Bell Sits atop RB Depth Chart: Not the one You Think

Mr. Bell has made the top of the deep Denver running back depth chart. He has impressed Mike Shanahan and the other coaches enough to finally take his place on the top of the depth chart, ahead of Ron Dayne and the other Bell: Tatum.

What?

Everyone, including me, expected Tatum Bell – one half of the second-ranked rushing threat in the NFL last year with Mike Anderson – to assume the top spot on the depth chart this year. People figured he would garner most of the carries and then Shanahan would bring in Dayne for two or three yard situations. (We’ll refer to Tatum Bell as “Mr. T” from now on because this could get confusing).

But no. This morning we get word via the Denver Post that rookie Mike Bell has done well enough this season to supplant Mr. T and Ron Dayne on the top of the depth chart. This doesn’t mean he will start the team’s first game Sept. 10 at St. Louis, but it gives him a hell of a good chance. Shanahan told the Post that Mike Bell will start in the preseason opener this Friday in Detroit. Mike Bell rushed for 952 yards on 200 carries in his senior year at Arizona, averaging a respectable 4.76 yards. Let’s see how well that will translate at the pro level.

Mike Bell was the No. 3 running back but has switched spots with Ron Dayne, while Mr. T has been No. 2 the whole time.

There are two immediate thoughts on this.

1. Mike Shanahan has a good eye when it comes to running backs, so perhaps we should trust him if he thinks this rookie will do better for him and the Broncos than veterans Ron Dayne and Mr. T can do. When it comes to running back decisions, the whole league should defer to Shanahan because the Broncos have had the most running yards in the NFL since he took over.

2. This is a deliberate move by Shanahan and the coaching staff to light a fire under the rumps of both Dayne and Mr. T to have them work harder and realize that in the Shanahan running system, there are no sure bets. Imagine what it feels like for Mr. T to work hard to get the top spot for two years and then a rookie comes along and pushes him aside. This will either motivate him to work that much harder or it will break his will and he will have a mediocre season as the No. 2 running back.

The saying goes that you could put anyone in the Shanahan/Broncos running system and they’ll get at least 1,200 yards. That may or may not be true (it probably is) but let’s just hope that Mike Bell has what it takes to keep the Broncos on top of the NFL in the rushing department.

By the way, first round draft pick Jay Cutler has also moved up on the depth chart, passing Bradlee Van Pelt. This isn’t really big news; anyone with an ounce of intelligence could have seen this one coming. There are rumors that if Jake Plummer underperforms this season Cutler will be the starter next year. Plus, if the Broncos were that confident in Van Pelt as a backup they wouldn’t have wasted a top-20 draft pick on Cutler.

How the West was won

As the preseason starts and the sounds and sights of FOOTBALL!!!! are in the air again, it’s time to break down this years’ thrilling installment of the AFC West by their rank and record this year.

4th Place: Oakland Raiders (7-9)
Does anyone think they have a real shot at the division? First of all, Aaron Brooks is their quarterback. Apparently no one in Oakland ever watched a Saint’s game, because as Steven A would say, ‘That guy is TERRIBLE.’ Here’s an intriguing stat for you: Last year, Brooks threw 16 interceptions and only 13 TDs. Yeah, he was on a bad team, but it’s not like he has a lot more going for him in Oakland. The point is, when he has people around him, Brooks is a decent QB, but he’s not a guy who can come in and turn a team around by himself, which is what he’s being asked to do in Oakland, and basically what he’s gonna have to do if they have a shot at the division. And that’s just not a roll Brooks will ever play.

3rd Place: Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)
The Chiefs do have Larry Johnson, but if we’ve learned anything from the Broncos, a good back is a nice thing to have, but he’s never going to be very effective without a good offensive line blocking for him. The Chiefs will not have a good offensive line this season. First, they’re old. The entire Chiefs line is over 27, with three guys over 30. Second, Willy Rove retiring means the anchor of the line is gone, and his replacement is not going to be the leader or talent that Rove was. The upshot of this is that the line in front of Johnson is going to be suspect at best, and will probably fall apart by the end of the season. Plus, if for any reason some of you chief fans are still getting excited about the season, here’s a reason not to: one of your big defensive acquisitions in the off-season was Lenny Walls, the Broncos’ 4th corner last year…you STILL don’t have a defense.

2nd Place: San Diego Chargers (10-6)
Two words: Phillip Rivers. Even though he has LT in the backfield, Rivers is an un-tested quarterback and starting one is always very risky. Plus, the Chargers made little defensive improvement in the offseason and without Drew Brees leading the team, I just don’t think they’ll go very far. Any time you come off a 9-7 season and then change QBs from a hot veteran to an untested, basically a rookie, you know you’re gambling and unless Rivers is just amazing, it’s going to be a development year for the Chargers, not a winning year. And that’s not even getting to that mess they call a secondary.

1st Place: Denver Broncos (13-3)
We made a couple of key acquisitions in the off-season in picking up pro-bowler Javon Walker and another member of that Cleveland D-line that we started grabbing a year ago. Walker should be a marked improvement over Ashley Lelie, who despite having enormous potential never showed up in a big game and appears to have been a nut case all along. Even though we lost Mike Anderson, we know by now that any running back can work in the Shannahan system, and all the two-bit analysts are saying the o-line might be as good as its ever been, even dating back to the Terrel years. Plus, we have some pretty good backs in camp: Ron Dayne showed a lot of promise last year and Tatum Bell was extremely motivated this offseason to get a little bigger and move up to a 25-30 carry back as opposed to just 15-20, attending 100% of the Broncos’ offseason conditioning program. Additionally, in drafting Cutler, we’re the west’s team of the future, too. We do have a very tough schedule this year - but we had one last year and overcame that just fine. Now we’re a much improved team and should do just fine.

The one thing all of us need to worry about in Denver is overconfidence. I know that making it to the AFC Championship game has gotten us all excited and everyone’s motto seems to be ‘Super Bowl or Bust!’ But we all have to remember that there are 16 regular season games before the playoffs start, and at least two games in the post-season before the Super Bowl. Everyone, the fans and the team needs to concentrate on each game instead of getting caught up in placing bets on the score of the big game. I don’t want to hear ANYONE trash-talking about winning the Super Bowl on any media outlet, pedastal, or even private conversation. Okay, good practice and I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh and Moncrief…good hands out there.