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Sapp is hoping to run with chance at tailback

Former fullback is ready to step in as backup to Henry

Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 31, 2007 at midnight

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ENGLEWOOD - All that space.

Cecil Sapp almost didn't know what to do with it the first time he aligned this offseason in a single-back set in the Broncos' backfield at tailback.

He had gotten used to the traffic jams at fullback, when a split second after the snap is followed by sudden contact in the hole.

It didn't take long for his rushing instincts culled in college at Colorado State to kick back in, once he got a few repetitions as a ballcarrier under his belt.

He amassed 2,482 yards during his time at CSU as a workhorse performer.

"Hopefully, I take the opportunity and run with it," Sapp said Wednesday after team-camp practice.

Sapp hasn't completely made the switch from fullback. But he is getting more repetitions at tailback than at any other time as a pro since his 2003 rookie season.

While it's also too early to gauge his chances of becoming Travis Henry's primary backup, demonstrating versatility should enhance his odds of sticking on the game-day active roster.

"He's in that rotation, and we want to see how much he can do and how much he can absorb so we know exactly how much we can do with him," assistant head coach/offense Mike Heimerdinger said.

Sapp only recently was unable to do much of anything.

He broke the tibia in his left leg Dec. 3 on a kickoff return against the Seattle Seahawks. Sapp walked off the field under his own power, thinking he had suffered a high ankle sprain. Combined with an on-field injury at CSU, he has recovered from breaks in both legs.

Sapp still has plates in both legs from those surgeries.

"Hopefully, I don't have to go through this injury anymore," he said.

The recovery this time contributed to Sapp ballooning nearly 12 pounds. That was, until strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten got his hands on him in the offseason program. Sapp since has shed all that weight and returned to his normal 225-227 playing range for the past two camps.

"I feel good," Sapp said. "My cuts aren't there. But I'm working hard, working extra, trying to get it back as it was before I got hurt."

Coach Mike Shanahan in the past has described Sapp as a "swing" player in the backfield.

And Sapp carried 10 times last season and had runs of 28, 20 and 11 among those attempts.

Still, while Sapp has rushed 31 times for 164 yards in his career, he primarily has handled fullback and special-teams duties.

"They always told me to keep my mind open about playing tailback, and now I just have to learn both positions," Sapp said. "I've been doing it ever since I transformed to fullback, but now they really want me to play tailback."

Having that fullback experience in the memory banks is proving useful as he logs more carries.

"That helps a lot, knowing your situation and what everyone else has going on," he said. "Then your instincts take over."

Among the other players vying for carries behind Henry, Mike Bell appears to have the best chance to earn backup status along with Sapp.

Andre Hall, a first-year pro out of South Florida, and rookie Selvin Young also are part of the competition.

"It's too early to say," Heimer- dinger said when asked whether Sapp has a legitimate chance to emerge out of that pack.

But, he added, Sapp has looked good and has experience at tailback and in the Broncos' system.

"Cecil has great running skills," Heimerdinger said.