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New Bell of the ball for Broncos

Rookie passes Dayne, Tatum Bell as starter; Cutler moves to No. 2

Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 8, 2006 at midnight

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ENGLEWOOD - It wasn't the ice in the cold tub that made rookie Mike Bell freeze up suddenly Sunday. It was the news he was being summoned to coach Mike Shanahan's office for a little training camp chitchat that provided an unpleasant adrenaline rush.

"I was thinking the worst," Bell said.

Getting cut might have been shocking, given Bell's performance during the Broncos' first nine days of on-field workouts.

But what Bell then heard was equally as startling.

The undrafted rookie free agent was informed by Shanahan that he was being elevated to No. 1 on the depth chart at tailback, ahead of Tatum Bell and Ron Dayne, who are second and third in the pecking order.

That kind of sudden ascension is heady stuff for any young player bypassed in the draft, never mind one who failed to register a single 1,000-yard season during four years as a starter with the University of Arizona.

This was wildest-dream territory.

Asked if he could have envisioned such a scenario this summer, Bell shook his head repeatedly, "Never. Never. Never."

Bell was surprised earlier in camp he was taking so many practice repetitions with the third-team offense. Yet here he is, already named the starter Friday against the Detroit Lions in the Broncos' preseason opener.

"It could change day to day, week to week, but we felt that Mike deserves a chance to work with the first team," Shanahan said. "And we'll take a look to see if he can keep it."

The news overshadowed the elevation of No. 1 draft pick Jay Cutler to the backup quarterback job behind Jake Plummer. That move also was announced Monday, with Bradlee Van Pelt falling to third string.

The Broncos have had running backs seemingly emerge from nowhere many times before.

Terrell Davis opened eyes with a crushing special teams hit in 1995, a precursor to his great Broncos career. Olandis Gary took his opportunity and ran with it when Davis went down in 1999.

Injuries prompted the insertion of Mike Anderson into the lineup in his rookie-of-the-year season in 2000. Clinton Portis ran fourth on the depth chart his first season before becoming a starter in 2002.

And a litany of ailments that one by one eliminated competition prompted Reuben Droughns' breakthrough performance two seasons ago.

But all of those runners were at least deemed draftable.

"On draft day, I felt like quitting football," Bell said. "Now I'm on cloud nine."

The primary knock on Bell was he ran several 40-yard dashes in the 4.6-second range despite the fact he was the only runner in Arizona history to lead the team in rushing four seasons.

But Broncos running backs coach Bobby Turner believed Bell had the vision, requisite quickness and one-cut mentality needed to thrive with the team. The two spoke weekly before Bell signed a three-year contract that included a $20,000 signing bonus in May.

The rookie was just another running back in organized team activities, sessions that leaned heavily on the passing game, before exploding on the scene in camp. He has demonstrated power between the tackles, open-field moves and a nonstop motor and has fallen forward for extra yardage consistently in gaining the upper hand.

"Mike's been out here killing in practices," said Dayne, who had been running with the first team. "If I was the coach and watched, I'd have probably taken Mike, too."

Assistant head coach Mike Heimerdinger maintained the test now is whether Bell can deal with an accelerated learning curve, handle pass protections and succeed when the coaching staff isn't providing on-field guidance every snap. But, he added, Bell's running style fits the Broncos prototype.

"I think it's sending two messages, that practice is important, first of all, and that we do evaluate it and nothing's guaranteed here," Heimerdinger said. "And the second thing is that we're going to play the best players. That's always been the history of the Denver Broncos. The guys that we feel can help us win are the guys that are going to be on the field."

After practice, Turner's final instruction to the new starter was to "keep studying."

And Bell later promised to avoid becoming complacent.

"I've got to stay hungry," he said. "I came here with a chip on my shoulder and I've got to continue having a chip on my shoulder."

Much less shocking was the move to elevate Cutler. The general feeling was he had make his way to No. 2 quarterback. It was a question of when.

But the rookie has picked up the offense slightly quicker than anticipated, while showing the arm strength, vision and mobility the Broncos believed they were getting when they took him with the 11th pick in the draft.

"By no means is he a polished quarterback at this time," Shanahan said. "We just felt he deserved a chance to compete with the second unit."

Playing more frequently against the first defense will give the coaches a gauge of how much Cutler has grasped the offense and provide extra practice repetitions.

"I'm still thinking a lot out there and not just reacting," Cutler said. "But I'm happy with where I'm at right now."

Unlike Bell, Van Pelt wasn't shocked to hear the news when he went to Shanahan's office Sunday.

"And people will say, 'Obviously, he didn't perform on the field,' and I'd say, 'I don't think that's true,' " Van Pelt said. "I know I've gotten better. I've gone out there and moved the ball. There's not too many opportunities to go really show what you can do. It's training camp. It's not the game of football. The decision was made and I have to move on."

There were few other surprises on the depth chart. Roc Alexander is listed ahead of Karl Paymah at cornerback. Undrafted free agent Antwon Burton is listed behind Michael Myers at nose tackle.

And Corey Jackson, the talk of the offseason for his potential ability as a pass rusher, has fallen to fourth at left end behind Courtney Brown, Kenard Lang and Patrick Chukwurah.

Camp report

• Today at camp: The Broncos will practice twice at their Dove Valley complex. Morning practice will be at 8:30 with the gates opening at 7:30. The afternoon workout will begin at 3:40 and will be special teams only. Special teams practices are abbreviated and do not include the entire roster. Gates open at 2:40. Admission to practices and parking on the west side of the complex are free.

• Day in review: He might have made the improbable leap on the depth chart, but running back Mike Bell still got one of those small football lessons. In run-game work with starters against starters, Bell had started to slow down after completing a play when linebacker Ian Gold ran behind him and knocked the ball out of his arm . . . With Rod Smith and Javon Walker getting the day off, the Broncos' other receivers got plenty of work. David Kircus drew the biggest cheer during the morning workout when he caught a touchdown from Jake Plummer. Plummer, avoiding the rush, threw off his back foot and hit Kircus in stride . . . Kircus had a similar touchdown play, on a pass from Bradlee Van Pelt during the afternoon . . . Todd Devoe had a touchdown reception on a throw from Jay Cutler during the afternoon . . . Kircus and rookie receiver Brian Clark returned kickoffs during the afternoon practice. Both are expected to handle at least some those duties Friday in Detroit . . . With the addition of rookie tight end Tony Scheffler to the roster, left tackle Matt Lepsis no longer has to be the team's backup snapper on special teams. Scheffler is behind Mike Leach for punts and behind Leach and Chris Myers on field goals.