Denver Broncos Need to Establish Ground Game, Get Montee Ball Back on Track

The Denver Broncos battled hard against the world champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, but they fell short losing 26-20. The passing game was productive, and Peyton Manning finished with his first 300-yard game of the season. However, the running game was once again out of sync.

The Broncos have not been able to run the ball that effectively over the first three weeks of the season. Starting running back Montee Ball has struggled to impress in his new featured role.

After the game against Seattle, Ball graded his performance over the first three games of the 2014 season.

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Right now, not too good at all. It’s early on. We are getting better, making improvements. We are going to make things happen in the backfield, change some things up probably and get this thing rolling. We’re most definitely committing to it (the running game)...It’s just some things are not going to well for us. We knew this was going to be an ugly game, two great teams playing, I think this is going to make us better.

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So when will Ball get his season on track? Let’s take a look at what’s been holding him back and when we can expect change.

Timing

Over the first three games of the season, the timing has been off between Ball and his offensive linemen. Ball seems to be slow to the hole, and this gets him hit behind the line of scrimmage often. The film and the numbers highlight this struggle.

Ball ranks 11th in the NFL with 49 carries this season. Of those 11 backs, Ball has the fourth-lowest yards per carry at 3.37.

An appendectomy knocked Ball out for most of the preseason. This lack of practice time could have disrupted his timing to start the season. However, three weeks into the regular season, this rustiness should have been cleared up.

Blocking

NFL.com - Game Rewind

In a number of instances, the Broncos offensive line has struggled to get a proper push in the running game. This only complicates the timing problems Ball is having this year. In the picture above we see Ball getting the handoff with little room to run, because his blockers have not opened up a hole inside.

Ball commented on why the team has had so much difficulty running inside this year: “We all have just got to get better. It starts up front, but then us as running backs have got to do a better job. Personally, I have to hold onto the football. I have to get that corrected. But it’s a team effort.”

This season Ball has only 165 yards rushing in three games, 17th-best in the league.

However, the poor run blocking of Denver's OL is evident in the fact that Ball ranks 39th in the league in yards before contact, with only 61 yards. The league average for 2014 thus far is 87 yards before contact, and the league leader in this category—DeMarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys—has 224 yards before contact.

Ball ranks 44th in yards before contact per rush (1.24). The league average in this category is 2.38 yards. These numbers reinforce the notion that Denver is not getting it done up front in the ground game.

Decisiveness

	Carries	Yards	Yards Before Contact	Yards After Contact
	49	165	61	104
League Rank	11th	17th	39th	5th

In order to play up to his potential, Ball needs to be more decisive as a runner. Most of the yards he’s gained on the ground this season have come after contact.

Ball ranks fifth in the NFL with 104 yards after contact. That’s good for an average of 2.12 yards after contact per carry—13th best in a league in which the average is 1.77 yards. 

With better blocking and better decisiveness, Ball could increase the number of yards he picks up after defenders have hit him. When Ball builds a head of steam he is tough to bring down.

Ball Security

NFL.com - Game Rewind

Fumbling has been an issue for Ball over his brief NFL career. With the lost fumble against the Seahawks in Week 3, Ball has coughed up the ball four times in only 16 games played.

After the game, Ball talked about what went wrong on his fumble against Seattle.

“The ball was too low. This team (Seattle) does a great job. They go straight for the ball first. I knew that coming in. I can’t blame anyone else on that. I let a lot of people down right there. It’s going to get corrected and we are going to get this running game going.”

Ball admitted that fumbling early stays on his mind as the game goes on, but support from his teammates helps.

“It is in your mind. But everyone is supporting me on the sidelines. They tell me the great players have a short memory. I’ll let it go.”

Summary

The Broncos have turned over their ground game to Ball. If they want to win against tough defenses like Seattle, they need to get more production from the second-year pro.

Denver has the league’s most-dangerous passing game, so their rushing attack is going to see more favorable defensive fronts on a weekly basis. Last year’s starter Knowshon Moreno ran against six or fewer defenders in the box on 79.7 percent of his carries. By running more decisively and focusing on ball security, Ball could end up being a more productive runner than Moreno was in 2013.

Ball is a talented young runner, but the Broncos have to help him out.

The offensive line needs to do a better job of moving opponents out of the way. With better holes to run through, Ball will have more momentum and run with more authority when he hits the second or third level of the defense.

Ball himself needs to hang onto the rock. When he does get the ball, he needs to trust his blockers and hit the hole hard. Ball's game is not about lateral agility—it's about using his power and leg drive to pick up tough yards.

With a bye in Week 4, the first quarter of the season is over for the Broncos. Ball had a rough start to 2014, but he still can turn things around and produce at a high level going forward.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos unless otherwise noted.