Tatum Bell (1 Viewer)

[thatguy]

How bad is Jake Plummer right now?

He hasn't been that good. But Shanahan really hasn't asked him to be, either. His opportunities to make plays have been limited. When given the chance to throw downfield, he's been adequate (like on the deep ball to Walker today). He's been making plays with his feet. He did have a TD pass dropped tonight, in his defense.Plummer's biggest weakness is throwing out of the pocket. He just seems uncomfortable, like he'd much rather be making the throw while running to his left with two defenders nipping at his heels--kind of like me in Madden when I'm controlling Michael Vick.

I think his confidence was shattered when the team traded up to get Cutler. He does not look like the Plummer of last season.

This is probably right, too. He does seem f'ed up in the head right now.

His big throw to Javon was both off-target and underthrown. It just so happened that he was in single coverage and the DB was burned badly so was able to adjust. Now that Bell has the starting job locked up he will put up good numbers as the Denver D will always keep them in games. I don't think he will put up great numbers until Plummer gets out of his funk.I didn't think he would take the starting position outright though so my Denver O predictions aren't off to a good start

Right. Which is why I said he's been adequate throwing the deep ball. He knew he had his big sure handed WR in man, and he got the ball to him. If Walker had been smothered and there was safety help over the top, I don't think Jake would have made the throw, so his decision making has been good. And, to be fair, it was a 50+ yard chuck, he had been rolling to his left and had to turn his body and plant, so not many QBs in NFL could have done much better. Bottom line to me is Jake looks very hesitant throwing out of the pocket.

I understand, but you still want your QB to throw accurately. He's consistently throwing behind on crossing routes and wide on end-outs. His knock has always been decision making which outside of the Rams game has been decent. His inaccuracy, especially on short-medium routes to Smith is out of character. These are bread and butter 3rd down conversions. I thought he would turn it around, but it's been awhile now and it's still there.

I freely admit he's been erratic on the underneathe stuff - if you read my post you'll see I never addressed this. All I'm saying is that a 50 yard throw while rolling to his left, a throw that he did complete, fwiw, is probably not the best gauge of accuracy. In spite of his other shortcomings right now, Jake has been throwing a good deep ball and has been making a lot of great plays with his feet - that's all I'm really saying.

 

[jonessed]

I think the playoff loss to the Steelers ruined him. No matter how well he "manages" a game during the season, no matter how much confidence he builds up against lesser opponents, and regardless of home-field advantage and a season's worth of accomplishments...the pressure of the playoffs is enormous. Plummer just isn't that kind of QB. And I think that's been confirmed in his own mind.

He can't play the playoffs again this week. He has to go through the entire season again. It's easy to lose focus, because he knows that nothing can prepare him to return to that pressure, and nothing he can accomplish will make the looming post-season any easier. I think he's still "losing" to the Steelers and maybe it's taking time to build up his game-day mentality to an acceptable level.

That's my .02. I could be wrong, but he seems to be regressing. Losing to the Colts when they're the better team is one thing. Losing to Pittsburgh when you were (supposedly) the better team is painful.

at the Dime Store Psychology. Is that your professional opinion, doctor, or are you off the clock right now?

His big throw to Javon was both off-target and underthrown. It just so happened that he was in single coverage and the DB was burned badly so was able to adjust. Now that Bell has the starting job locked up he will put up good numbers as the Denver D will always keep them in games. I don't think he will put up great numbers until Plummer gets out of his funk.

I didn't think he would take the starting position outright though so my Denver O predictions aren't off to a good start

It also came while he was rolling left and traveled 54 yards through the air. 95% of the QBs in the NFL wouldn't have even been able to make that in the first place. Geez, what do you guys want from him? Pinpoint accuracy all over the field, including 50+ yards out, whether inside or outside of the pocket? This isn't Robo-QB here.There was a 4-game stretch in 2004 where he threw 2 TDs to 9 INTs and everyone started speculating about what the heck was wrong with him. He responded by setting a Denver record for consecutive passes without an INT last year. Jake Plummer is still Jake Plummer. If it weren't for severe drops in week 1, he would have had a pretty respectable game. One of those interceptions that he tossed went right through the hands of his target and into the hands of the DB waiting behind. Another one was a desperation INT. He also had two sure TDs dropped, and played the game with minimal time to throw. If Plummer had gone 16/26 for 200 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT (which he would have been had those three passes been caught), would we be having this conversation right now? That would give him two 200+ yard, 2 TD games in five outings. It would also give him a 5:3 TD:Int ratio on the season. And it's not like Denver's played the same schedule as San Diego here... even with the Oakland game, Denver's opponents have combined for a winning cumulative record so far (14-10, iirc). Prior to this week, Denver had faced the toughest schedule in the entire NFL according to adjusted opponent winning percentage (and the lead was so huge that they might still have it), and Plummer has faced Baltimore, New England, Kansas, and St. Louis- some solid defenses there.

It's not like Plummer has forgotten how to play, here. He's had some bad breaks, faced some tough defenses, and had Shanahan call the most conservative games he's ever called in his history at Denver. I'm still thoroughly convinced that he's still the same quarterback that he was last year.

Denver is tied for ppg with Tampa Bay and surpassing Oakland by only 2.4. They are still scoring 33% fewer points on average than their opponents are giving up and as good as their D is they are still (-) on the turnover ratio. Something is amiss and it cannot all be blamed on their schedule. Bell is playing quite well and I don't see the receivers dropping a lot balls (Javon seems to improved since the Rams game). There aren't a whole lot of other places to look outside of Plummer.

 

[thatguy]

I think the playoff loss to the Steelers ruined him. No matter how well he "manages" a game during the season, no matter how much confidence he builds up against lesser opponents, and regardless of home-field advantage and a season's worth of accomplishments...the pressure of the playoffs is enormous. Plummer just isn't that kind of QB. And I think that's been confirmed in his own mind.

He can't play the playoffs again this week. He has to go through the entire season again. It's easy to lose focus, because he knows that nothing can prepare him to return to that pressure, and nothing he can accomplish will make the looming post-season any easier. I think he's still "losing" to the Steelers and maybe it's taking time to build up his game-day mentality to an acceptable level.

That's my .02. I could be wrong, but he seems to be regressing. Losing to the Colts when they're the better team is one thing. Losing to Pittsburgh when you were (supposedly) the better team is painful.

at the Dime Store Psychology. Is that your professional opinion, doctor, or are you off the clock right now?

