Tatum Bell Watch

Everybody has certain players who they think are getting in the shaft in their current situation. At the top of my list sits a running back who I feel has as much potential as anyone currently in the NFL. During his NFL career, Tatum Bell has averaged 5.3 yards per carry. To put that into context, Barry Sanders, the NFL's all-time most explosive running back, averaged an even 5 yards per carry. Here are Bell's splits compared to chief competitors for playing time in Denver the last two seasons, Reuben Droughns and Mike Anderson.

2004 splits:
Droughns: 1,240 yards, 4.5 ypc, 6 rushing td's, 6 100 yard games
Bell: 396 yards, 5.3 ypc, 3 rushing td's, 1 100 yard game

Now, Shanny has a somewhat respectable argument in not playing Bell more his rookie season, since he missed most of training camp and needed time to acclimate himself to the Broncos system. That being said, he only had 3 less td's while receiving 200 less carries. However, that still does not explain the lack of playing time in 2005.

2005 splits:
Anderson: 1,014 yards, 4.2 ypc, 12 rushing td's, 4 100 yard games
Bell: 921 yards, 5.3 ypc, 8 rushing td's, 3 100 yard games

Bell, despite averaging a yard more per carry, still received 66 less carries than Anderson last season. Also, you have to factor in that Anderson did not play in the last game of the season, so there is less of a disparity in carries than it seemed like. Now Anderson did have a solid previous track record, as he rushed for 1,487 yards and 15 td's his rookie season. However, a previous serious knee injury that likely decreased his speed combined with the fact he had switched to the fullback position, gaining bulk that also likely slowed him down, show that Anderson should not have received more carries than Bell. Now, it appears the insanity in Denver will likely continue this season, as Shanny seems poised to give a sizable portion of the workload to undrafted rookie Mike Bell. Most coaches who had a back with the game changing ability like Bell would find a way to get him as many touches as he can handle. However, Shanny has never been in line with most coaches, and it look likes he will be missing the boat again this season. As the NFL season progresses, I will continue to follow this situation. While I guarantee that Tatum will be the more productive Bell, it looks like his production will still be curtailed.