housemd 338 Posted June 13, 2013 Broncos released RB Willis McGahee. McGahee will turn 32 in October, is coming off a broken leg and was owed $2.5 million in base salary. The Broncos have a younger, cheaper and quite possibly better feature back option in second-round rookie Montee Ball. In short, the time to move on was now. Although McGahee averaged 4.63 yards per carry over the last two seasons, he's going to join the likes of Cedric Benson, Brandon Jacobs and Michael Turner as veteran power backs looking for work. Ball is officially on the high-end RB2 radar and Ronnie Hillman will have value as the change-of-pace option. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 13, 2013 I hope the Chargers at least kick the tires on him. I worry about who is going to carry the ball on running downs in the case that Mathews is hurt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 14, 2013 I brought this up on a Chargers board and half the people said they'd prefer to just bring back Jackie Battle. Wtf???... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AllYouNeedIsLovie 377 Posted June 14, 2013 I brought this up on a Chargers board and half the people said they'd prefer to just bring back Jackie Battle. Wtf???... McGahee is getting old, but I'd still rather have him over Jackie Battle lol. I'm honestly surprised McGahee is only 31. I know that's old for a RB, but I feel like he has been around even longer than that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 14, 2013 McGahee is getting old, but I'd still rather have him over Jackie Battle lol. I'm honestly surprised McGahee is only 31. I know that's old for a RB, but I feel like he has been around even longer than that. I'm thinking he would still be a good #2, given that he's been effective recently and he's been in committees throughout his career. But yeah sometimes I feel like I'm beating my head against the wall talking to other Bolts fans. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AllYouNeedIsLovie 377 Posted June 14, 2013 I'm thinking he would still be a good #2, given that he's been effective recently and he's been in committees throughout his career. But yeah sometimes I feel like I'm beating my head against the wall talking to other Bolts fans. Yea, I definitely think he'd be a nice change of pace back with Mathews. If Mathews went down again though, McGahee couldn't handle the load by himself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 14, 2013 Yea, I definitely think he'd be a nice change of pace back with Mathews. If Mathews went down again though, McGahee couldn't handle the load by himself. No, he couldn't, but he could sure help a lot. Right now, when (not if) Mathews gets hurt, we have Ronnie Brown and Danny Woodhead to carry the load. So basically 2 3rd downs backs that we would have to try and establish a ground game with. Adding McGahee to that mix would make me feel a lot better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted June 14, 2013 McGahee has been around since 2003, so it's not like he's been in the league a short amount of time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glanvilles Grits 142 Posted June 14, 2013 The Broncos must really like what they've seen out of Ball even this early in the offseason activities. It's going to be real interesting to see how they utilize their running game - really, without a workhorse back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 14, 2013 The Broncos must really like what they've seen out of Ball even this early in the offseason activities. It's going to be real interesting to see how they utilize their running game - really, without a workhorse back. I really don't think Ball is going to do much in this league. And it's not just because he's on a division rival- I was down on him all through the pre-draft process. Speed and burst are both below average to me. Everyone points to his production, but that's never really translated from Wisconsin. I'm likewise interested to see what comes of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
East495 55 Posted June 15, 2013 A bit surprised by this move! Willis did a nice job while in Denver, and he definitely gave them well more than $2.5 million worth of effort. IMO! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bay 2,003 Posted June 15, 2013 All Wisco backs bust Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glanvilles Grits 142 Posted June 15, 2013 I really don't think Ball is going to do much in this league. And it's not just because he's on a division rival- I was down on him all through the pre-draft process. Speed and burst are both below average to me. Everyone points to his production, but that's never really translated from Wisconsin. I'm likewise interested to see what comes of it. As I said, there's no workhorse back in Denver right now without McGahee. Although, at times, Moreno did look decent. I think the production that came out of Ball was more due to the offensive line out there. That line in front of Ball was just out right nasty. Who knows though. I'm a firm believer that if a QB is throwing the ball effectively enough, even a chump can make himself look like a stud running back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BLUE 1,026 Posted June 16, 2013 Per Rotoworld.com: The Colorado Springs-Gazette has it "on good authority" that the Broncos released Willis Mcgahee because he's not healthy.Per beat writer Paul Klee, McGahee's poor health was "the No. 1 reason" he took reps sparingly at minicamp and was cut loose on Thursday. Asked if McGahee was released because he skipped OTAs, coach John Fox replied "That has nothing to do with it." McGahee tore his MCL and fractured his leg last season. If he's not 100 percent, he'll have a hard time finding work before training camp. Jun 16 - 3:27 PM Source: Colorado Springs Gazette Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crash 105 Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) I really don't think Ball is going to do much in this league. And it's not just because he's on a division rival- I was down on him all through the pre-draft process. Speed and burst are both below average to me. Everyone points to his production, but that's never really translated from Wisconsin. I'm likewise interested to see what comes of it. You know speed and burst are not everything. This modern misconception is why a guy like Alfred Morris fell in the draft. Vision and foot speed, which are not measured, are much more important then speed. Montee Ball's combine numbers match up very well with Morris. I believe that Hillman is going to be the real stud for Denver at running back. A lot of people don't realize that this kid was a feature back at San Diego state with over 600 carries in 2 years and now that he is buffed up to 200+ pounds and is looking even faster he should perform very very well Edited June 18, 2013 by Crash Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted June 18, 2013 John Fox loves the dual back system, so I imagine we'll be doing a lot of wearing down with Ball, and using Hillman to explode on them when the defense is tired. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 18, 2013 John Fox loves the dual back system, so I imagine we'll be doing a lot of wearing down with Ball, and using Hillman to explode on them when the defense is tired. Gross... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 18, 2013 You know speed and burst are not everything. This modern misconception is why a guy like Alfred Morris fell in the draft. Vision and foot speed, which are not measured, are much more important then speed. Montee Ball's combine numbers match up very well with Morris. I believe that Hillman is going to be the real stud for Denver at running back. A lot of people don't realize that this kid was a feature back at San Diego state with over 600 carries in 2 years and now that he is buffed up to 200+ pounds and is looking even faster he should perform very very well Burst and foot speed go hand in hand. Long speed is an overrated measure, but how quickly a back can hit a hole is probably the most important aspect of a running back's game in the NFL. And that's where I see Ball struggling at this level. I'm sure this seems like I'm just dumping on a Bronco player, but I was down on Montee all through the pre-draft stuff. I think the production behind that Wisconsin OL masked deficiencies. I would be careful comparing running backs to guys like Alfred Morris. Shanahan and Kubiak have a long track record of turning middling talents into productive starters with their unique approach to the zone running game. And they're the only two that do it that way. Ball to Morris is a fair comparison, but unfortunately for Ball he's not playing in Houston or Washington. And I am very familiar with Ronnie Hillman. He played for my hometown team and I watched most of his college games. His key weakness as a draft prospect was his propensity for trying to bounce everything outside. He wasn't an effective runner between the tackles. And that held true his rookie year in Denver. Not to say that he won't get there, but my bet is that he stays a change of pace back- and a good one at that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gsam 3 Posted June 18, 2013 Im sorry but the two posts about exploding had me rolling. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glanvilles Grits 142 Posted June 19, 2013 You know speed and burst are not everything. This modern misconception is why a guy like Alfred Morris fell in the draft. Vision and foot speed, which are not measured, are much more important then speed. Montee Ball's combine numbers match up very well with Morris. I believe that Hillman is going to be the real stud for Denver at running back. A lot of people don't realize that this kid was a feature back at San Diego state with over 600 carries in 2 years and now that he is buffed up to 200+ pounds and is looking even faster he should perform very very well Man,I forgot all about Ronnie Hillman. They were pretty high on him heading into last season. I think they were questioning his blocking though weren't they? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 19, 2013 Man,I forgot all about Ronnie Hillman. They were pretty high on him heading into last season. I think they were questioning his blocking though weren't they? I don't recall that, but probably. That's a common rookie issue. Very few are good in pass pro right away. Some get there, some don't. But I know his biggest concern coming out was that he isn't an inside runner. More of a scat back who you bring in for change of pace. That's how he looked as a rookie, so we'll see what year two holds. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OakBlack 28 Posted June 19, 2013 (edited) Raiders could use him. Have that 1,2 RB punch again like we once had! A McFadden/McGahee backfield would be nice! Edited June 19, 2013 by OakBlack Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KempBolt 498 Posted June 19, 2013 Raiders could use him. Have that 1,2 RB punch again like we once had! A McFadden/McGahee backfield would be nice! Do you think the Raiders are going to be using Marcel Reece as a runner more this year? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SolomonGrundy 10 Posted June 19, 2013 Burst and foot speed go hand in hand. Long speed is an overrated measure, but how quickly a back can hit a hole is probably the most important aspect of a running back's game in the NFL. And that's where I see Ball struggling at this level. I'm sure this seems like I'm just dumping on a Bronco player, but I was down on Montee all through the pre-draft stuff. I think the production behind that Wisconsin OL masked deficiencies. I would be careful comparing running backs to guys like Alfred Morris. Shanahan and Kubiak have a long track record of turning middling talents into productive starters with their unique approach to the zone running game. And they're the only two that do it that way. Ball to Morris is a fair comparison, but unfortunately for Ball he's not playing in Houston or Washington. And I am very familiar with Ronnie Hillman. He played for my hometown team and I watched most of his college games. His key weakness as a draft prospect was his propensity for trying to bounce everything outside. He wasn't an effective runner between the tackles. And that held true his rookie year in Denver. Not to say that he won't get there, but my bet is that he stays a change of pace back- and a good one at that. Ball's burst and foot speed are better than you're giving him credit for. He improved his combine numbers significantly at his pro day. There were reports about him having a sinus infection at the combine and he improved all his timed numbers at his pro day so I'm inclined to believe him. He's fairly similar to McCoy, McCoy's a little faster but Ball is quicker and has better vision. Ball also shows the ability to make people miss in close spaces and that's huge for a RB. But Ball doesn't need to be fast or have a good burst to succeed, his vision and patience are what will make him a good RB. He's shown the ability to play at any weight from 205 to 230 and play well at both weights. Shanny and Kubiak had Alex Gibbs teaching the ZBS when they were both with Denver. Denver brought back Alex Gibbs this offseason so we can run more zone blocking concepts. Ball is a terrific fit in a zone scheme. The o-line is highly athletic and they don't suffer from being small like most teams that use the ZBS. I'd also argue that Denver's o-line is better than Washington's and Houston's even with Walton being out for the majority if not all of the season. Hillman didn't try to bounce everything outside last year. He had 85 carries and only 23 went to the outside, most of those were stretches and tosses and if I'm not mistaken he averaged over 6 ypc going tot he outside. Hillman was actually pretty good at getting skinny and getting through small holes in the middle, much better than Moreno. Hillman didn't break any tackles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