His big throw to Javon was both off-target and underthrown. It just so happened that he was in single coverage and the DB was burned badly so was able to adjust. Now that Bell has the starting job locked up he will put up good numbers as the Denver D will always keep them in games. I don't think he will put up great numbers until Plummer gets out of his funk.

I didn't think he would take the starting position outright though so my Denver O predictions aren't off to a good start

It also came while he was rolling left and traveled 54 yards through the air. 95% of the QBs in the NFL wouldn't have even been able to make that in the first place. Geez, what do you guys want from him? Pinpoint accuracy all over the field, including 50+ yards out, whether inside or outside of the pocket? This isn't Robo-QB here.There was a 4-game stretch in 2004 where he threw 2 TDs to 9 INTs and everyone started speculating about what the heck was wrong with him. He responded by setting a Denver record for consecutive passes without an INT last year. Jake Plummer is still Jake Plummer. If it weren't for severe drops in week 1, he would have had a pretty respectable game. One of those interceptions that he tossed went right through the hands of his target and into the hands of the DB waiting behind. Another one was a desperation INT. He also had two sure TDs dropped, and played the game with minimal time to throw. If Plummer had gone 16/26 for 200 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT (which he would have been had those three passes been caught), would we be having this conversation right now? That would give him two 200+ yard, 2 TD games in five outings. It would also give him a 5:3 TD:Int ratio on the season. And it's not like Denver's played the same schedule as San Diego here... even with the Oakland game, Denver's opponents have combined for a winning cumulative record so far (14-10, iirc). Prior to this week, Denver had faced the toughest schedule in the entire NFL according to adjusted opponent winning percentage (and the lead was so huge that they might still have it), and Plummer has faced Baltimore, New England, Kansas, and St. Louis- some solid defenses there.

It's not like Plummer has forgotten how to play, here. He's had some bad breaks, faced some tough defenses, and had Shanahan call the most conservative games he's ever called in his history at Denver. I'm still thoroughly convinced that he's still the same quarterback that he was last year.

Denver is tied for ppg with Tampa Bay and surpassing Oakland by only 2.4. They are still scoring 33% fewer points on average than their opponents are giving up and as good as their D is they are still (-) on the turnover ratio. Something is amiss and it cannot all be blamed on their schedule. Bell is playing quite well and I don't see the reveivers dropping a lot balls. There aren't a whole lot of other places to look outside of Plummer.

The one place you aren't looking right now is the coaching staff - to call the playcalling so far conservative is an understatement. I'm starting to think that it's not so much a matter of Shanny not trusting Jake and the offense - perhaps, he just doesn't want to show his hand. He realizes the commodity he has in his defense, and realizes that against the anemic offenses they've faced, ten points is probably enough. So, instead of going out there and blowing these teams out (like San Diego is doing), he's scoring enough points to win and then shutting it down. After all, points will be worth a lot more against teams like Indy, San Diego, and Cincy. And none of these teams will have film to work with when trying to figure out how to shut down the Denver offense. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but if any coach were to do something like this, I think it would Shanny.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

I figured this would be about Tatum Bell, the runningback.

 

[jonessed]

I think the playoff loss to the Steelers ruined him. No matter how well he "manages" a game during the season, no matter how much confidence he builds up against lesser opponents, and regardless of home-field advantage and a season's worth of accomplishments...the pressure of the playoffs is enormous. Plummer just isn't that kind of QB. And I think that's been confirmed in his own mind.

He can't play the playoffs again this week. He has to go through the entire season again. It's easy to lose focus, because he knows that nothing can prepare him to return to that pressure, and nothing he can accomplish will make the looming post-season any easier. I think he's still "losing" to the Steelers and maybe it's taking time to build up his game-day mentality to an acceptable level.

That's my .02. I could be wrong, but he seems to be regressing. Losing to the Colts when they're the better team is one thing. Losing to Pittsburgh when you were (supposedly) the better team is painful.

at the Dime Store Psychology. Is that your professional opinion, doctor, or are you off the clock right now?

His big throw to Javon was both off-target and underthrown. It just so happened that he was in single coverage and the DB was burned badly so was able to adjust. Now that Bell has the starting job locked up he will put up good numbers as the Denver D will always keep them in games. I don't think he will put up great numbers until Plummer gets out of his funk.

I didn't think he would take the starting position outright though so my Denver O predictions aren't off to a good start

It also came while he was rolling left and traveled 54 yards through the air. 95% of the QBs in the NFL wouldn't have even been able to make that in the first place. Geez, what do you guys want from him? Pinpoint accuracy all over the field, including 50+ yards out, whether inside or outside of the pocket? This isn't Robo-QB here.There was a 4-game stretch in 2004 where he threw 2 TDs to 9 INTs and everyone started speculating about what the heck was wrong with him. He responded by setting a Denver record for consecutive passes without an INT last year. Jake Plummer is still Jake Plummer. If it weren't for severe drops in week 1, he would have had a pretty respectable game. One of those interceptions that he tossed went right through the hands of his target and into the hands of the DB waiting behind. Another one was a desperation INT. He also had two sure TDs dropped, and played the game with minimal time to throw. If Plummer had gone 16/26 for 200 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT (which he would have been had those three passes been caught), would we be having this conversation right now? That would give him two 200+ yard, 2 TD games in five outings. It would also give him a 5:3 TD:Int ratio on the season. And it's not like Denver's played the same schedule as San Diego here... even with the Oakland game, Denver's opponents have combined for a winning cumulative record so far (14-10, iirc). Prior to this week, Denver had faced the toughest schedule in the entire NFL according to adjusted opponent winning percentage (and the lead was so huge that they might still have it), and Plummer has faced Baltimore, New England, Kansas, and St. Louis- some solid defenses there.

It's not like Plummer has forgotten how to play, here. He's had some bad breaks, faced some tough defenses, and had Shanahan call the most conservative games he's ever called in his history at Denver. I'm still thoroughly convinced that he's still the same quarterback that he was last year.

Denver is tied for ppg with Tampa Bay and surpassing Oakland by only 2.4. They are still scoring 33% fewer points on average than their opponents are giving up and as good as their D is they are still (-) on the turnover ratio. Something is amiss and it cannot all be blamed on their schedule. Bell is playing quite well and I don't see the reveivers dropping a lot balls. There aren't a whole lot of other places to look outside of Plummer.

