When you’ve waited over two months to carry the football, and when you’ve been in a sweatsuit during six of the previous seven games, the one thing you can’t do is fumble. when you finally get the football.
Lamentably for Mike Bell, that’s precisely what happened in Week 12 at Chicago’s Soldier Field, and the bobble confirmed what was apparent — that a dream season as a rookie had morphed into a nightmare in Year Two.
The feel-good story that defined his 2006 success as an undrafted rookie belonged to Selvin Young a year later — that of the undrafted, overlooked draft prospect who played like a first-day selection.
Indeed, by the end of training camp, Young had already dazzled onlookers with a splendid preseason effort against Cleveland, and by the end of the August slate, Bell found himself unable to work his way into the top three running backs, with those spots claimed by Travis Henry, Young and Andre Hall.
Bell went to fullback, and touched the football six times in the season’s first three games, with five coming in the Week 2 win over the Oakland Raiders. But those six touches of the football netted just 10 yards, and after suferring a concussion in Week 3, he moved to the inactive list, where he would remain for another three weeks after recovering from the concussion.
Bell played against Tennessee in Week 11, then had one more opportunity drop into his lap six days later after Hall began to hobble with the high ankle sprain he suffered on the first play of the Chicago game.
But shortly after Bell fumbled, Hall was back in the lineup, with Cecil Sapp spelling the hurting Hall later after he finally succumbed to pain.
Bell wouldn’t see the field again in 2007.
His natural preference remains to be running back, but after experiencing weeks of game-day inactivity, Bell wasn’t picky about playing.
“I’d always be excited (to play running back) because that’s what I grew up playing and that’s what I still want to play, man,” he said in November. “But right now I just want to get back on the field — no matter what position it is.”
Tags: Fullbacks, Mike Bell, Offense, Running backs
Isn’t Bell going to be a free agent? I don’t like his chances to return to the team if Henry stays.
I think he could be a talented guy if he sticks to what he dose… I just think he had a 2nd year slump and will do well next year. Ijust hope it sitn for a team that could use him against us.
i think we need to keep bell and trade henry the guy is to expensive for some who is hurt all of the time and has no break away power, im not sain mike is the fastest in the nfl or anything but he could be kept henry traded and maybe hell get a chance to crack the top 3 when 1 of the pos. isnt occupied by a guy who was off the field more then on
I think we should’ve played Mike Bell more in the season. Sure he fumbled, but everyone does bad if they never get to touch the ball. He proved himself as a rookie with 8 TDs and yet we bury him on the depth chart behind Andre Hall? I don’t get it. I say ship off Henry, use a Young and Bell rotation with Hall handling the returns.
if henry doesnt take a pay cut we need to give mike a chance. i liked the way he used to jump over the line of scrimmage at the goaline. a young and bell combo wouldnt be a bad idea.
i like what 2champ4 is saying and if we add a little bit of hall in there that would be a good mix, but we need a great ol for that
The precarious thing about being a Broncos tailback is the same thing that makes it lucrative. If a given back in our system has an opportunity to shine, it can make those like Bell, who have experienced previous success obsolete because the system has proven that if you have average running skills and are somewhat explosive, you can thrive. Of course, I think Andre Hall and Selvin Young are our future for the time being. As for Travis Henry, I’m not sure at this juncture but he’d better wise up and get with the program.
Selvin Young has the moves, Mike Bell doesn’t.
Bring me Alridge.
to:superchop7
I don’t know if you watch mike bell during his rookie season, but he was one of the best undrafted rookies the broncos ever had. Also in the whole league. He has really good cuts.
Bell in my opinion should be kept. We already know he could play if he stays healthy just look at his roockie season. A Young-bell combination sounds good to me.
