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Having go-to guy now is committee getting carries

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 19, 2007 at 12:45 a.m.

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Photo by Chris Schneider / The Rocky

Running backs coach Bobby Turner, left, with Travis Henry, Selvin Young and Cecil Sapp. "We're proof you can never have too many," coach Mike Shanahan said.

Mike Shanahan said of the pounding, "The body can't last forever."

For the better part of a decade, Mike Shanahan flipped the pages of his offensive playbook with the idea running back was a one-man job.

One guy would lug the ball 60 to 70 percent of the time, and the Broncos simply would count the first downs along the way.

Things change.

"Yeah, I do think the job is evolving," Shanahan said. "You look at it, and regardless of how big you are, the guys on the other side of the ball are bigger. You probably have to be in that 225-, 230-(pound) range just to take that punishment."

His running backs have taken so much punishment, in fact, Shanahan has had to adjust his approach.

This season likely will be only the third time in Shanahan's 13-season tenure one running back has not taken at least 51.5 percent of the carries, but it will be the second time in the past three seasons.

His ears have told him so.

"Once you're on the sideline and you experience those hits, you hear the impact every play, you know the body can't last forever," Shanahan said.

Added running back Travis Henry: "You always want the ball. But some things have come up injurywise for me this year, and I've missed some time. But I always want to be the guy."

Henry, his 163 carries accounting for 42.6 percent of the team's total after 14 games, leads the team with 680 rushing yards. Selvin Young, with 28.2 percent of the Broncos' carries, has rushed for 603 yards.

Andre Hall has contributed, with 10.7 percent of the carries.

"We're proof you never have too many," Shanahan said. "We've had some injuries, some people banged up, and we've had to adjust. We may have to adjust more and more. We'll see."

Because of the job description, Shanahan said, he might be moving away from his preferred way of doing things.

In Shanahan's first four seasons - 1995 to 1998 - Terrell Davis had 53.9, 65.7, 71 and 74.7 percent of the team's carries. And while Shanahan has opened virtually every season since then offering "you always would like to have that one guy," the Broncos and other teams around the league are finding that one guy is having a harder time staying on the field enough to be that guy consistently.

"I've been lucky to have a guy like Terrell Davis for a number of years without him getting hurt," Shanahan said. "All of a sudden, you lose three backs very quickly, so you have to have some depth.

"But I think very few can bring the whole package to an offense. Third downs, first downs and second downs, somebody usually has the gift to do one or the other, but very few now have the ability to do both."

Henry was expected to be the primary runner when he signed in March. A bruising inside runner when healthy who takes on a lot of tacklers, Henry injured his left knee in the preseason, missed a game this season with a rib injury and three games with another knee injury.

Young has missed time with a sprained right knee and Hall has missed time with a sprained left ankle.

"I think I felt a little more worn out after a college game than I do now," Young said. "Maybe I'm in a lot better shape and that has helped me through some of that. But you do take some hits, (players) on defense can all run at this level."

With those defenders seemingly getting bigger, stronger and faster all the time, the hits seem to be adding up on the Broncos runners and forcing them to the sideline.

The team's leading rusher has not started 16 games in a season since Davis in 1998, when the Broncos finished 14-2 and Davis led the league with 2,008 rushing yards.

"I don't think I've gotten more conscious of carries than before - I think it might also depend on who you've got," Shanahan said. "Terrell Davis, Clinton Portis, Mike Anderson, you kept on giving it to them because they get better as the game goes on.

"Then there are some guys who keep getting hurt. You say, 'Whoa' and take a second look. Like Tatum Bell, I always said he was 10 to 15 times a game. Once you got to 20, you know, he wasn't effective anymore because he lost his speed. But it's a tough job, will always be a tough job and more than likely, it's going to take more than one person to do it."

ETC.: In addition to punter Todd Sauerbrun, the Broncos waived safety Marviel Underwood, who had been signed by the team Dec. 5 because of safety Nick Ferguson's right knee injury . . . To take Underwood's roster spot, the Broncos signed safety Roderick Rogers from their practice squad. Rogers had been released at the end of training camp and had been on the team's practice squad since then. . . . Ferguson also was placed on injured reserve, formally ending his season. Ferguson, who injured his knee in Oakland on Dec. 2, was not expected to play for the remainder of the season.

legwoldj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2359

• December 19, 2007

  7:37 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  R8R_H8R writes:

  "60-70%"..... 60% of the carries is hardly a One-Back offense. Fantasy Football players have known for 10 years, dont draft Bronco running backs! Because there is Never a guy who carries the whole load like the traditional old-fashioned Offenses. This is hardly a "new" thing that the Broncos dont have one featured back the whole season. Fantasy Football avoids Broncos running backs like the plague. The problem is, more & more teams are going with a two-back system because of the pounding the carrier takes over the season. Any more, it is very rare that a team features one back. And featuring one back is NOT 60%. That's a split back system.

• December 19, 2007

  8:39 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  jgellsworth writes:

  RB by committee.........it's been an NFL concept for many years. I guess its a slow day in the newsroom at the RMN.

  Maybe you should talk about B-Marsh's explosion on Monday. Nice attitude eh?

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