The one place you aren't looking right now is the coaching staff - to call the playcalling so far conservative is an understatement. I'm starting to think that it's not so much a matter of Shanny not trusting Jake and the offense - perhaps, he just doesn't want to show his hand. He realizes the commodity he has in his defense, and realizes that against the anemic offenses they've faced, ten points is probably enough. So, instead of going out there and blowing these teams out (like San Diego is doing), he's scoring enough points to win and then shutting it down. After all, points will be worth a lot more against teams like Indy, San Diego, and Cincy. And none of these teams will have film to work with when trying to figure out how to shut down the Denver offense. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but if any coach were to do something like this, I think it would Shanny.

You really think they clung to a 3 point lead against KC in an effort to hide their offensive strategy? They intended to only score 10 against St. Louis assuming the D would take care of the rest? They are playcalling conservatively to avoid turnovers, but somehow ended up (-) in the turnover ratio? How do you end up in the bottom half of the league in time of possession when your running game is on the top 5 in ypc and your coach is calling a conservative game? It still doesn't add up. Granted it's early in the season so trends can be misleading, but it still points to Plummer imo.

 

[thatguy]

I think the playoff loss to the Steelers ruined him. No matter how well he "manages" a game during the season, no matter how much confidence he builds up against lesser opponents, and regardless of home-field advantage and a season's worth of accomplishments...the pressure of the playoffs is enormous. Plummer just isn't that kind of QB. And I think that's been confirmed in his own mind.

He can't play the playoffs again this week. He has to go through the entire season again. It's easy to lose focus, because he knows that nothing can prepare him to return to that pressure, and nothing he can accomplish will make the looming post-season any easier. I think he's still "losing" to the Steelers and maybe it's taking time to build up his game-day mentality to an acceptable level.

That's my .02. I could be wrong, but he seems to be regressing. Losing to the Colts when they're the better team is one thing. Losing to Pittsburgh when you were (supposedly) the better team is painful.

at the Dime Store Psychology. Is that your professional opinion, doctor, or are you off the clock right now?

His big throw to Javon was both off-target and underthrown. It just so happened that he was in single coverage and the DB was burned badly so was able to adjust. Now that Bell has the starting job locked up he will put up good numbers as the Denver D will always keep them in games. I don't think he will put up great numbers until Plummer gets out of his funk.

I didn't think he would take the starting position outright though so my Denver O predictions aren't off to a good start

It also came while he was rolling left and traveled 54 yards through the air. 95% of the QBs in the NFL wouldn't have even been able to make that in the first place. Geez, what do you guys want from him? Pinpoint accuracy all over the field, including 50+ yards out, whether inside or outside of the pocket? This isn't Robo-QB here.There was a 4-game stretch in 2004 where he threw 2 TDs to 9 INTs and everyone started speculating about what the heck was wrong with him. He responded by setting a Denver record for consecutive passes without an INT last year. Jake Plummer is still Jake Plummer. If it weren't for severe drops in week 1, he would have had a pretty respectable game. One of those interceptions that he tossed went right through the hands of his target and into the hands of the DB waiting behind. Another one was a desperation INT. He also had two sure TDs dropped, and played the game with minimal time to throw. If Plummer had gone 16/26 for 200 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT (which he would have been had those three passes been caught), would we be having this conversation right now? That would give him two 200+ yard, 2 TD games in five outings. It would also give him a 5:3 TD:Int ratio on the season. And it's not like Denver's played the same schedule as San Diego here... even with the Oakland game, Denver's opponents have combined for a winning cumulative record so far (14-10, iirc). Prior to this week, Denver had faced the toughest schedule in the entire NFL according to adjusted opponent winning percentage (and the lead was so huge that they might still have it), and Plummer has faced Baltimore, New England, Kansas, and St. Louis- some solid defenses there.

It's not like Plummer has forgotten how to play, here. He's had some bad breaks, faced some tough defenses, and had Shanahan call the most conservative games he's ever called in his history at Denver. I'm still thoroughly convinced that he's still the same quarterback that he was last year.

Denver is tied for ppg with Tampa Bay and surpassing Oakland by only 2.4. They are still scoring 33% fewer points on average than their opponents are giving up and as good as their D is they are still (-) on the turnover ratio. Something is amiss and it cannot all be blamed on their schedule. Bell is playing quite well and I don't see the reveivers dropping a lot balls. There aren't a whole lot of other places to look outside of Plummer.

The one place you aren't looking right now is the coaching staff - to call the playcalling so far conservative is an understatement. I'm starting to think that it's not so much a matter of Shanny not trusting Jake and the offense - perhaps, he just doesn't want to show his hand. He realizes the commodity he has in his defense, and realizes that against the anemic offenses they've faced, ten points is probably enough. So, instead of going out there and blowing these teams out (like San Diego is doing), he's scoring enough points to win and then shutting it down. After all, points will be worth a lot more against teams like Indy, San Diego, and Cincy. And none of these teams will have film to work with when trying to figure out how to shut down the Denver offense. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but if any coach were to do something like this, I think it would Shanny.

You really think they clung to a 3 point lead against KC in an effort to hide their offensive strategy? They intended to only score 10 against St. Louis assuming the D would take care of the rest? They are playcalling conservatively to avoid turnovers, but somehow they are still (-) in the turnover ratio or they are attempting to run out the clock, but they are in the bottom half of the league in time of possession. It still doesn't add up. Granted it's early in the season so trends can be misleading, but I still see a problem.

No, I suppose I don't think that. Wishful thinking. Either way, teams probably don't have much good film to base a gameplan off of, so it may work out that way.

 

[jonessed]

I think the playoff loss to the Steelers ruined him. No matter how well he "manages" a game during the season, no matter how much confidence he builds up against lesser opponents, and regardless of home-field advantage and a season's worth of accomplishments...the pressure of the playoffs is enormous. Plummer just isn't that kind of QB. And I think that's been confirmed in his own mind.

He can't play the playoffs again this week. He has to go through the entire season again. It's easy to lose focus, because he knows that nothing can prepare him to return to that pressure, and nothing he can accomplish will make the looming post-season any easier. I think he's still "losing" to the Steelers and maybe it's taking time to build up his game-day mentality to an acceptable level.

That's my .02. I could be wrong, but he seems to be regressing. Losing to the Colts when they're the better team is one thing. Losing to Pittsburgh when you were (supposedly) the better team is painful.

at the Dime Store Psychology. Is that your professional opinion, doctor, or are you off the clock right now?

