Bronco Billy Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 (edited) LINK Bell is on quest for consistency By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News August 4, 2006 ENGLEWOOD - Tatum Bell couldn't sleep Wednesday night. A fumble he lost during the four-minute drill during that morning's practice kept replaying in his mind and couldn't be erased because the afternoon workout was devoted to special teams. The Broncos running back put those thoughts, and his mind, to rest Thursday with one of the more spectacular plays of training camp during a reprise of the four-minute period. On third-and-14, Bell took a handoff, headed left, made a nice cutback at the line of scrimmage, burst through a seam and found daylight, outrunning cornerback Darrent Williams to the right pylon for a 63-yard touchdown. … The strong showing during the four-minute drill and during short- yardage situations probably boosted Bell's chances in his battle with Ron Dayne for the starting tailback job one week into camp. During the afternoon practice, the two split carries during situational drills, with Dayne going first, but in the team period, Bell ran with the starters. Even the good feelings about his long touchdown were muted somewhat. A few minutes after he scored, Bell ran with the first unit, and quarterback Jake Plummer threw a screen pass his way. The running back bobbled the ball. Linebacker Al Wilson won the tussle for the deflection and made an interception that would have been a defensive touchdown of about 30 yards. "I saw Al on the screen. He was coming on me, and I kind of took my eyes off the ball because I was anticipating the hit," Bell said. "I should have caught the ball." The two plays represent a microcosm of the past few days of camp for Bell. He'll show off his explosive speed one minute, then make a critical mistake the next. And it's about trust if he's going to earn increased playing time in the search for Mike Anderson's replacement. Aside from his Wednesday fumble, which came against the second- team defense and was recovered by safety Hamza Abdullah, Bell coughed up the ball during a goal- line drill Monday when he was hit by end Ebenezer Ekuban. Those kinds of situations - red zone, goal line - are the areas Bell has to prove he can handle if he's going to realize his goal of running as the No. 1 back. The coaching staff has also been on Bell during 9-on-7 rushing drills for running too upright and going down too easily on first contact. He also has, at times, been hesitant in his reads And so the travails of Tatum Bell continue. Everyone knows he’s got the homerun ability. It’s the inconsistency that keeps him off the field for prolonged periods. The running game is the backbone of Shanahan’s offense, and he won’t give the #1 spot to a RB who is inconsistent, has too many runs go for very short gains or losses, & makes too many mistakes, like fumbling & taking their eyes off screen passes that end up going for INTs. It appears that Bell is doing nothing but cementing his spot as a CoP RB, with Dayne – who is having a very solid & steady camp – being the #1 RB. ******************************************************************** In other RB news, Mike Bell continues to look like he’s not only going to make the team, but that he’s going to be the #3 RB, pushing Cedric Cobbs to the curb: LINK A sure sign of the progress made by undrafted free agent running back Mike Bell is that, for the first time, he is getting practice repetitions as a returner on punts and kickoffs. He has moved to No. 3 tailback and gotten extensive work against the second-team defense but can help his chance for a roster spot if he also can contribute on special teams. "In college, I wasn't on special teams, but I caught balls just in case of a situation like this," Bell said. "So I'm a little bit prepared." **************************************************************** In other developments, Rashaun Woods was cut after being claimed on waivers because he failed a physical with a tweaked hammy, Utah RB Marty Johnson was also cut, initially to make room for Woods, whose spot was later taken RB Damian Nash, who played with TEN last year. With Rod Smith nursing a strained hammy & Javon Walker getting the morning off, the WRs running with the first team were Darius Watts & Brandon Marshall. Edited August 4, 2006 by Bronco Billy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 Oh - and apologies to godtomsatan for posting this stuff. I know it bores him tremendously, but hopefully he can forgive me for posting this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 The coaching staff has also been on Bell during 9-on-7 rushing drills for running too upright and going down too easily on first contact. He also has, at times, been hesitant in his reads The faster you run, the quicker you go down if you're caught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepinmofo Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Oh - and apologies to godtomsatan for posting this stuff. I know it bores him tremendously, but hopefully he can forgive me for posting this. I dont care who it bothers. Keep it coming. Like Johnny 5 says... Need more input!!! Good stuff BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustOfBeenDrunk Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I dont care who it bothers. Keep it coming. Like Johnny 5 says... Need more input!!! Good stuff BB for sure !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonKnight Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Thanx fer the update BB, keep em cummin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.