Some were surprised when the Broncos decided to take Wisconsin star Montee Ball over Eddie Lacy, but I was not. First, I did not want Lacy, he was out of shape for his pro day which is never a good sign. Ball brings so much more to the field too, he is fast, agile and he has good strength for his size. He ran for 1900 and 1800 yards in his last two years at Wisconsin and he was also a top Heisman vote getter two years ago. He also has a nose for the the end zone, scoring 33 and 22 TD's in his his two years.
The Broncos needed someone like him, when McGahee went down, they did not have anyone who could run the ball consistently. They also did not have anyone who was good in short yardage situations. Ball is also a decent back to have in on 3rd downs, he is a decent pass blocker and he can catch the ball well.
I am willing to bet that Ball makes it into the starting lineup on day one. There is really no one to compete against him. McGahee is 32 and he could be cut. Moreno could also be cut and Hillman has not shown me anything to make me believe he can be a starting running back. Ball will alleviate some of the stress that was put on Manning and the passing offense. He will be able to get a decent amount of yards on first down, which was something the Broncos had trouble with all season.
Another one of his upsides is the fact that he does not fumble. Unlike McGahee and Moreno, he holds onto the ball. The Broncos gave away too many opportunities because of fumbles. If Ball is getting the lion share of the carries, that should not be a problem.
Ball will benefit from not having to face a lot of players in the box because Manning is too much of a threat to defenses. I expect him to average around 4.5 YPC for 1000+ yards and 8+ TD's.
No comments:
Post a Comment