His big throw to Javon was both off-target and underthrown. It just so happened that he was in single coverage and the DB was burned badly so was able to adjust. Now that Bell has the starting job locked up he will put up good numbers as the Denver D will always keep them in games. I don't think he will put up great numbers until Plummer gets out of his funk.

I didn't think he would take the starting position outright though so my Denver O predictions aren't off to a good start

It also came while he was rolling left and traveled 54 yards through the air. 95% of the QBs in the NFL wouldn't have even been able to make that in the first place. Geez, what do you guys want from him? Pinpoint accuracy all over the field, including 50+ yards out, whether inside or outside of the pocket? This isn't Robo-QB here.There was a 4-game stretch in 2004 where he threw 2 TDs to 9 INTs and everyone started speculating about what the heck was wrong with him. He responded by setting a Denver record for consecutive passes without an INT last year. Jake Plummer is still Jake Plummer. If it weren't for severe drops in week 1, he would have had a pretty respectable game. One of those interceptions that he tossed went right through the hands of his target and into the hands of the DB waiting behind. Another one was a desperation INT. He also had two sure TDs dropped, and played the game with minimal time to throw. If Plummer had gone 16/26 for 200 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT (which he would have been had those three passes been caught), would we be having this conversation right now? That would give him two 200+ yard, 2 TD games in five outings. It would also give him a 5:3 TD:Int ratio on the season. And it's not like Denver's played the same schedule as San Diego here... even with the Oakland game, Denver's opponents have combined for a winning cumulative record so far (14-10, iirc). Prior to this week, Denver had faced the toughest schedule in the entire NFL according to adjusted opponent winning percentage (and the lead was so huge that they might still have it), and Plummer has faced Baltimore, New England, Kansas, and St. Louis- some solid defenses there.

It's not like Plummer has forgotten how to play, here. He's had some bad breaks, faced some tough defenses, and had Shanahan call the most conservative games he's ever called in his history at Denver. I'm still thoroughly convinced that he's still the same quarterback that he was last year.

Denver is tied for ppg with Tampa Bay and surpassing Oakland by only 2.4. They are still scoring 33% fewer points on average than their opponents are giving up and as good as their D is they are still (-) on the turnover ratio. Something is amiss and it cannot all be blamed on their schedule. Bell is playing quite well and I don't see the reveivers dropping a lot balls. There aren't a whole lot of other places to look outside of Plummer.

The one place you aren't looking right now is the coaching staff - to call the playcalling so far conservative is an understatement. I'm starting to think that it's not so much a matter of Shanny not trusting Jake and the offense - perhaps, he just doesn't want to show his hand. He realizes the commodity he has in his defense, and realizes that against the anemic offenses they've faced, ten points is probably enough. So, instead of going out there and blowing these teams out (like San Diego is doing), he's scoring enough points to win and then shutting it down. After all, points will be worth a lot more against teams like Indy, San Diego, and Cincy. And none of these teams will have film to work with when trying to figure out how to shut down the Denver offense. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but if any coach were to do something like this, I think it would Shanny.

You really think they clung to a 3 point lead against KC in an effort to hide their offensive strategy? They intended to only score 10 against St. Louis assuming the D would take care of the rest? They are playcalling conservatively to avoid turnovers, but somehow they are still (-) in the turnover ratio or they are attempting to run out the clock, but they are in the bottom half of the league in time of possession. It still doesn't add up. Granted it's early in the season so trends can be misleading, but I still see a problem.

No, I suppose I don't think that. Wishful thinking. Either way, teams probably don't have much good film to base a gameplan off of, so it may work out that way.

Sorry, I edited a bit to clean up my Engeleish.I like Plummer, always have, and I think he can turn it around, but I also think it's wishful thinking to believe his poor performance is simply due to having a tough schedule or "bad breaks". He just isn't playing well.

I figured this would be about Tatum Bell, the runningback.

It got sidetracked I guess. I'll right the ship.He should be top 10 from here on out with big upside.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Here is where I would rank him.

1. LT

2. LJ

3. FWP

4. S Jax

5. Tiki

6. Portis

7. Tatum

 

[SSOG]

Support from SSOG on the fumbling issue in 3 . . .2 . . .1 . . .

Supported.It won't take a couple of fumbles for TBell to lose his job, it will take TBell demonstrating a propensity for fumbling, especially if combined with a string of general overall ineffectiveness.

I like Plummer, always have, and I think he can turn it around, but I also think it's wishful thinking to believe his poor performance is simply due to having a tough schedule or "bad breaks". He just isn't playing well.

Of course he isn't, but it's not the apocolyptic scenario that a lot of people seem to feel it is. He's been playing poorly, but not HORRIBLY. He's certainly had much worse 5-game stretches in his career, and he's always bounced back before. It's a little premature giving up on him for the season or speculating that he's no longer the same QB he used to be.

 

[thatguy]

I think the playoff loss to the Steelers ruined him. No matter how well he "manages" a game during the season, no matter how much confidence he builds up against lesser opponents, and regardless of home-field advantage and a season's worth of accomplishments...the pressure of the playoffs is enormous. Plummer just isn't that kind of QB. And I think that's been confirmed in his own mind.

He can't play the playoffs again this week. He has to go through the entire season again. It's easy to lose focus, because he knows that nothing can prepare him to return to that pressure, and nothing he can accomplish will make the looming post-season any easier. I think he's still "losing" to the Steelers and maybe it's taking time to build up his game-day mentality to an acceptable level.

That's my .02. I could be wrong, but he seems to be regressing. Losing to the Colts when they're the better team is one thing. Losing to Pittsburgh when you were (supposedly) the better team is painful.

at the Dime Store Psychology. Is that your professional opinion, doctor, or are you off the clock right now?

His big throw to Javon was both off-target and underthrown. It just so happened that he was in single coverage and the DB was burned badly so was able to adjust. Now that Bell has the starting job locked up he will put up good numbers as the Denver D will always keep them in games. I don't think he will put up great numbers until Plummer gets out of his funk.

