SniperShot wrote: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?
The article given in this topic is where you heard it from... "Tatum Bell was the rave of Day 1. Bell looked noticeably bigger and was in great condition"
"Cincinatti leads the league in 'Johnsons'" - John Madden
Great conditioning doesnt always translate onto the football field. Fantasy players should remember the dropoff in Bells #'s after he got 10 touches, and remember that Bell is pretty much in the same situation as he was last year with Anderson. I'm not reading too much into this as it was the first day. When the preseason rolls around that's when the Denver RB situation will probably pan out.
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.
It appears we can't exactly trust whoever the hell XY9 Sports is.
FanBall.com wrote:Dayne opens ahead of Bell
The News: The Broncos opened camp on Friday, and running back Ron Dayne spent more time with the first-string offense than Tatum Bell. "Any time a guy averages 5 yards a carry, right at a thousand yards, you know he's capable of having some big-time ability," Shanahan told the Rocky Mountain News regarding Bell. "The question is, you've got to decide, 'Is he capable of carrying the ball 25 times a game or is it better that you have another guy you think a lot of take half the reps or the majority of the reps?'"
Our View: At the moment, the Broncos are preparing to split the running load between Dayne and Bell, just as they did with Mike Anderson and Bell last season. Bell has more upside, but he needs to prove that he can be a 20-to-25-carry guy if he's ever going to be a reliable fantasy option. Until then, fantasy owners have to realize that this is a tough backfield to predict.
I guess when Jay Lufkin wrote "Bell ran exclusively with the first team" he didn't mean only Bell ran with the first team, but rather he didn't practice with the second team. On top of that he failed to mention that Dayne ran more than Bell did.
And while much of the attention nationally has been focused on Tatum Bell's breakaway ability, it's Dayne who consistently has been getting the first turns with the No. 1 offense, including Friday during the initial two-a- day practices of training camp.
And while much of the attention nationally has been focused on Tatum Bell's breakaway ability, it's Dayne who consistently has been getting the first turns with the No. 1 offense, including Friday during the initial two-a- day practices of training camp.
Yeah after looking at more sources I would not hand Bell the starters job and 1600 yards quite yet.
I just read through that article completely and noticed the last couple of lines:
Tatum Bell, running with the first-team line but behind Ron Dayne, had a rough second practice. He was clobbered by middle linebacker Nate Webster at the line and hit late by cornerback Roc Alexander, prompting several head shakes both times to clear the cobwebs.
The Broncos backfield situation isn't exactly the same as last year's. For one, Mike Anderson was a proven runner before the start of last season, unlike Dayne, who's been pretty much oblivious after the first year of his career. Also, heading into this season, Bell has a lot better of a chance to a) become the starter due to less competition, b) maintain the starting gig, and c) be a very productive rusher after a year of valueable experience. Shanahan questions how many times Bell can carry the ball a game, but that could change if Dayne just doesn't perform as the #1 back, which is very possible. Bell should be drafted ahead of Dayne, even if he isn't the starter come week 1. He's a solid #3 option.
DENVER -- Ron Dayne is like a classic car without a lot of miles.
The 1999 Heisman Trophy winner was a major disappointment with the New York Giants for five years before showing signs of resurrecting his career as a third-stringer in Denver last season.
This summer, he's getting first crack at winning the Broncos' starting tailback job even though he's averaged just 35 carries over the last three years, including none in 2004, when Jim Fassel deactivated him for the entire season.
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan doesn't see Dayne as having any rust or having been a bust. He sees a man who hasn't taken the pounding most running backs have at 28.
"I think it's always a benefit for a running back that he hasn't been beaten on for four or five years and all the injuries that come with it," Shanahan said. "He's a healthy guy and even though he's been in the league for a while, he's got the experience without the wear and tear."
Dayne is practically begging to get bombarded even though full-contact drills are a week away.
"I tell the guys, 'Hit me when I'm coming through here.' Usually, they let up on guys," Dayne said. "You've just got to hit me a couple of times when I'm coming through, just to wake me up, get me right."
Dayne leapfrogged Tatum Bell on the depth chart following the release of last year's starter, Mike Anderson, who signed with Baltimore.
Although Shanahan declared the competition in the backfield wide open -- third-year back Cedric Cobbs is the dark horse -- Dayne is running with the first team and plans to be the main ingredient in the next tailback tandem in Denver.
Bell wants to be the featured back after rushing for 921 yards and eight TDs last year despite starting only one game. However, the Broncos' brass loves the idea of having the 213-pound Bell enter games after the 245-pound Dayne has worn down defenses.
Dayne and Denver could prove the perfect fit because the Broncos run the same zone-blocking scheme that Wisconsin did when Dayne became the NCAA's career leading rusher in the 1990s.
"The proof is in the pudding, obviously, but he ran that style offense when he was at Wisconsin and was a Heisman Trophy winner because of it," Shanahan said. "They ran pretty close to 100 percent zone-blocking scheme, very similar to what we're running. A zone-blocking scheme, for a running back, is a one-cut back where you don't have to dance. It's not a lot of counters. It's taking the ball downfield and making plays.
"At his weight and his size, he does have some power. We think he fits our system pretty good."
After wallowing in New York, where he was dogged by an ill-suited running scheme and Tiki Barber's emergence, Dayne averaged a career-best 5.1 yards on 53 carries in Denver last season and had big runs that set up wins over San Diego and Dallas, where his 55-yard scamper on Thanksgiving led to the winning field goal in overtime.
Last season, Anderson and Bell combined for 1,935 yards and 20 touchdown runs, and the Broncos are looking for similar production from their tailbacks this season.
"I don't mind" splitting snaps, Dayne said. "Tatum's a great back. You know, he and Mike ended up doing that last year. I'm cool with that. As long as I get to play, I'm happy."
Dayne is eager to show he can be the kind of NFL back so many people predicted when he came out of college.
"When I was out there in New York, every time we were playing a lot of it was trick 'em. And we'd start on one side and come back the other way. And sometimes we'd even start on this side, go over here and them come back this way. That wasn't my style," Dayne said.
After Barber emerged as the Giants' featured back, Dayne was relegated to short-yardage situations, "and we always ran the same play," Dayne insisted. "So, after a while I wasn't getting it and people were like, 'Oh, he can't get the one yard.' (But) I can't run over 10 people!"
Dayne said it got so bad that defenders would even call out the play by name -- 36 Power -- "and they knew where I was running to every time."
Last season, Dayne went in on fourth-and-1 against the Chargers "and they gave me the quick pitch to the outside and I got 15 or 20 yards," he said. "Teams can't key on what I'm doing."
And now he wants to show them what he can do on first and second down, too.
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by Crippler » Sat Jul 29, 2006 12:23 am 
