Sep 21, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Denver Broncos running back Montee Ball (28) carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Denver 26-20. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
The much maligned running back will keep landing on lists like these until he produces in a big way for the offense.
Montee Ball entered the season surrounded by a slew of hype and intrigue, but has largely disappointed. He’s averaging a pedestrian 3.4 yards on 49 carries, which is more than enough to show that he should have a much higher average. He also fumbled away his first carry versus the Seattle Seahawks a little less than two weeks ago, his fourth in his first two seasons.
With only a single touchdown to boot, Ball needs to kick it into gear, regardless of how inconsistent his run blocking has been, or he’ll start losing carries to Denver’s other backs.
Those other backs have fared pretty decently. C.J. Anderson is poor man’s Maurice Jones-Drew, but simply isn’t used all that often. Ronnie Hillman only has two carries, both in Week Three.
Hillman could add another dimension to the offense with his game-changing speed and quickness coming out of the backfield.
The player everyone is waiting to see is rookie Juwan Thompson. He was an absolute stud in the preseason and has fans clamoring to see him play. It’s unlikely he’ll get on the field anytime soon, but Thompson does have the potential to ignite the running game.
The Broncos have a stable of backs they can turn to, so they should put them to good use. If Ball has another poor outing, offensive coordinator Adam Gase should think long and hard about utilizing a running back by committee approach.