I didn't think he would take the starting position outright though so my Denver O predictions aren't off to a good start

It also came while he was rolling left and traveled 54 yards through the air. 95% of the QBs in the NFL wouldn't have even been able to make that in the first place. Geez, what do you guys want from him? Pinpoint accuracy all over the field, including 50+ yards out, whether inside or outside of the pocket? This isn't Robo-QB here.There was a 4-game stretch in 2004 where he threw 2 TDs to 9 INTs and everyone started speculating about what the heck was wrong with him. He responded by setting a Denver record for consecutive passes without an INT last year. Jake Plummer is still Jake Plummer. If it weren't for severe drops in week 1, he would have had a pretty respectable game. One of those interceptions that he tossed went right through the hands of his target and into the hands of the DB waiting behind. Another one was a desperation INT. He also had two sure TDs dropped, and played the game with minimal time to throw. If Plummer had gone 16/26 for 200 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT (which he would have been had those three passes been caught), would we be having this conversation right now? That would give him two 200+ yard, 2 TD games in five outings. It would also give him a 5:3 TD:Int ratio on the season. And it's not like Denver's played the same schedule as San Diego here... even with the Oakland game, Denver's opponents have combined for a winning cumulative record so far (14-10, iirc). Prior to this week, Denver had faced the toughest schedule in the entire NFL according to adjusted opponent winning percentage (and the lead was so huge that they might still have it), and Plummer has faced Baltimore, New England, Kansas, and St. Louis- some solid defenses there.

It's not like Plummer has forgotten how to play, here. He's had some bad breaks, faced some tough defenses, and had Shanahan call the most conservative games he's ever called in his history at Denver. I'm still thoroughly convinced that he's still the same quarterback that he was last year.

Denver is tied for ppg with Tampa Bay and surpassing Oakland by only 2.4. They are still scoring 33% fewer points on average than their opponents are giving up and as good as their D is they are still (-) on the turnover ratio. Something is amiss and it cannot all be blamed on their schedule. Bell is playing quite well and I don't see the reveivers dropping a lot balls. There aren't a whole lot of other places to look outside of Plummer.

The one place you aren't looking right now is the coaching staff - to call the playcalling so far conservative is an understatement. I'm starting to think that it's not so much a matter of Shanny not trusting Jake and the offense - perhaps, he just doesn't want to show his hand. He realizes the commodity he has in his defense, and realizes that against the anemic offenses they've faced, ten points is probably enough. So, instead of going out there and blowing these teams out (like San Diego is doing), he's scoring enough points to win and then shutting it down. After all, points will be worth a lot more against teams like Indy, San Diego, and Cincy. And none of these teams will have film to work with when trying to figure out how to shut down the Denver offense. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but if any coach were to do something like this, I think it would Shanny.

You really think they clung to a 3 point lead against KC in an effort to hide their offensive strategy? They intended to only score 10 against St. Louis assuming the D would take care of the rest? They are playcalling conservatively to avoid turnovers, but somehow they are still (-) in the turnover ratio or they are attempting to run out the clock, but they are in the bottom half of the league in time of possession. It still doesn't add up. Granted it's early in the season so trends can be misleading, but I still see a problem.

No, I suppose I don't think that. Wishful thinking. Either way, teams probably don't have much good film to base a gameplan off of, so it may work out that way.

Sorry, I edited a bit to clean up my Engeleish.I like Plummer, always have, and I think he can turn it around, but I also think it's wishful thinking to believe his poor performance is simply due to having a tough schedule or "bad breaks". He just isn't playing well.

I figured this would be about Tatum Bell, the runningback.

It got sidetracked I guess. I'll right the ship.He should be top 10 from here on out with big upside.

I agree that he's not playing all that well - again, I've already made that clear. However, my point is that all of Denver's offensive problems cannot be pinned on Plummer. I'm positive they'd put up more points if Shanahan opened it up, but he has yet to do that. They might also commit more turnovers. All I know is at some point this season they will be forced to open it up, and when that time comes, we'll see what they're really made of.And yes, Tatum should be top 10 going forward. He could be top 5.

 

[rockbottom895]

I think the playoff loss to the Steelers ruined him. No matter how well he "manages" a game during the season, no matter how much confidence he builds up against lesser opponents, and regardless of home-field advantage and a season's worth of accomplishments...the pressure of the playoffs is enormous. Plummer just isn't that kind of QB. And I think that's been confirmed in his own mind.

He can't play the playoffs again this week. He has to go through the entire season again. It's easy to lose focus, because he knows that nothing can prepare him to return to that pressure, and nothing he can accomplish will make the looming post-season any easier. I think he's still "losing" to the Steelers and maybe it's taking time to build up his game-day mentality to an acceptable level.

That's my .02. I could be wrong, but he seems to be regressing. Losing to the Colts when they're the better team is one thing. Losing to Pittsburgh when you were (supposedly) the better team is painful.

at the Dime Store Psychology. Is that your professional opinion, doctor, or are you off the clock right now?

His big throw to Javon was both off-target and underthrown. It just so happened that he was in single coverage and the DB was burned badly so was able to adjust. Now that Bell has the starting job locked up he will put up good numbers as the Denver D will always keep them in games. I don't think he will put up great numbers until Plummer gets out of his funk.

I didn't think he would take the starting position outright though so my Denver O predictions aren't off to a good start

It also came while he was rolling left and traveled 54 yards through the air. 95% of the QBs in the NFL wouldn't have even been able to make that in the first place. Geez, what do you guys want from him? Pinpoint accuracy all over the field, including 50+ yards out, whether inside or outside of the pocket? This isn't Robo-QB here.There was a 4-game stretch in 2004 where he threw 2 TDs to 9 INTs and everyone started speculating about what the heck was wrong with him. He responded by setting a Denver record for consecutive passes without an INT last year. Jake Plummer is still Jake Plummer. If it weren't for severe drops in week 1, he would have had a pretty respectable game. One of those interceptions that he tossed went right through the hands of his target and into the hands of the DB waiting behind. Another one was a desperation INT. He also had two sure TDs dropped, and played the game with minimal time to throw. If Plummer had gone 16/26 for 200 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT (which he would have been had those three passes been caught), would we be having this conversation right now? That would give him two 200+ yard, 2 TD games in five outings. It would also give him a 5:3 TD:Int ratio on the season. And it's not like Denver's played the same schedule as San Diego here... even with the Oakland game, Denver's opponents have combined for a winning cumulative record so far (14-10, iirc). Prior to this week, Denver had faced the toughest schedule in the entire NFL according to adjusted opponent winning percentage (and the lead was so huge that they might still have it), and Plummer has faced Baltimore, New England, Kansas, and St. Louis- some solid defenses there.

It's not like Plummer has forgotten how to play, here. He's had some bad breaks, faced some tough defenses, and had Shanahan call the most conservative games he's ever called in his history at Denver. I'm still thoroughly convinced that he's still the same quarterback that he was last year.

