Lance Ball spent his rookie season bouncing from team to team. Two years later, the 25-year old running back bounces off defenders.
Ball began his NFL odyssey as a college free agent with the Rams in 2008 and moved on to the Colts’ practice squad in the same season. Indianapolis waived him after training camp in 2009, and he spent three weeks on Tennessee’s practice squad before he joined the Broncos practice squad at the end of the season.
The University of Maryland product finally got his shot as a member of Denver’s active roster for the 2010 season opener at Jacksonville, where he made one special-teams tackle.
“I think that’s kind of been the spotlight, the mark of my career so far,” Ball said. “Being up and down on practice squads and inactive, you’ve just got to seize the opportunity to keep you alive in this league and keep you on the team.”
The same story defined the first half of the year for Ball. In Week 2 — before he could tally a regular-season carry — the team decided to put him back on the practice squad.
About two months later, the coaching staff gave Ball another chance. He rejoined the active roster just in time to notch two carries for 9 yards in the Broncos’ 49-29 win against the Chiefs. Since then, he’s been the primary substitute for Knowshon Moreno.
“We made a decision to go with Lance and just kind of see if it gave us anything different,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. “I think Lance has just done a nice job with his opportunities.”
Against St. Louis last week, Ball handled four carries for 31 yards. He rumbled 17 yards on his first touch of the game to set up Moreno for a 4-yard touchdown on the very next play.
When Ball’s number gets called, the offense usually advances at least halfway to the first-down marker. He’s averaging 5.9 yards per carry this season.
“The proof is in the pudding,” Stanley Daniels said. “Every time he gets the ball, he always gets positive yards. He almost scored last game, on that zone play to the left. That’s a prime example of someone taking advantage of the opportunity when he gets it, and he deserves it.”
Daniels can relate to Ball’s early career path. The guard has spent a fair share of his own time on practice squads, and he said he formed a bond with Ball when both players were fighting for roster spots in the preseason.
The lineman and running back both made the opening-day active roster thanks in large part to their work together in the first four exhibition games, when Ball ran for 119 yards on 23 carries.
“Obviously, me and Lance have a good connection,” Daniels said. “In the preseason, we had a lot of good combo plays where I’d pull for a power play and he’d bust, or I’d pull to the left and he’d break one. We kind of fed off of each other being in the position that we were in trying to make the team.”
For Daniels, obstacles on the road to an NFL roster spot make it that much sweeter when you arrive.
“It kind of makes you cherish those opportunities,” he said.” You can see in Lance’s play that he cherishes the opportunity.”
BUFF ALUMS SOUND OFF
Amid reports that Jon Embree, the tight ends coach for the Washington Redskins and former CU assistant coach, will take over as the new head coach for the Colorado football team, CU alumni Daniel Graham and Justin Bannan gave the news a thumbs up from the Broncos locker room.
With help from Embree, Graham won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end in his senior year at Colorado.
“I’ve said it before — I give all the credit to Coach Embree for the player that I am today,” Graham said. “He’s going to expect a lot from the players and he’s going to coach hard for the players.”
Bannan said he “couldn’t be happier” about the reported hire.
“Coach Embree recruited me out of high school,” Bannan said. “He was my first coach. I just remember how he recruited me. He was incredible compared to everybody else.”
Four Broncos have been declared out for Sunday. Brian Dawkins (knee), André Goodman (hip), Darcel McBath (quadricep) and Demaryius Thomas (ankle) all did not practice on Friday and won’t make the trip to Kansas City.
For the Chiefs, CB Jackie Bates (knee) is out after missing practice all week. CB Brandon Flowers (hamstring), who is questionable for Sunday, and S Kendrick Lewis (ankle), who is probable, were limited in practice. G Ryan Lilja (foot) and S Jon McGraw (head) both fully participated in practice and are probable for Sunday.
-Gabe Hiatt, DenverBroncos.com
Below are photos from Friday’s practice:
Tags: 2010, Denver Broncos, Lance Ball, Stanley Daniels
This is the latest news on the NFL website about a possible lock-out.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The NFL players’ union is advising its members to prepare for a lockout that it expects to come in March, telling players to save their last three game checks this year in case there is no 2011 season.
In a letter to the players that was seen by The Associated Press, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said the union had an “internal deadline” for agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement.
“That deadline has now passed,” Smith wrote. “It is important that you protect yourself and your family.”
