for that spot, for all those spots; so we need to see who is going to be the guy to step up.”
Heading in to training camp that list of guys stands at about a half of dozen. Bronco veterans Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson are the favorites to win that backup role but could easily be outplayed in camp by one of the many undrafted free agents signed by John Elway this offseason.
Hillman has spent a decent amount of time in the doghouse over the past two seasons and will need to prove he can hold onto the ball before he sees any significant playing time in 2014. Anderson has showed promise in camp before but has been hindered by injury and just hasn’t done enough to outshine the pack, could this be his year?
Local emotional favorite Kapri Bibbs, who ran for a school record 1,741 yards at CSU last season, will do his best to make an impact and earn a spot in the Broncos backfield. Brennan Clay from Oklahoma turned some heads at mini-camp with his footwork, vision and speed, mimicking what Hillman was touted as when he was chosen during the 2012 draft.
There’s also Juwan Thompson from Duke, who learned from Manning’s college offensive coordinator David Cutliffe, and has seen Manning practicing at the facility with his receivers for the past two springs. The last guy in the running for the backup gig is Jerodis Williams who was in training camp with the Minnesota Vikings last season.
With training camp closed to the public in 2014, except for the few practices that take place at Sports Authority Field, fans will have to rely on the media to keep them abreast of this position battle. Hopefully these guys realize what is at stake and fight hard for a spot in the backfield.
We all know that Manning will certainly try, but can’t do it alone.