Denver is tied for ppg with Tampa Bay and surpassing Oakland by only 2.4. They are still scoring 33% fewer points on average than their opponents are giving up and as good as their D is they are still (-) on the turnover ratio. Something is amiss and it cannot all be blamed on their schedule. Bell is playing quite well and I don't see the reveivers dropping a lot balls. There aren't a whole lot of other places to look outside of Plummer.

The one place you aren't looking right now is the coaching staff - to call the playcalling so far conservative is an understatement. I'm starting to think that it's not so much a matter of Shanny not trusting Jake and the offense - perhaps, he just doesn't want to show his hand. He realizes the commodity he has in his defense, and realizes that against the anemic offenses they've faced, ten points is probably enough. So, instead of going out there and blowing these teams out (like San Diego is doing), he's scoring enough points to win and then shutting it down. After all, points will be worth a lot more against teams like Indy, San Diego, and Cincy. And none of these teams will have film to work with when trying to figure out how to shut down the Denver offense. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but if any coach were to do something like this, I think it would Shanny.

You really think they clung to a 3 point lead against KC in an effort to hide their offensive strategy? They intended to only score 10 against St. Louis assuming the D would take care of the rest? They are playcalling conservatively to avoid turnovers, but somehow they are still (-) in the turnover ratio or they are attempting to run out the clock, but they are in the bottom half of the league in time of possession. It still doesn't add up. Granted it's early in the season so trends can be misleading, but I still see a problem.

No, I suppose I don't think that. Wishful thinking. Either way, teams probably don't have much good film to base a gameplan off of, so it may work out that way.

Sorry, I edited a bit to clean up my Engeleish.I like Plummer, always have, and I think he can turn it around, but I also think it's wishful thinking to believe his poor performance is simply due to having a tough schedule or "bad breaks". He just isn't playing well.

I figured this would be about Tatum Bell, the runningback.

It got sidetracked I guess. I'll right the ship.He should be top 10 from here on out with big upside.

I agree that he's not playing all that well - again, I've already made that clear. However, my point is that all of Denver's offensive problems cannot be pinned on Plummer. I'm positive they'd put up more points if Shanahan opened it up, but he has yet to do that. They might also commit more turnovers. All I know is at some point this season they will be forced to open it up, and when that time comes, we'll see what they're really made of.And yes, Tatum should be top 10 going forward. He could be top 5.

Why does everyone in this forum have so much hate for Jake Plummer? He has been converted into a very consistant (yes, I said it) QB in the NFL. Although Shannahan doesnt leave all the offense on his back, he allows Jake to manage a game. When he does what he does, they win ballgames. The first game of the season was a fluke. Most of his interceptions were tipped. Dont hate on Jake, he'll throw no more picks for the rest of the year. At least I hope....

 

[thatguy]

I think the playoff loss to the Steelers ruined him. No matter how well he "manages" a game during the season, no matter how much confidence he builds up against lesser opponents, and regardless of home-field advantage and a season's worth of accomplishments...the pressure of the playoffs is enormous. Plummer just isn't that kind of QB. And I think that's been confirmed in his own mind.

He can't play the playoffs again this week. He has to go through the entire season again. It's easy to lose focus, because he knows that nothing can prepare him to return to that pressure, and nothing he can accomplish will make the looming post-season any easier. I think he's still "losing" to the Steelers and maybe it's taking time to build up his game-day mentality to an acceptable level.

That's my .02. I could be wrong, but he seems to be regressing. Losing to the Colts when they're the better team is one thing. Losing to Pittsburgh when you were (supposedly) the better team is painful.

at the Dime Store Psychology. Is that your professional opinion, doctor, or are you off the clock right now?

His big throw to Javon was both off-target and underthrown. It just so happened that he was in single coverage and the DB was burned badly so was able to adjust. Now that Bell has the starting job locked up he will put up good numbers as the Denver D will always keep them in games. I don't think he will put up great numbers until Plummer gets out of his funk.

I didn't think he would take the starting position outright though so my Denver O predictions aren't off to a good start

It also came while he was rolling left and traveled 54 yards through the air. 95% of the QBs in the NFL wouldn't have even been able to make that in the first place. Geez, what do you guys want from him? Pinpoint accuracy all over the field, including 50+ yards out, whether inside or outside of the pocket? This isn't Robo-QB here.

There was a 4-game stretch in 2004 where he threw 2 TDs to 9 INTs and everyone started speculating about what the heck was wrong with him. He responded by setting a Denver record for consecutive passes without an INT last year. Jake Plummer is still Jake Plummer. If it weren't for severe drops in week 1, he would have had a pretty respectable game. One of those interceptions that he tossed went right through the hands of his target and into the hands of the DB waiting behind. Another one was a desperation INT. He also had two sure TDs dropped, and played the game with minimal time to throw. If Plummer had gone 16/26 for 200 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT (which he would have been had those three passes been caught), would we be having this conversation right now? That would give him two 200+ yard, 2 TD games in five outings. It would also give him a 5:3 TD:Int ratio on the season. And it's not like Denver's played the same schedule as San Diego here... even with the Oakland game, Denver's opponents have combined for a winning cumulative record so far (14-10, iirc). Prior to this week, Denver had faced the toughest schedule in the entire NFL according to adjusted opponent winning percentage (and the lead was so huge that they might still have it), and Plummer has faced Baltimore, New England, Kansas, and St. Louis- some solid defenses there.

It's not like Plummer has forgotten how to play, here. He's had some bad breaks, faced some tough defenses, and had Shanahan call the most conservative games he's ever called in his history at Denver. I'm still thoroughly convinced that he's still the same quarterback that he was last year.

Denver is tied for ppg with Tampa Bay and surpassing Oakland by only 2.4. They are still scoring 33% fewer points on average than their opponents are giving up and as good as their D is they are still (-) on the turnover ratio. Something is amiss and it cannot all be blamed on their schedule. Bell is playing quite well and I don't see the reveivers dropping a lot balls. There aren't a whole lot of other places to look outside of Plummer.

The one place you aren't looking right now is the coaching staff - to call the playcalling so far conservative is an understatement. I'm starting to think that it's not so much a matter of Shanny not trusting Jake and the offense - perhaps, he just doesn't want to show his hand. He realizes the commodity he has in his defense, and realizes that against the anemic offenses they've faced, ten points is probably enough. So, instead of going out there and blowing these teams out (like San Diego is doing), he's scoring enough points to win and then shutting it down. After all, points will be worth a lot more against teams like Indy, San Diego, and Cincy. And none of these teams will have film to work with when trying to figure out how to shut down the Denver offense. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but if any coach were to do something like this, I think it would Shanny.

