Montee Ball to be Denver Lead Running Back?

With Knowshon Moreno prepared to test the open market, the Denver Broncos are fully prepared to get younger at running back.

Mike Klis of The Denver Post believes the team will furnish second-year runner Montee Ball with "the first chance" at becoming their lead back in his second season.

As +BRONCOS CR3W wrote in an earlier articles about this scenario with Montee Ball taking the lead role as Broncos RB next season.

Montee Ball being met by Coach John Fox after his 1st career
rushing TD as a rookie last season for the +Denver Broncos
Photo Courtesy: Denver Broncos (AP)

That scenario makes plenty of sense for Denver's offense after the way Ball closed last season.

After failing to top 40 yards rushing from Week 4 through Week 12, the rookie exploded for 117 yards on the ground at nine yards per clip against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13. He closed the year by topping 70 yards twice down the stretch, and stealing carries away from Moreno deep into the postseason.

Ball went from averaging 6.6 carries over his first 11 games to 9.1 over the final eight, including Denver's Super Bowl run. After averaging three yards or fewer per tote in seven of his first 10 outings, Ball rumbled for five-plus yards per attempt in five of his six final regular-season appearances.

Broncos CR3W also put a piece together about Fox's faith in Hillman as a +NFL & Broncos RB.

Denver also has young C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman to feed the rock to, but Ball is an ideal candidate to take the lead and eclipse Moreno's 241 carries from 2013.

Broncos general manager John Elway said at the combine that he'd like to take pressure off Peyton Manning with a more powerful run game. In an offense that gives backs plenty of appealing looks from defenses wedded to stopping the air attack, Ball is a candidate for a breakout campaign.

H/T to +NFL - link here: Links of two articles: H/T +BRONCOS CR3W 

John Fox says Hillman still has Potential

By Jeff Legwold

INDIANAPOLIS -- First, Ronnie Hillman was awarded the Denver Broncos starting running back job.

Then Hillman had some trouble hanging on to the ball -- including a late fumble in Indianapolis that effectively stifled a comebacker attempt -- as well as the job. The Broncos' third-round pick in the 2012 draft moved down the depth chart and, from the team's perspective, didn't exactly respond to the demotion as they had hoped, or maybe even expected.

Broncos have seen flashes of what Hillman can do. In Week 3
he ran for 66 yards (team high) and a TD on 9 carries.
About 7.3 yards/carry Photo Courtesy: AP

So much so Hillman was a game day inactive five times during the regular season as well as all three of the Broncos' playoff games, including Super Bowl XLVIII. He has just two games with more than 10 carries -- 11 carries for 36 yards in the team's win over Philadelphia to go with 12 in the regular-season finale in Oakland -- and after Oct. 20 Hillman had a seven-game stretch when he did not have a carry.

That run included four games when he was an inactive, a game he played in without a carry and a game in which he was in uniform but did not get on the field.

Thursday at the NFL's scouting combine, Broncos head coach John Fox expressed at least some optimism Hillman could rebound in the manner Knowshon Moreno did from both injuries and a demotion. Moreno had his first 1,000-yard rushing season in 2013.

"He's had no issues running the ball, he put it on the ground a couple times, like they all do, early in the season and really was in the mix," Fox said. "And we had some other guys -- C.J. Anderson, Montee Ball and Knowshon -- and the way it kind of works out sometimes, there's only so many can get a uniform on game day. He's in that mix, I think he's a tremendous talent, he does give us great explosion as a runner, particularly to the perimeter."

With Moreno an unrestricted free agent who will likely see bigger offers elsewhere, Hillman will get an opportunity through the offseason program to show how he will rebound from his bumpy ride in 2013. Ball is expected to be elevated into the No. 1 role if Moreno moves on and would push for more carries than the 120 he got this past season even if Moreno re-signed with the team.

That leaves Hillman, Anderson and any other future editions to the depth chart to carve up the carries that remain. Hillman and Anderson are the only other backs, other than Ball, currently under contract for next season. 

"I know (Hillman) will work really hard this offseason and try to develop and get ready for next year," Fox said.