HITTING THEIR STRIDE
Running backs display ability
C.J. Anderson stood on the sideline during the first quarter Sunday and watched veteran Jamaal Charles dart up the middle of the field for an electric 16-yard run.
In the second quarter, as Anderson grabbed another breather, he saw second-year back Devontae Booker give the Broncos a lift with back-toback 5-yard runs with his first two carries of the season.
Anderson had gained only 26 yards on 10 carries in the first quarter, but even as he struggled to make headway against the Oakland Raiders’ defense, the Denver backfield flourished as the team built a 10-0 lead. Anderson may be the “bell cow,” as coach Vance Joseph has called him, but the Broncos proved Sunday their rushing attack is anything but a onetrick pony.
“I think it’s going to go the way it’s going to go,” Anderson said. “We knew we all were going to play. We knew that when Jamaal got over here that we were all going to play. We’re all going to have our time and have our moments to make plays. We all have different roles and we use our roles and our abilities within the game in the different roles.”
Anderson’s time came during the Broncos’ first drive of the third quarter. After lowering his shoulder into the Raiders’ defense with little to show for it in the first half, he started chipping away with an 8-yard burst up the middle. On the next play, Anderson broke loose, burning through a big hole on the right side for a 40yard run that put the Broncos in position to take a 13-7 lead.
“In the beginning, (there was) a little frustration,” said Anderson, who finished with 95 yards on 20 carries. “I kept telling myself: ‘Just keep grinding and stay with it. Keep grinding, trust your boys up front and things will happen. That’s what happened today.’ ”
Their 16-10 victory Sunday gave the Broncos their first look at the possibilities presented by a full complement of starting-caliber running backs, and the results were encouraging.
Anderson, Charles and Booker, who missed all of training camp and the first three games this season as he recovered from wrist surgery, combined for 174 total yards — 143 of which came on the ground. The three players were shuffled often in the first half by offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and running backs coach Eric Studesville, each providing a different look.
Joseph lauded the tough running of Anderson, the increasingly “explosive” playmaking of Charles (47 yards on six touches) and the pass blocking of Booker, who made a key pick-up on blitzing Raiders safety Reggie Nelson when Trevor Siemian threw a firstquarter touchdown pass to tight end A.J. Derby.
“For a young guy who hadn’t played much football this year to make that block was key for us there,” Joseph said. “I’ve been very impressed with Jamaal and C.J. Obviously, having ‘Book’ back just makes us better there.”
Anderson has often repeated his belief this season that Denver’s running scheme is the perfect fit for the offensive line the team has assembled in the offseason. But the interchangeable success they’ve had in the backfield, he said after Sunday’s game, goes beyond personnel for the Broncos.
“We know what the O-line is saying. The O-line is knowing what we’re seeing and what we’re saying,” he said. “(Offensive line) Coach (Jeff) Davidson and Coach Studesville, we understand what they’re saying (with) their plays and what’s being talked back to us. We can all pretty much be on the same page and that’s something that we want to keep doing.”
With Booker back in the fold, the Broncos boast what could be the deepest running back room in the league. Rookie De’Angelo Henderson, who was inactive for the first time this season Sunday, has yet to be involved in the offense. And talented second-year player Jonathan Williams resides on the team’s practice squad.
Denver enters its bye week tied for third in the NFL in rushing at 143 yards per game. And now sporting their full complement of running backs, the Broncos may just be getting started.
“If you’re dressed on game day, you’re probably going to be in the backfield somehow,” McCoy said. “We’re just going to go with the flow of that. They’re all unselfish and they all just want to win.”