[Lefty Noob]

Mike Bell has been named the starting running back of the Denver Broncos.

Who?

According to the AP, he's an undrafted rookie out of Arizona. "Bell entered camp as the fourth-string running back," the press agency said, "but quickly impressed the coaching staff when they went back and analyzed film from training camp."

So what's the deal with this kid Bell. How good is he?

[TheSportsGuru]

Dude's earned it. That's what I live about Shanny, it doesn't matter who you are, how much you make, where you were drafted....He is going to play the best player...

[rmjvol]

While I don't follow Denver as closely as alot of people....

an undrafted rookie is the best running back on *any* NFL team? seriously?

[TheSportsGuru]

Terrell Davis was a 6th round pick...Not much difference, and people look at Bell as a similar runner.

IMHO teams look way too closely at 40 times and forget to figure out if a guy is just a football player. Sure 4.56 and 4.60 aren't blazing fast, but some guys are just faster on the field.

I am reserving judgement until I see some games. But the word out of Broncos camp is this guy is the real deal...

[rmjvol]

I'm going with this opinion on Mike Bell for now.

Is he the next Terrell Davis?

Most likely not.

Just hard to believe that a potential starting rookie RB can make it all the way thru the draft and nobody takes a chance on him in even the 7th round. While he wasn't at Notre Dame or Michigan, it's not like he was at Sister Saratoga State Technical Community College. How many RB's were taken in the draft this year?

[Lefty Noob]

I stopped giving Shanahan credit when he drafted Maurice Clarett in the third round and signed Ron Dayne as a free agent. Where once he was really good evaluating talent, now it looks like he want to take some Joe Sixpack running back that nobody's high on/even heard of and turn him into a 1,000 yard rusher just so it looks like it was all his scheme and not the talents of TD, Mike Anderson, Droughns, etc. Maybe I'm wrong, but it sure looks like that to me.

[TheSportsGuru]

I won't completely disagree with you. I will say this...

If Maurice Clarett wasn't such an A$$ he was just the type of back to succeed in Denver.

That said, Shanny has missed in the draft alot more than he has hit. Especially in the first round....Marcus Nash, Deltha O'Neal, Willie Middlebrooks, the list goes on and on....

There is a big ego play with Shanahan. It IS the system that makes the Broncos running game work, but that system needs a very specific type of back. It truly is 1 cut and down hill. Any more than that and it is getting stuffed in the backfield.

[Denver Broncos News]

Up to the minute news about the Denver Broncos from GoTeamsGo. We'll find the latest Denver Broncos news so you can chat about here.

Seattle Post Intelligencer Bell leads Broncos over Titans
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Aug 19, 2006
Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Mike Bell ran for a pair of one-yard touchdown runs to help lift the Denver Broncos past the Tennessee Titans, 35-10, in ...
Broncos' Mike Bell impresses vs. Titans Houston Chronicle
Broncos hit stride early against Titans Pueblo Chieftain
Everything clicks for Broncos in rout of Titans Colorado Springs Gazette
Belleville News-Democrat - Robertson County Times - all 166 related

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 04:35:00 GMT

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[Lefty Noob]

Well, maybe Bell is the real deal after all - against Tennessee, he ran 10 times for 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 7.3 yards per carry is mighty impressive, on paper. I haven't yet had the opportunity to see the kid in any live-game action, though. I wonder how he looks hitting the hole, accerating, and breaking tackles. Can anyone break down his performance?