Tatum Bell running with the 1st team

[ipljeff]

source: Jay Lufkin XY9 Sports

QB: Jake Plummer looked sharp. Was delivering the ball accurately and crisply in the 7-on-7 drills and continued with his precision passing on 11-on-11 drills. Doesn't appear to be fazed by Jay Cutler looking over his shoulder. Jay Cutler got some work in but looked shaky as one would expect a rookie to look. Champ Bailey picked him off twice when Cutler failed to put enough mustard on the ball.

RB: Tatum Bell was the rave of Day 1. Bell looked noticeably bigger and was in great condition. Bell ran exclusively with the first team and looked even more explosive than ever. He consistently ripped huge gains through the middle and outran defnders to the corner before cutting upfield for what would have easily been 10-15 yard gains. While Bell was focused and modest, you could see an air of confidence and swagger to him...something apparently Mike Shanahan liked because several people overheard him go up to Tatum Bell and ask him if he's ready to run for 1600. Bell was seen joking around with Plummer and Rod Smith as the second team got their reps. Ron Dayne looked solid, but unspectacular. Dayne ran with the second team and performed ok, had a case of fumbilitis for a while, but pulled himself together to finish the practice well. Dayne's conditioning looked ok, but he was noticeably winded after his drills. The dog of the day was Cedric Cobbs. He couldn't finish his conditioning drills, and Bobby Turner ripped him a new one. When Cobbs got some reps in he ran the wrong play, fumbled, and dropped an easy swing pass which set Mike Shanahan on fire. At this point, Cobbs looks like he'll be lucky to be carried on the practice squad. Cobbs was also limping after practice.

WR: Rod Smith is...Rod Smith...Mr. reliable. Made some smooth catches and continues to be Plummer's go-to-man. Smith burned Champ Bailey for what appeared to have been about a 25-30 yard TD. Javon Walker was present but didnt get much work in. Walker participated in the conditioning drills but not in the football drills. The plan must be to work Walker in slowly over the summer. Watts still has hands of stone. Had several drops from Plummer and later Cutler. This could be the end of Watts in Denver. Lelie was not present.

[mystykoekaki]

So much for the Cobbs love around here.

[ampant]

Thanks. This is great stuff! Looks like all the talk about Dayne being the starter may have been premature. Whatever happens, it would be great to see a guy emerge as the feature back and eliminate the RBBC situation. It would be better if it were Bell, cause you know if it were Dayne,m Bell would still take significant carries. I'm not sure Dayne would take as many carries if Bell is the starter.

[RJ24VC15]

Hopefully Dayne can give me something as a #4 back. I got like like 4 rounds after Bell was taken.

[jayday]

Tatum Bell was running with the first team last year in training camp too, no? This RBBC circus is far from over, and in my opinion won't look any clearer till the 1st or 2nd game of the preseason....

On a side note, the Cedric Cobbs report certainly surprised me....Mike Bell for #3 on the depth chart anyone?


EDIT - Just for kicks, I went back to a year ago and looked up the Denver RB situation....4 or 5 threads in 2 weeks....Tatum as the unquestioned starter is far from a lock guys....

http://www.fantasyfootballcafe.com/foru ... p?t=140361
http://www.fantasyfootballcafe.com/foru ... p?t=140992
http://www.fantasyfootballcafe.com/foru ... p?t=139837
http://www.fantasyfootballcafe.com/foru ... p?t=141481

[steelerfan513]

thank god ive done a great job staying the hell away from denver's RBs this year.

who knows what will happen? this is unpredictable

[SniperShot]

Bell gets the main job this year and runs for 1,600 yards mark my words. Didn't I hear somewhere he beefed up a bit and worked real hard this offseason? Or was that just something I thought up in my wishful thinking?

[bagobonez]

Tatum Bell was running with the first team last year in training camp too, no? This RBBC circus is far from over, and in my opinion won't look any clearer till the 1st or 2nd game of the preseason....

On a side note, the Cedric Cobbs report certainly surprised me....Mike Bell for #3 on the depth chart anyone?

Yeah but Bell added some size to better be able to handle the load. Everyone's drinking the Ron Dayne kool-aid, but I'm not buyin' it yet. I still have Bell ranked a couple of rounds above Dayne.

[Vixtor]

Ron Dayne is no Mike Anderson. I expect Bell to get more carries than last season and put up about 1300 yards and 12 td's.

[A Fleshner Fantasy]

Damn, I was depending on Dayne for a couple weeks when my starting backs had byes.

If somebody gets injured, I could b in trouble.