Breaking News: Torain out minimum twelve weeks

Following surgery this morning, the Denver Broncos announced that rookie running back Ryan Torain will be out at least twelve weeks. This bring back the rumor that circled the Bronco message boards yesterday, will Denver be forced to add Torain to the injured reserve?

If the Denver Broncos do choose to add Ryan Torain to the injured reserve, both his contract and roster spot will be freed up and Denver will have room to either keep someone like rookie Anthony Aldridge on the actual roster, keep veteran running back Michael Pittman (who looked likely to be cut following training camp), sign a veteran free agent (Shawn Alexander, Cedric Benson, just kidding) or trade for someone who may not be seeing as much playing time as they should.

Ultimately what the injury affects most, is coach Mike Shanahan's proposed, "Run by committee." It's one thing to split 35-40 carries between three or four backs, it's a completely other thing to do it between two backs. Denver has had success with that though, only three years ago Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell split carries and the year after it was Tatum Bell and Mike Bell.

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Mike Bell signs with Denver Jr.

Former Denver Broncos running back Mike Bell has signed with Gary Kubiak's Houston Texans. This after Bell's visit to the New England Patriots was cut short by the Patriots quickly snatching LaMont Jordan off the waiver wire.

We look forward to hopefully seeing Bell two Saturdays from now (August 9th) when Denver takes on the Texans.

Bad day for a vacation!

Haha right?

Today the Broncos:

• Cut last season's favorite to be the feature back in Denver Mike Bell, if you'll remember entering training camp Bell was listed as #1 on the depth-chart. Quickly falling from grace all the way into the fullback category. They also, of course, released kicker Garrett Hartley. There are still a few kickers left in free agency, John Carney being the most notable.
• They signed center Kory Lichtensteiger, leaving just three picks to be signed before Thursday. Remember there are still more cuts coming, because Denver still needs room on their roster for those three picks. Early guess for next cut? I'd say have a look towards the wide receiver position or the very deep defensive line pool. Most likely a receiver though.
• Pat Bowlen will introduce Gary Zimmerman at his Hall of Fame induction.

First Madden 2009 Denver Broncos scouting report published:

Maddenlist.com just featured the Broncos on their version of 32 teams in 32 days. It looks like you're going to have to work hard to get the Broncos up to the level to compete with some of the big dogs in Madden. Their offensive line isn't as great, Brandon Marshall's a beast and Josh Barrett may be on accident one of the best safeties in the game, if you're manually controlling him.

Peyton Hillis is in the bag...

The International Herald Tribune, by way of the AP reported that Denver Broncos seventh round pick, Peyton Hillis has been signed (by Denver even!).

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.: The Denver Broncos signed seventh-round draft pick Peyton Hillis, a fullback from Arkansas who helped clear the way for two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden.

Hillis gained 2,624 all-purpose yards and scored 23 touchdowns as a three-year starter at Arkansas, where he set school records for running backs with 118 career catches, 1,195 yards receiving and 11 TD receptions. He also rushed for 959 yards and a 4.7-yard average with 12 TDs.

Last season he led the Razorbacks with 49 catches for 537 yards and blocked for 1,000-yard rushers McFadden and Felix Jones. Also a kick and punt returner, Hillis totaled 886 all-purpose yards.

The Broncos have signed five of their nine draft picks.

Hillis will attempt to win the starting job at fullback for Denver and will face competition from incumbent Cecil Sapp and third-year back Mike Bell.

Tune in later this week and next as Broncos Denver Broncos Presents:


Our feature "Camp Battles," will give readers all they need to know prior to the first day of training camp. We stands to win what position, as the opening day starters pan out, who's likely to be cut and what surprises may be in store for Denver fans.

'08 Bronco Running Backs

Bronco fans have long known that their team will run the ball and do that well. So, with seven players listed at RB, who shall we see on the roster? The release of Travis Henry shook the Richter Scale of the Bronco World and sent a message that the example of Selvin Young was to be the preferred model. Thus far, Peyton Hillis is the only FB listed (see previous post "FBs/TEs and auxiliary blockers"). Does that mean Denver will only carry one player repped at that spot, or will one of the larger RBs make the roster as a FB rather than as a RB?

For the second year in a row, an undrafted college free agent running back emerged as a go-to guy at the RB spot. Actually, two of them made their presence felt as Selvin Young joined Andre Hall, from the '06 practice squad. Add Mike Bell and the Broncos have shown they know how to find promising young free agent running backs. Young isn't satisfied with his durability or stats from '07 and seems to be on a mission to break through as a top NFL player. Andre Hall also had some nagging injuries that slowed him in '07, but his performance at Chicago was eye-opening in what should have been a key element of a victory had it not been for some disastrous kicking blunders.

Mike Bell has been on an emotional roller coaster: starter at beginning of '06; 2nd string at end of '06; Tatum Bell traded; Travis Henry signed; moved to FB; few carries/one fumble in '07; plagued by injuries in '07; Travis Henry released ... Some fans seem to think he should have been released by now. It's crazy to me how quickly some fans want to discard players after a down time. What is it? He lost you some money in fantasy football? Your Madden cybercomponent isn't up to par so let's replace it? I'll bet Bobby Turner wants all these guys to do well and make the roster decisions most difficult. Mike, Mike ... it's in your head, Bro. Come back, baby, you can do it.

Ryan Torain was one of the top college RBs entering the '07 season. He was injured and then a slew (understatement) of great Junior RBs came out for the '08 draft. He was almost forgotten. His injury is a question mark but his between the tackles running ability isn't. Training camp and preseason will test the durability of the new Lisfranc repair he had. If it doesn't hold up, IR/PUP awaits. If he finds himself on the roster, he will play ST and eventually get a shot.