You really think they clung to a 3 point lead against KC in an effort to hide their offensive strategy? They intended to only score 10 against St. Louis assuming the D would take care of the rest? They are playcalling conservatively to avoid turnovers, but somehow they are still (-) in the turnover ratio or they are attempting to run out the clock, but they are in the bottom half of the league in time of possession. It still doesn't add up. Granted it's early in the season so trends can be misleading, but I still see a problem.

No, I suppose I don't think that. Wishful thinking. Either way, teams probably don't have much good film to base a gameplan off of, so it may work out that way.

Sorry, I edited a bit to clean up my Engeleish.

I like Plummer, always have, and I think he can turn it around, but I also think it's wishful thinking to believe his poor performance is simply due to having a tough schedule or "bad breaks". He just isn't playing well.

I figured this would be about Tatum Bell, the runningback.

It got sidetracked I guess. I'll right the ship.

He should be top 10 from here on out with big upside.

I agree that he's not playing all that well - again, I've already made that clear. However, my point is that all of Denver's offensive problems cannot be pinned on Plummer. I'm positive they'd put up more points if Shanahan opened it up, but he has yet to do that. They might also commit more turnovers. All I know is at some point this season they will be forced to open it up, and when that time comes, we'll see what they're really made of.

And yes, Tatum should be top 10 going forward. He could be top 5.

Why does everyone in this forum have so much hate for Jake Plummer? He has been converted into a very consistant (yes, I said it) QB in the NFL. Although Shannahan doesnt leave all the offense on his back, he allows Jake to manage a game. When he does what he does, they win ballgames. The first game of the season was a fluke. Most of his interceptions were tipped. Dont hate on Jake, he'll throw no more picks for the rest of the year. At least I hope....

The Plummer hate gets a lot worse than what you're seeing in this thread. All that's really being said here is that he's not playing well. That's not hate. That's fact based on observation. Now, you might think Plummer IS playing well, but you'll be hardpressed to convince anyone. I am a staunch Plummer supporter, but even I can admit that he hasn't looked very good.

 

[malice]

He has VERY little tolerance for fumbling,

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrongEvidence????

Careless fumbles and erratic play led to a shared backfield in 2004 with Quentin Griffin and Reuben Droughns. Right now, he doesn't have another go-to guy to effectively move the ball, so I don't see him overreacting to occasional fumbling caused by helmet hits on the ball or a good play by the defense. But I could see him going with a shared backfield again if T.Bell starts to look like a liability.I'm not as concerned about him becoming a non-factor as much as a half-factor again. The Broncos have shown interest in a number of backs in the preseason and the early season and turned the reins over to T.Bell after the other experiments failed. Right now, he's the best option they've got, and I'm hoping it will last, but the line between THE GUY and A GUY in a Shanahan coached offense can be very thin.I believe in him more than you do in Rudi Johnson these days anyway.

 

[rockbottom895]

He has VERY little tolerance for fumbling,

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrongEvidence????

Careless fumbles and erratic play led to a shared backfield in 2004 with Quentin Griffin and Reuben Droughns. Right now, he doesn't have another go-to guy to effectively move the ball, so I don't see him overreacting to occasional fumbling caused by helmet hits on the ball or a good play by the defense. But I could see him going with a shared backfield again if T.Bell starts to look like a liability.I'm not as concerned about him becoming a non-factor as much as a half-factor again. The Broncos have shown interest in a number of backs in the preseason and the early season and turned the reins over to T.Bell after the other experiments failed. Right now, he's the best option they've got, and I'm hoping it will last, but the line between THE GUY and A GUY in a Shanahan coached offense can be very thin.I believe in him more than you do in Rudi Johnson these days anyway.

Thats what I was trying to say earlier in my post when I said that Shannahan has "always" used split backs. Thank you for backing up my point a little bit. Also, does Fred Taylor rank higher than Tatum?

 

[dawgtrails]

He has VERY little tolerance for fumbling,

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrongEvidence????

Careless fumbles and erratic play led to a shared backfield in 2004 with Quentin Griffin and Reuben Droughns. Right now, he doesn't have another go-to guy to effectively move the ball, so I don't see him overreacting to occasional fumbling caused by helmet hits on the ball or a good play by the defense. But I could see him going with a shared backfield again if T.Bell starts to look like a liability.I'm not as concerned about him becoming a non-factor as much as a half-factor again. The Broncos have shown interest in a number of backs in the preseason and the early season and turned the reins over to T.Bell after the other experiments failed. Right now, he's the best option they've got, and I'm hoping it will last, but the line between THE GUY and A GUY in a Shanahan coached offense can be very thin.I believe in him more than you do in Rudi Johnson these days anyway.

Thats what I was trying to say earlier in my post when I said that Shannahan has "always" used split backs. Thank you for backing up my point a little bit. Also, does Fred Taylor rank higher than Tatum?

So in 2004 Shanahan had a shared backfield. That means that Tatum Bell's job is in jeopardy?Tatum Bell has the 3rd best ypc in the league, and is averaging nearly 100 yds a game, and all you can come up with is "he's the best option they've got"???Keep digging

 

[shadyridr]

In case it helps anybody to gauge his value Im offering Dunn and Driver for Bell in my league and the owner is thinking about it.

 

[malice]

He has VERY little tolerance for fumbling,

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrongEvidence????

Careless fumbles and erratic play led to a shared backfield in 2004 with Quentin Griffin and Reuben Droughns. Right now, he doesn't have another go-to guy to effectively move the ball, so I don't see him overreacting to occasional fumbling caused by helmet hits on the ball or a good play by the defense. But I could see him going with a shared backfield again if T.Bell starts to look like a liability.I'm not as concerned about him becoming a non-factor as much as a half-factor again. The Broncos have shown interest in a number of backs in the preseason and the early season and turned the reins over to T.Bell after the other experiments failed. Right now, he's the best option they've got, and I'm hoping it will last, but the line between THE GUY and A GUY in a Shanahan coached offense can be very thin.I believe in him more than you do in Rudi Johnson these days anyway.

Thats what I was trying to say earlier in my post when I said that Shannahan has "always" used split backs. Thank you for backing up my point a little bit. Also, does Fred Taylor rank higher than Tatum?

