orangecrush15
Footballguy
Take a look at this recent article by the Denver Post that details Moreno's transformation this offseason.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_18534215
For a guy that was drafted 12th overall 2 years ago there's no question that Moreno's career thus far has been a disappointment. However, people need to remember that Moreno missed significant training camp time in 2009, and all but the first few days of camp in 2010. For a young back, absences like that definitely affect comfort level within an offense. He was then hampered by a lingering hamstring strain that caused him to miss 3 games in 2010, and affected his performance in several other games.
Also working against Moreno was the system he was playing in. Moreno's strength as a running back is ability to quickly locate holes and anticipate cutback lanes. In addition to excellent vision, Moreno is a very elusive runner that has good agility in-and-out of his cuts. That type of back is best suited for a zone-blocking, one-cut-and-go, type of system. McDaniels had the Broncos running a power scheme, and a ton on Moreno's carries came out of shotgun sets. The way McDaniels used Moreno really did not properly utilize his skill set. With John Fox coming in and bringing over offensive line coach Dave Magazu, the Broncos will transition to a more traditional system that uses zone plays much more often, and is much better suited to Moreno's style of play.
It should also be noted that the Broncos offensive line has also not done Moreno any favors the past two years, especially last year Moreno ran behind two rookie starters in JD Walton and Zane Beadles. Beadles and Walton played well for rookies,and have bright futures ahead of them, but there's no doubt their inexperience affected the success (or lack thereof) of the Broncos ground game.
As a diehard Bronco fan I've seen every Knowshon Moreno carry over the past two years. While he really was awful his first season, I saw a lot of improvements last year, and think he's only going to be better in the new system. Despite his struggles as ball-carrier, he's always been terrific as a receiver out of the backfield, and has really looks like that 1st round talent the Broncos thought they were getting when he's able to get the ball out in open space.
Now that he's slimmed down, I would suspect he'll be a little bit faster and more explosive, which is the one thing that's always been lacking from his game. Even if the Broncos do sign DeAngelo Williams, John Fox has shown in the past that there's definitely enough carries to go around for two guys, and Moreno might actually benefit from not having to be relied upon as an every down back.
Look, Moreno is not an elite back, and never will be. He'll never live up to the hype of that 12th overall pick. But to me the hate has really gone too far on Knowshon. For example, Cecil recently said this week on the Free Agency RB preview that Moreno just does not have what it takes to play at this level. That's just crazy to me. I know it's easy to pile on a guy like Knowshon, but watch some of those highlights above and tell me that Moreno can't at the very least be a great back in a tandem backfield. Knowshon's heard all the criticism this off season, and has been working very hard to prove doubters wrong. As long as he can stay healthy this year, I think he'll really surprise some people. Moreno has been plummeting down draft boards, and when the Broncos add a RB or two in free agency he's only going to fall further. Check him out this preseason, and I think you'll see a back with a chip on his shoulder. A faster, fresher, stronger Knowshon, in an offense that's much more suited to his strengths. That's the type of RB I want on my team, and considering how low his ADP has fallen, I think he's well worth a shot.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_18534215
For a guy that was drafted 12th overall 2 years ago there's no question that Moreno's career thus far has been a disappointment. However, people need to remember that Moreno missed significant training camp time in 2009, and all but the first few days of camp in 2010. For a young back, absences like that definitely affect comfort level within an offense. He was then hampered by a lingering hamstring strain that caused him to miss 3 games in 2010, and affected his performance in several other games.
Also working against Moreno was the system he was playing in. Moreno's strength as a running back is ability to quickly locate holes and anticipate cutback lanes. In addition to excellent vision, Moreno is a very elusive runner that has good agility in-and-out of his cuts. That type of back is best suited for a zone-blocking, one-cut-and-go, type of system. McDaniels had the Broncos running a power scheme, and a ton on Moreno's carries came out of shotgun sets. The way McDaniels used Moreno really did not properly utilize his skill set. With John Fox coming in and bringing over offensive line coach Dave Magazu, the Broncos will transition to a more traditional system that uses zone plays much more often, and is much better suited to Moreno's style of play.
It should also be noted that the Broncos offensive line has also not done Moreno any favors the past two years, especially last year Moreno ran behind two rookie starters in JD Walton and Zane Beadles. Beadles and Walton played well for rookies,and have bright futures ahead of them, but there's no doubt their inexperience affected the success (or lack thereof) of the Broncos ground game.
As a diehard Bronco fan I've seen every Knowshon Moreno carry over the past two years. While he really was awful his first season, I saw a lot of improvements last year, and think he's only going to be better in the new system. Despite his struggles as ball-carrier, he's always been terrific as a receiver out of the backfield, and has really looks like that 1st round talent the Broncos thought they were getting when he's able to get the ball out in open space.
Now that he's slimmed down, I would suspect he'll be a little bit faster and more explosive, which is the one thing that's always been lacking from his game. Even if the Broncos do sign DeAngelo Williams, John Fox has shown in the past that there's definitely enough carries to go around for two guys, and Moreno might actually benefit from not having to be relied upon as an every down back.
Look, Moreno is not an elite back, and never will be. He'll never live up to the hype of that 12th overall pick. But to me the hate has really gone too far on Knowshon. For example, Cecil recently said this week on the Free Agency RB preview that Moreno just does not have what it takes to play at this level. That's just crazy to me. I know it's easy to pile on a guy like Knowshon, but watch some of those highlights above and tell me that Moreno can't at the very least be a great back in a tandem backfield. Knowshon's heard all the criticism this off season, and has been working very hard to prove doubters wrong. As long as he can stay healthy this year, I think he'll really surprise some people. Moreno has been plummeting down draft boards, and when the Broncos add a RB or two in free agency he's only going to fall further. Check him out this preseason, and I think you'll see a back with a chip on his shoulder. A faster, fresher, stronger Knowshon, in an offense that's much more suited to his strengths. That's the type of RB I want on my team, and considering how low his ADP has fallen, I think he's well worth a shot.
His expectations were too high because he got over-drafted, but he was still thought of as a late 1st/early 2nd round pick by pretty much every draft guru.He hasn't been great but he was pretty solid until he got hurt last season.The only FA rbi's who can really demote him to a backup role are deangelo and Bradshaw, and I don't think either are ending up in denver.
Just saying, you may not want to point out your predictive abilities on a quote that was incorrect in every single way 2 later... 
eAngelo Williams, Panthers