Michael Pittman was signed just prior to Travis Henry's release. It's interesting how Shanahan has positioned veterans at each position except PK/P. RBs have a very short shelf life in the NFL and Pittman's expiration date is ...? He is one whose size, blocking and receiving ability may keep him on the roster in the capacity of FB/RB/ST.

Cecil Sapp is another with characteristics similar to Pittman; i.e., FB/RB/ST. The former CSU Ram has been a genuine team player for the Broncos. My guess is that he's not ready to quit yet and still has much to offer. In the event that he is released and not signed by another NFL team, don't be surprised to see him signed and released several times during the season by the Broncos a la Chad Mustard in '07.

Anthony Aldridge is the latest college free agent running back. He is small, but with great speed. My guess is he will be given a chance to return punts and kicks in preseason with that being his chance of making the roster. Carrying the ball between the tackles on a regular basis seems out of the question for him. Some have suggested he will really practice with the WRs (a la Vance Johnson) although he is still listed as a RB. Speaking of WRs, Samie Parker and Aldridge are in the process of deciding exactly who has the fastest set of wheels in town. Do you return kicks, Samie? It seems Shanahan is determined to fix KR/PR with speedy returners: Eddie Royal, Jack Williams and Anthony Aldridge. Having several would seem a major improvement.

How many RBs will the Broncos keep on the roster? Three? Four? Five? That's not counting FBs. How many of those? One? Two? Hillis alone or Hillis with one of the RBs, or no Hillis or FBs at all? As for the tandem possibility, I would classify them in the following similar pairs: Young and Hall as the change of pace guys; Bell and Torain as the between the tackles RBs; Pittman and Sapp as the FB/RBs; with Aldridge in a class of his own (kick return/specials). This is guaranteed to be the hottest competition during camp and preseason. I have no idea who will make it, who will be released and who will be on IR. I do know one thing: they will all be playing ST like demons because that will be the deciding factor of whom they keep.

Lorenzo Neal wants to play for Denver

We have a starting fullback, don't we? Well, we have Cecil Sapp, behind him on the depth chart sits Mike Bell (remember him) and rookie Peyton Hillis (whom yours truely likes for the starting position this season). I remember being disappointed in Sapp's performance more than a couple of times last year. He's not to blame for the lack of red-zone touchdowns for the Broncos last season, but as the lead blocker and the main target in their bread and butter bootleg pass to the fullback.

I was hoping that Denver would draft the guy that blocked for Darren McFadden and Felix Jones (Hillis) last season in the 4th, when we got him in the 7th I was pretty impressed.
Of course, I immediately thought he will start, as he has very strong hands and can just crack skulls busting through the offensive line. However, post draft, when Coach Shanahan immediately mentioned Spencer Larsen possibly competing at fullback, that's when I got unsure.

Now in a Michael Silver column over at Yahoo, former San Diego fullback Lorenzo Neal (the guy that's been opening up holes for LaDainian Tomlinson and Michael Turner and a Pro Bowler for the last three years) has Denver on a short list of teams he wants to play for. The other two teams are Dallas and Pittsburgh. With the exit of Travis Henry, the Broncos have an open spot on their roster, do they fill it with a 37 year-old fullback who has proven that he can still play?

Broncos Continue to Baffle Fantasy Experts

If you were like me last year, you were sitting pretty nice through week 4 of your Fantasy Football league with Travis Henry leading the league in rushing yards. Then you picked up Selvin Young off of waivers, keeping Henry, then you got nervous... And picked up Andre Hall, then you got lucky. Then you started Henry (whoops) coming back from his injury and sat Young and Hall. Now you had three Denver running backs and you were glued to ESPN on Sunday mornings begging for some lead on who you should start.

Anyway, draft any of Denver's backfield this year and you might be in for more of the same again, according to ESPN's Scott Engel.

"So how should you approach the Denver running backs on draft day? Avoid Henry until you have at least three other running backs on your roster, because the best you can hope for is that he stays healthy and scores a decent amount of touchdowns. Young is a good pick late in the fourth round, as he is very likely to emerge as the starter and one certainly cannot count on Henry to avoid injuries and off-field issues. Pittman should be strictly drafted as a late-round backup, because it would be difficult to envision him becoming a featured back, even in an emergency role. Grab Torain in the final rounds and stash him away, because as we have seen many times before, any Denver running back can get an opportunity for quality playing time at any time."

Inevitably some dumbass in your league will take Henry before you get a chance, in barring some further injury that prevents him to get time in preseason. So if you want Henry you're more than likely going to have to take him in the fourth at the latest. Young is pointing at Centerfield and calling his shot right now. Stating his goal for 2008 is 2000 yards.

"I'd like for him to prove that to me," Shanahan told the Denver Post. "And he could very well do it. There's a big difference from your first year to your second year."

Young did have more yards on less carries than Henry last season, I was most impressed with Hall though. Teams weren't able to game plan for him, which if he sits at third on the depth chart again this season would be the same case. He's got a lot of competition for number three though, we're thick at a position that we usually don't even have to worry about with Michael Pittman, Ryan Torain and Anthony Aldridge. As well as the possibility that Mike Bell may emerge from the shadow of Shanahan's dog house.

I've predicted the depth chart before, P.P. (pre-Pittman), stating that Aldridge will sit on the practice squad. Henry will start until he's hurt, Young will play until he's hurt, Hall and Pittman will split time. Henry and Young will return and somewhere in there we will see Torain break through and have a hundred yard game or two. Should we make the post season who are our running backs? Young and Torain, though I highly doubt that Torain will have an opportunity to win an Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. We do seem to be sitting nicely for years to come.

That's Anthony Aldrige (left) by the way, wearing the retired #18 of Frank Tri- pucka, during the season he will wear #38.