So in 2004 Shanahan had a shared backfield. That means that Tatum Bell's job is in jeopardy?Tatum Bell has the 3rd best ypc in the league, and is averaging nearly 100 yds a game, and all you can come up with is "he's the best option they've got"???Keep digging

Look- I'm a Broncos fan and I have T.Bell in my dynasty league. So I'm not taking this stance because I want him to do poorly. I'm just saying the toughest competition is still ahead of them, and Shanahan wasn't exactly singing T.Bell's praises in the early going. He's also got a past history of getting dinged up- without a full load (and the team had an early bye this year for a change). Add it all up and I'm cautiously optimistic he'll put up respectable numbers- likely far better than any other offensive option on this team- but I'm still on the fence on whether to make a strong move for him in my main pay redraft league or not.

 

[SSOG]

Careless fumbles and erratic play led to a shared backfield in 2004 with Quentin Griffin and Reuben Droughns. Right now, he doesn't have another go-to guy to effectively move the ball, so I don't see him overreacting to occasional fumbling caused by helmet hits on the ball or a good play by the defense. But I could see him going with a shared backfield again if T.Bell starts to look like a liability.

Quentin Griffin- 29.8 career carries per fumble.Tatum Bell- 58 career carries per fumble.Edit: Mike Anderson- 80.5 career carries per fumble.

 

[Marc Levin]

and, as ssog has pointed out a few times, even after losing at least one game due to fumbles, Griffin didn't lose his job until he was injured.

There was never a Griffin/Droughns shared backfield - Droughns won the job due to injury and ran away with it.

malice - I setup you up hoping you'd refer to Griffin as evidence of Shannie's fumble policy. It simply doesn't compute - there was even talk of Griffin getting the starting job back after he was healthy and only droughns' obviously superior play and Griffin's season ending injury killed that talk.

In a nutshell, Shannie does not yank his starter due to fumbles, and he DEFINITELY does not pull his starter due to inconsequential fumbles. Tatum needs to fumble away a game or two before Shannie considers making a change.

 

[SSOG]

and, as ssog has pointed out a few times, even after losing at least one game due to fumbles, Griffin didn't lose his job until he was injured.

There was never a Griffin/Droughns shared backfield - Droughns won the job due to injury and ran away with it.

malice - I setup you up hoping you'd refer to Griffin as evidence of Shannie's fumble policy. It simply doesn't compute - there was even talk of Griffin getting the starting job back after he was healthy and only droughns' obviously superior play and Griffin's season ending injury killed that talk.

In a nutshell, Shannie does not yank his starter due to fumbles, and he DEFINITELY does not pull his starter due to inconsequential fumbles. Tatum needs to fumble away a game or two before Shannie considers making a change.

Griffin got injured on special teams. The reason he was playing special teams in the first place is because he'd already lost the starting job. Denver doesn't play its starting RB on special teams. Now, it might have been an intended platoon system and it became a one-back offense because Griffin got hurt (I don't think so, but it's possible), but Droughns definitely got the job before Griffin got injured.

Still, like I said, the reason Griffin lost the job is because he showed a PROPENSITY for fumbling. It's not because he fumbled- everyone fumbles, even Curtis Martin. It was because he demonstrated that he was SIGNIFICANTLY more likely to fumble than anyone else on the roster. Look at the career fumble rates- they're almost DOUBLE the rates that Tatum Bell has posted.

Griffin was a fumbler, so he lost the job. Tatum Bell isn't a fumbler. In fact, Tatum Bell will have to fumble 6 more times before he's fumbling at the same rate that Quentin Griffin was. If Tatum fumbles six times in the next couple of weeks, then you should probably be worried.

 

[malice]

and, as ssog has pointed out a few times, even after losing at least one game due to fumbles, Griffin didn't lose his job until he was injured.

There was never a Griffin/Droughns shared backfield - Droughns won the job due to injury and ran away with it.

malice - I setup you up hoping you'd refer to Griffin as evidence of Shannie's fumble policy. It simply doesn't compute - there was even talk of Griffin getting the starting job back after he was healthy and only droughns' obviously superior play and Griffin's season ending injury killed that talk.

In a nutshell, Shannie does not yank his starter due to fumbles, and he DEFINITELY does not pull his starter due to inconsequential fumbles. Tatum needs to fumble away a game or two before Shannie considers making a change.

Griffin got injured on special teams. The reason he was playing special teams in the first place is because he'd already lost the starting job. Denver doesn't play its starting RB on special teams. Now, it might have been an intended platoon system and it became a one-back offense because Griffin got hurt (I don't think so, but it's possible), but Droughns definitely got the job before Griffin got injured.

Still, like I said, the reason Griffin lost the job is because he showed a PROPENSITY for fumbling. It's not because he fumbled- everyone fumbles, even Curtis Martin. It was because he demonstrated that he was SIGNIFICANTLY more likely to fumble than anyone else on the roster. Look at the career fumble rates- they're almost DOUBLE the rates that Tatum Bell has posted.

Griffin was a fumbler, so he lost the job. Tatum Bell isn't a fumbler. In fact, Tatum Bell will have to fumble 6 more times before he's fumbling at the same rate that Quentin Griffin was. If Tatum fumbles six times in the next couple of weeks, then you should probably be worried.

There were a number of weeks with a shared backfield in 2004 before Griffin got injured. Thanks for setting me up though.

If you re-read my posts, I'm not calling T.Bell a chronic fumbler. I'm saying right now, he gives them the best chance to win as the starting RB. But this offense isn't going to light it up- it's about ball control and steady production. I'm more concerned about T.Bell being the workhorse back in this system and Shanahan's willingness to stick with that. The early bye and a tough,physical stretch from weeks 9-14 (minus the OAK game of course) concerns me the most.

 

[Garts]

I wonder if Tatum get through this year unscathed, is he a longer term solution there?? History says probably not....but who knows?

 

[SSOG]

I wonder if Tatum get through this year unscathed, is he a longer term solution there?? History says probably not....but who knows?

Unless he whines about his contract or starts stinking up the joint, then probably. Tatum's still on his rookie contract for one more year (iirc), which means he'd be dirt cheap to keep around for another year (whether as a starter, or back as a CoP back). I wouldn't count on two more years in Denver, but I think Tatum definitely has the skills to succeed elsewhere if he left. In dynasty leagues, I'd rather own Tatum than a lot of the superrookies (Addai, DeAngelo, etc).