What happens with Mike Bell as a Bronco depends on his own attitude which left something to be desired when he moved to fullback. Travis Henry is a big question mark. You expect that an experienced player like him knows better than to take a handoff with his arm down and not get blown up by a blitzing linebacker. It would be nice to get a 3rd for him. Bell should get another opprtunity, but the Broncos still need to add another tailback as well as a fullback. There are a number of good fullbacks available in the draft. superchop7 likes Aldridge from Houston. Personally, I like Ray Rice from Rutgers.
Andrew, what do you think his chances are being on the team next year? Me, personaly, if Henry leaves, i say we give him another chance because he really showed he has some talent in 06 when he had like 8 touchdowns i think?
what do you think
Based on Mike Bells rookie year and Selvin Youngs Year, I say we should Give Bell a chance to start and have Young spell him. After all Selvin Young is not ready to be an everydown player (yet); and the more he plays the more bogged down he gets as time goes on. Both of them have tremondous talent but Bell has a knack for the endzone which prompts me to want Denver to start him next year. As for Travis we should trade him but if he takes a paycut and a demotion he could be valuable depth to an injury prone positon. Also, Henrys built like a fullback so you could also try him out there.
I think mike just needs more carries but i think they will keep him so he can compete for the RB job
Travis Henry doesn’t seem to be the type of player that would take a paycut or stand idly by as his starting position is handed over to someone else. If he’s not the starter I forsee him wanting to be traded. He wouldn’t be missed by any means. Bell, Young, and, yes, even Hall are good runningbacks. Those three, I believe, can carry the load of the running game if and only if, like smithalltheway mentioned, the problems with the offensive line are fixed. It’ll be nice to have Hamilton and Nalen back, (fingers crossed) but there’s a problem with the other guard slot. Maybe we shouldn’t worry so much about the runningbacks and focus more on the big guys up front.
Speaking of backup running backs — Mase, do you or anyone else here know anything about Marquis Weeks?
This was the first I’d heard he was now a Denver Bronco:
http://tinyurl.com/24o3ph
Just training camp fodder or something more?
problems and injuries aside, travis henry is by far the best back the broncos have. a bell-young combo is not going to take them to the super bowl. henry needs to fly right and stay healthy, or the broncos need to get a new feature back. he will restructure his contract to stay with the team.
Life for “any” running back gets alot easier with a true fullback, you guys know I want Owen Schmitt, the guy reminds me of Alstott.
Yes, I like 4.26 running backs. (Alridge) Our speed guys have nice ypc averages, the only people on the planet faster than this guy are probably in the Olympics. (Imagine this guy on turf for a minute…..yowza)
Mike Bell just doesn’t look the same guys.
I’d love to get Slaton or Ray Rice in the 2nd round, but it’s probably not going to happen. A lineman will be taken in the 1st, be it OL or DT, and either a safety or a LB will be taken in the 2nd. If we can trade Walker for a running back that’d be friggin’ fantastic but his cap number’s going to make it hard to trade him. Duckett is a free agent as well and may be had for cheap? Henry’s going to have to take a HUGE pay cut to stick around.
We all like the way Mike Bell played his rookie season. He is not a fullback. I hope he can find a place to play, I don’t see him as a Bronco unless Denver has an oppurtunity to get a quality lineman for Hall or Young. Even if Henry goes, we still need someone who runs like he does because when he is healthy ,he is an outstanding power back and a perfect fit for the Bronco running attack.
Hey does anyone know if its true that Javon Walker is expected to be cut or traded and thus will definitely not be on the team this coming season?
the SB showed it clearly : in football you have to win the trenches b
the SB showed it clearly : in football you have to win the trenches battle . I don’t care who’s running the football , who’s catching the ball if the OL doesn’t open holes and if the QB have just 2 second to dump off the ball .Build a great OL or else we’re heading toward another losing season . Same for the DL .
I whole heartedly agree with broncosfrance. we need a better O Line. That is what makes Brady (and yes even Eli in the playoffs) so good. Culter is going to be great…so long as we have a strong OL.