And we do have every right to talk about our displeasures in our coaches, players, playcalling, ect………. We`re the fans. We pay for our tickets. We watch every game. We wear our Bronco`s colors and proud. It`s our team we root for since day one, unless your a bandwagoner. So I agree with you in we can speak out all we want.
If Kubiak gets fired, I think we should go after him. I watch the Texans just because of the fact that I like Kubiak. He knows the Bronco way.
All I worry about is starting from scratch with yet another new offensive scheme. Orton has made strides. I feel like McD would be a good OC, just not the HC. Demoting him would be nice in theory, but the amount of “drama” that would go along with it would be overwhelming.
Kubiak could be the guy. Because I don’t think we will get Gruden. I heard he was looking real close at the Cowboys opening.
Please let Kubiak and McDaniels get fired. Then we can have Kubiak. And he can bring along with him some respect in this league. Something McD does not have.
Perhaps that respect can lead to hiring a DC who will stay for longer than a year.
All I want for Christmas is a New Defense, A New Defense, A New Defense… (to the tune of “All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth)
So many problems, so many egos, so much failure. We need help.
Go Broncos!
I know this I`m sick and tired of us losing. And ya It would be a life long dream to own a NFL franchise. If I were a billionaire I`d want to own a team some where in L.A. I`d take on the challenge.
There`s no doubt that Mr. Bowlen doesn`t regret the extended contracts with Shanny and now the current contract with McD. I agree with ya there.
Goods stuff about Ball and Coach Embree… Ball looked really good in Training Camp and preseason, and against St. Louis, I kinda hope Knowshon does so awesome, it doesn’t give Ball said ‘opportunities’ – LoL.
My thing is, unless I have reason to believe they’re a bad person, I want anyone who is a Bronco, to succeed in as many possible ways as they can. It’s really that simple. I like the fact that ‘good character’ is an emphasis of McDaniels’. I like his football mind. I would like someone else to help in the personnel department/GM, that’s for sure…(Cough, cough Elway?.. ahem)
Still though, the only two big ?’s I have there are Hillis and the Phonz. I have liked many of the other acquisitions that many who don’t like the new staff seem to ignore, or just don’t like, i.e. Moreno, Ayers, Bruton, McBath, Beadles, Walton, Syd’Quann, Cox, Thomas, Tebow, Quinn (good to have competition in-house)… But anywya, that’s just my opinion, and I can grow from reading others’ – so I definitely dig all yours, We definitely all have that right, I don’t know what kinda ____ thinks otherwise.
Can’t wait to go to the game tomorrow, it may be the last one I’ll have a chance to, for a bit? If We come out with the W (and my girlfriend and I come out in one piece, ha ha) it will be well worth the $250 for both tix.
Thanks for the perspective, everyone. Always interesting reading. And sometimes, like the comments in this blog, reassuring to see that We all remember We’re all fans of the same team here. And many of Us for a lot of the same reasons.
PJ, Have a blast tomorrow, you and your girlfriend. Hope the both of you come out of the stadium in one piece. Enjoy!
Headed to KC to the game. Front row endzone, west endzone! Hope they play like the last time they met. I’ll represent us well!
I’m going on a hunting trip,and won’t be back until tomorrow evening,so everybody Bronc on,and DON’T drink the Kool-Aid,it’s been tested,and they found some kind of green toxic stuff in it,I think McD spiked it with the same thing he washed his shirt in that turned it GREEN.Try good old cold beer instead,its nowhere near as bitter either.LOL…I’ll leave you all with something to read,if you haven’t read it already:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CB0QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sbnation.com%2Fnfl%2F2010%2F11%2F29%2F1845509%2Fjosh-mcdaniels-fired-pat-bowlen-remain-coach-2011-season&rct=j&q=josh%20mcdaniels%20%20wearing%20green%20jacket&ei=A7b6TM2iJ4K0lQeplrzlDA&usg=AFQjCNFFrpxBusbWIH3OkQxvV7z5tYa8MA&cad=rja
FIRE MCD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BFE
BFE, Get yourself a 10 pointer dude.
It has got so bad BFE is off hunting McD now.
Alphonso Smith can not tackle. He gets ran over, ran around or ran in circles. That was one of the biggest mistakes for McD. Had we kept our pick, we may have never needed to trade 3 for 2nd string Tebow. (Or is he 3rd string this week?)
Water under the bridge I suppose. Or is it sinking the ship?
