Broncos Run Game To Be Affected By Manning

Ever since Peyton Manning landed in Denver, the Broncos running game has been a mere after thought.

Why is that when Willis McGahee rushed for the 8th most yards in the league last year in 15 games?

As is exemplified in the playoffs, the teams with the most balanced offensive attack typically move on. The Broncos know that, and that’s why they will be putting just as much attention into the run game as the much-hyped pass game.

“You never know how a certain game is going to turn into,” Manning acknowledged last week. “If there’s a shootout one game or if there’s one of those low scoring games where you keep pounding on the ground, we hope we can play any type of game.”

Manning said that the run game is going to be heavily influenced by the people that have been there including the offensive line, the coaching staff, and the system that’s in place.

“Coach McCoy is really preaching balance, trying to be kind of three dimensional where on any down and distance, you can drop back, you can hand the ball off, you can run play action,” Manning said.

With Manning at the steering wheel, you can bet there won’t be many handoffs on 3rd and 7, but there will be a different kind of trickery for the Broncos to engage in. Already thinking about the possibilities leaves one’s head spinning.

There’s no way Manning will have the kind of rushing numbers that Tim Tebow had last season. By the same token, there’s no way Tebow will have Manning-like numbers in the passing department.

Mike McCoy was interviewed for vacant head coaching position for a reason. He knows how to breakdown the playbook and then break it up. His ingenuity helped Tebow have the kind of year that he did. Now he’s scripting run plays under an already established quarterback.

Expect big things from McGahee, rookie Ronnie Hillman, and Knowshon Moreno if he can stay healthy.

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