Very curious about samparnell’s comment about mbell’s attitude. Because from everything i have heard, his attitude was great. The vets love him. I hope that we keep him, and give him a real opportunity to compete for rb. Strongly believe it will bite us inthebutt if we trade him. Nothing against young, or hall, but none seem to have the red zone results bell had as a rookie. Imagine the size of the chip that has to be on his shoulder now! To release or trade him before training camp could be costly. And i remenber the comments shanahan made about him in his rookie training camp. I think there is a reason why shanahan has kept him on the roster.
Thanks for the heads up Underdog. After reading your post, I saw it on ESPN as well as USA Today that we made a trade to Seattle for Weeks. Can’t find out what we gave up, though. Does anybody have some insight on Weeks?
Apparently he was a DB in college, and was a “backup running back and kickoff return specialist” with the Seahawks. When did I miss this guy getting traded for?
I think that bell is a hard working back and that Henry should be given another shot he could step up and be a great player we shouldn’t make such harsh judgments after just 1 year on the team hel step up I can see it in him
Hey Mr. Mason, not to beat a dead horse, but can you give us some insight on Weeks and what the team traded to get him?
weeks was released by the seahawks and we just picked him up and signed him
He’s a good fit, one cut and run downhill kinda guy. Henry may have just been made expendable. Lynch sounded like he’s ready to walk away on the NFL Network sit down. A LT is more important than a S though and if 1 of 2 guys are there that’s the priority.
Personally I’d like to see us pick up Owen Schmitt for FB in the draft. Now this guy is hard core. We have speed how about some backup power to go with it.
Cool, thanks for the info all…I have been checking youtube for highlights, but not many to be found…
Here’s a little article on owen schmitt if you arent familiar….
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/columns/story?id=321031
sorry, I left a bad link. This is the real one….
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/columns/story?id=3210318
After having been a starting tailback in 2006, Mike Bell was moved to fullback in 2007. In his statements to the media he said he regarded the move as a demotion. When he was sent in during several games he was clearly not prepared. So, superbowl42, what shall we call it? Poor attitude? Lack of preparedness? Head/heart not in it? As a pro football player his job is to study, practice and stay in condition so that when he is called on he is ready to go.
Chris Myers was ready to play guard and then center. Chris Kuper was ready to play guard. Andre Hall was very ready to play at Chicago and he did so , regardless of a bad injury. It wasn’t his fault the game was lost. That would be Todd “I insist on kicking to Devin Hester in the middle of the field” Sauerbrun.
I am all in favor of Mike Bell getting another shot at tailback. He is clearly not a fullback. The Broncos need one of those. Several good ones are available in the draft.
Speaking of not being prepared, how about Travis Henry? After starting the season well, he had all kinds of injury and non-injury issues. When he came back at the end of the season, he played horribly. It’s like he forgot the stuff a running back is supposed to know by high school. He couldn’t pass block at all. If the Broncos release him, I wouldn’t blink. I’m sure they will do what is best for the team.
At least one OL needs to be drafted. A tackle and possibly a guard.
The Dolphins released Trent Green, Marty Booker,LJ Shelton, Keith Traylor and 5 others.
I brought Shelton because hes 360 pounds and quite athletic
Scouting Report: http://tsn.ca/nfl/teams/players/bio/?id=3350&hubname=nfl
Traylor’s a ev Bronco 2-time SB winner and a PAts SB winner. He’s exactly what we’re lookin for, but he’s too old.