Well said sndvl. Phonzy can be a ball hawk when pressure is applied but he is still pint sized. The thing is like u said the trade of a first for a second never should have happened to begin with. But since it did, I figured we shoulda given phonzy more time but we didn’t. Two first rounders this year coulda gone a long way without having to trade 3 picks for a first rounder. Just alot of unplanned unprepared mess. Heck even if we didn’t take Moreno last year, we coulda taken Ryan Matthews or Spiller this year. Prefrably spiller so we coulda had a Smash and Dash with Hillis and Spiller. Alas…we lost it all. And nothing show for it. His only good trade where he did the raping and not getting raped (Cutler trade) he sqaundered his picks.
The sun will shine tomorrow (somewhere) win or lose. I actually think we will win tomorrow!
Broncos-31/Chiefs-24
So in effect TRB the Cutler trade was not a good trade because McD squandered the draft picks he got.
TruE Blue and Orange Warhorse…
T-E-B-O-W!
I just invented it…haha
I LOVE ME SOME DENVER BRONCOS…. ALWAYS!!!
pretty much crazyhorse…pretty much
interesting on the NFL.com gamecenter between broncos and chiefs i read this…
“The storyline
You have to think that Todd Haley refusing to shake Josh McDaniels’ hand a few weeks back might have had something to do with that whole video-taping mess, right? And I have to think that the Chiefs will stay simple and run the ball down the Broncos’ throat and run up the score if at all possible (which it most definitely is).”
whoa whoa whoa, are they joking or are they serious. And if its a joke they are really promoting a negative image of the broncos and our only big win. And if its true…dunno what to say. I Just thought the win was a fluke and us stealing momentum…maybe we stole somethign else, like video of thier pregame…
I’m not the hugest fan of Tebow – though part of that may be due to reading these blogs making me utterly sick of the guy – but I give McDaniels (and Xander?) some credit in the pick in that they gave up an EXTRA 2nd and EXTRA 3rd to get back into the first round. The only round we completely sacrificed was the 4th, and we had five picks in the first three rounds – in the first 87 picks – to ultimately show for the deals. If Tebow sits for a few years, well – didn’t hurt Aaron Rodgers much; and we’ve gotten more immediate – red zone – production from Tebow than Green Bay did from A.R. If we are able to retain Kyle Orton as the future of this franchise, and even eventually trade Tebow – well, the Eagles haven’t suffered from their supposed heir being put on the back-burner. Be interesting to see if they do trade Kolb, and what they get…
Maybe TT will turn out to be a great Bronco quarterback; I changed my mind on Cutler after he was sent packing and I found how pleasant it was to be able to laugh at his many, many turnovers rather than to have to suffer through them. If Tebow does become our starter and proves worthy of his position, I’ll happily give him credit. But, I’m very impressed with Kyle Orton, like and support him, and also remember how the popular book among fans last year was that Orton couldn’t throw the deep ball. Just as that has been proven to be utterly wrong, I believe that the idea that KO can’t lead us back to the winning we’ve become accustomed to will also be disproven. (It would help if he wasn’t given games where he led us to scores on our first three possessions but was still down early in the second because our D gave up consecutive 78(?), 80, and 80 yard touchdown drives…) (Though, the D did buckle down eventually last week, and was impressively stout against the run throughout, to give credit where due.) Or, he could become another player who goes on to have tremendous success after we’ve given him away. …Like Peyton Hillis – one trade which I won’t ever forget or forgive McDaniels for, whatever else happens. Anyway, I will go on record saying that I would be shocked if Kyle isn’t our starting QB week 1 next year, whoever the coach may be.
This week… the Broncos usually lose in Arrowhead. The Chiefs are embarrassed and angry about their thrashing earlier, and are playing for the division title. On the other hand, we did thoroughly whup them this year, and in Arrowhead last year. Our offense has been explosive, if not quite consistent, and/or smart enough in the playcalling, to maintain throughout most games. Our run D is sometimes great, including against the Chiefs, and in last week’s game; and is sometimes awful. Our pass rush got to Cassel in the first meeting as well as or better than anyone this year; but we still gave up well over 400 yards through the air. So, basically… who the hell knows? Denver Broncos 37, Kansas City Chiefs 34.
Also, just to throw this out there – I’ve heard some talk that Gary Kubiak could be in danger of losing his job, with the Texans possibly not quite meeting the raised expectations they had for this year. If he did become available, how high – or not – would he be on people’s wish list for our next head coach? (Personally, I might be pretty tempted….)
Kubiak has had something like 5 years to get the Texans built into a contender. It’s been an absolute flop. Why would anybody think he could be a good HC in Denver when he’s failed in Houston? They’re just like the Broncos, great offense, absolutely abysmal defense. In fact their defense is even worse than the Broncos statistically.