Scouting Report: http://tsn.ca/nfl/teams/players/bio/?id=1528&hubname=nfl
Booker, would be a great addition and would be great with BMarsh an Stokes. Also, The dolphins are ready to shop their 1st pick and because we can pick up Booker, we could trade Javon and Henry for the pick and Zack Thomas…
Imagine this depth chart
RT-Kuper
RG-Holland
C-Nalen (Myers) QB-JC
LG-Hamilton
LT-Shelton HB-Young-Hall-Weekes
FB-Scmitt
WR-BMArsh
WR-Booker
SR-Stokes-Glenn
Defense
DE-Dumervil-Crowder
DT-Traylor
DT-Thomas-Malllard
DE-Engelberger-Moss
OLB-DJ
MLB-Z.Thomas
OLB-Winborn
CB-Bailey
S-Fergie-Abdullah
S-Lynch/Pick
CB-BLY
*Special*
KR-Clff Russell/pick/Young
PR-Martinez/pick/weekes
selvin is just more injury prone than travis henry is. i also agree that travis is the best back we got. i say we keep all of our running backs for training camp and then also draft a running back to compete with these guys. in my opinion Andre Hall and Mike Bell (in his rookie year) are the only backs that can get the big runs of 30 yards or more. travis and selvin are more like get 5 yards and keep trying to get more. Tatum Bell could have been the real deal but im pretty sure he was affraid of getting hit and thats what cost him his job as you could see during the 49ers game in 2005.
my bad. the 49ers game was in 2006
Nice depth chart, jamesbailey24. I hadn’t considered anything like that, before. That would help solve several of Denver’s problems, I think. I don’t exactly agree with ALL of it (but everyone’s different), but I think it’s an interesting idea. I wish, though, that something like that would actually be considered by the staff. I mean, us as fans usually come up with cool stuff like this, but it never seems to culminate into anything. It would be cool, though. I would, however (to mention your depth chart), change a few things. Thomas would be a great addition to the team at MLB and it would give DJ a chance to really shine again at his natural position. This would open up an opportunity for them to not have to draft a MLB until next year (Thomas is getting older) so they could concentrate on other positions like an offensive linemen or safety. I don’t see what’s wrong with Gold starting opposite DJ, though. Traylor would be great, as well, because I think Denver should grab a DT via free agency instead of the draft so they can concentrate elsewhere in the draft. I have to disagree, slightly, with the RB depth chart. I think Denver should try and find someone in this years draft class to carry the majority of the load. None of the running backs seem to be working. I mean, yes they have worked in the past, but not carrying the majority and staying healthy. Henry can be traded, like you state. I like the idea of getting a fullback, too.
Also, I hope Walker stays. If he really wants to go, though, this trade would be pretty cool. I hope Rodney stays to because he is such a cool guy and a great reliable player. I really hope he stays.
I think that we should add a BIGGER DB because Dre cant matchup against guys like TO
I aslo can’t believe no one took Marty Booker. He’s a great WR and can be a great fit for our team; too bad Raiders re-signed Justin Fargas: he’s a reaaly fast hard working back.Like I said we could trade Javon and Henry and get that pick and try to get that running back (who’s name slipped away) and do this
1st-Rutgers guy
1st-OL
2nd-FB
3rd(for Foxworth)-S
4th-DB
Here’s a ”report” on Al Wilson
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080213/SPORTS0101/802130334/1126
If someone is looking for Broncos trade rumors
http://www.prosportsdaily.com/nfl/broncos/rumors.html
And here’s what Shannon Sharpe thought about Walker
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_8123441
Man, jamesailey24, I really wish Denver would do this trade with Miami plus pick up those other players you mentioned. Just think, they wouldn’t have to worry about these huge contract kind if guys and they would still get some great players. Walker seems to really want out so there you go. Make that trade! Also, Fargas would have been great for this team. I watched him this last season and he looked amazing. I like your draft order (given they also do this trade your talking about AND sign those few other players from Miami, as well), but do you think Denver can really retain both 1st round picks? It would be great if they could, though. However, I really like Foxworth and I don’t want to see him go, and I wonder if they could trade someone else.
matt203,
If, as you say, that Travis Henry is the best back the Broncos have, then that is pathetic…as in the way TH played at the end of the season, especially against San Diego. He put the ball on the ground as a result of completely forgetting how to take a handoff, and he couldn’t have blocked a girl scout much less one of SD’s linebackers. He used to be good, but…
The Dolphins are goin to release THOMAS!