I don’t know what to think of Kubiak. Right now I wouldn’t want him as Denver’s coach because as oldsouth just mentioned, he’s been a flop in Houston. However, there is a history of head coaches being much better in their second head coaching position (Shanahan, Belicheck, etc.). So who knows? Maybe he’ll be better when his second chance comes along. But for right now, I’d rather have somebody else.
TRB, I read that too on the NFL.com gamecenter. I couldn’t believe it. The media has always seemed slightly anti-Broncos, but with the negativity surrounding McD it appears they are no longer holding back. No hold barred, all insults seem acceptable for the media to throw at Denver now.
It’s kind of sad, I think. It’s like McDaniels has given the national media all the ammunition they need to attack the Broncos more than ever.
Another reason why I’m not so fond of the guy…
I hear that 88. Ive often felt the anti-broncos thing u have talked about. I was shocked to see that on there, even as speculation.
I would have wanted Kubiak…sure is better than McDaniels, and at least they have an running game. I wont deny he hasn’t been able to do much in 5 years but part of that is having the colts in your division(can u say 2 divisional loses every year? lol).
As far as defenses goes, he made the best choice (many didnt think so at the time) going mario williams over Bush. Their Rush D is actually pretty good, their pass D on the other hand leaves alot to be desired…thats because their whole defensive backfield is pretty much rookies…and without champ lets face it our DBs would be horrible. Even now we look horrible and thats mostly because of the DC. and true outsouthstander, houston has the 28th and we the 27th but at least thier run D is top 10 (took a shot against vick this thursday tho). But I like Kubiak cuz he understands the bronco way, good pass attack, great run attack, zone blocking….as always D is the hardest thing for us. Him and Nolan woulda been fierce I think (shanny and nolan too) but im just dreaming here…all hypothetical. Besides i think kubiak has a GM to select DC … he does have that Shanny almighty power lol
Does NOT have…***
38-17 KC.
ALL PICKS ARE IN.
Only 25 picks this week, I guess some of the bloggers who always say they could never make a prediction of us losing decided to simply pass on this one, or maybe they are just simply giving up on the Broncos and blogging for the year….
Good luck to all who picked and specially to our BRONCOS!!!
THIS IS A MUST WIN GAME!
WE DON’T, WE’RE OUT!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!
Happy Game day Broncos!!!!!
I hope we win out and still get a new HC!!!!
Then we can all be happy!!!
ILMSDB!!!!
It is plain for all to see that we need a vast improvement in our defence. Until this happens there is no chance of success.
I would be happy to see Kubiak come back as Head Coach as long as he was part of a strong coaching team. We need a top quality GM as well as a top notch defensive co-ordinator.
The question is who should we try to hire. I know the majority of us want McD to go but it will strengthen our case if we can put forward a very strong alternative.
So who would you bring in for GM, HC, DC and OC?
Yahooo It’s game day BRONCOS fans. Will my 38-27 BRONCOS pick land me on Baylins wall of shame ? Or does Denver pull it off and make me look good. Guess we will find out in a few hours.GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!
Bay…… did you read Mike Klis article at DP yet?
Hahahaha @ since 1972, at least you know where you stand; we lose you’ll be immortalized on the Wall of Shame, LOL.
Crazy, I think it’s much simpler that you make it out to be, you hire a GM like Dungy or Parcells and he hires the HC and maybe even the DC, unless the HC does it and so on. That is what’s most important this time around if McD is terminated, hire a GM first, don’t repeat the same mistake you made last time Mr Bowlen.
With all the talk about the HC, and strong coaching positions, I am really impressed with the model the Chicago Bears have used- Lovie, Martz, Tice and Marinelli!! And their ST coordinator Toub, will soon get a chance to take over. Anyway, enough about da Beers!
Good Luck and GO BRONCOS!!!
rbf1, no I hadn’t, but I did right AFTER I posted the above post, and Klis ends up the article saying pretty much what I just said, too weird!!!
I am all for keeping it simple so long as we get back to winning ways.
GO BRONCOS@£$%^&*()!!!
Today’s articles at the DP:
-Broncos McDaniels is in trouble, by Klis
-Best way to get rid of McDaniels: Stay home, by Kiszla
-Time running out on McDaniels, by Woody
WOW, they must of all being spending time reading our blogs this week, haha.
Bay, it is as though you have a hotline to the Post.
Broncos 37
Chiefs 24