Next Please! Tatum Bell Is Up For Denver Tailback

Mike Shanahan had a very brief meeting with starting tailback Tatum Bell after the game on Sunday. "I said, 'Tatum, you can't go down. That's it,'" said Shanahan.

Although this has been one of the strangest seasons in Broncos franchise history, nothing has been more mysterious than this trend of running backs dropping like flies. The Broncos have placed five running backs on IR, and have a sixth, Selvin Young, still out with a nagging groin Injury.

Tatum Bell is at least a familiar face for the players and fans. After playing for a season and a half with the Detroit Lions, Tatum sold cell phones at a mall kiosk in Aurora, Colorado before his old coach called him up and asked if he would come work out with the team. He was meant to be a backup for Peyton Hillis, but now, four short weeks later, he will be asked to bear the full load and start.

There is no doubt that Bell is capable of being an NFL starting tailback. In 2006, he set a career high with 1,025 yards on the ground, despite sharing his carries with rookie Mike Bell. That season, however, Tatum had trouble with holding on to the ball. That prompted his trade to Detroit along with the then-legitimate tackle George Foster.

Bell never had very much success with the Lions, only collecting 182 yards in five starts. He was cut at the beginning of this season after an embarrassing incident with former teammate Rudi Johnson's luggage.

Now, inserted into the starting role for the Broncos, just two years removed from...well, being the starter for the Broncos. As wild as this sounds, Bell could actually lead the team in rushing yards.

Selvin Young was supposed to lead the team in rushing, but he's third on the roster with 268 yards, leaving him behind Hillis (343) and Michael Pittman (320).

So far this year, Tatum has carried the ball 24 times for 100 yards. If he averages 81 yards in the Broncos' final three games, he would catch Hillis.

The success and health of Tatum Bell is going to be of the utmost importance to the Broncos as they push into January. If he can step up and sustain the running game enough to force teams to go man-to-man on Eddie Royal or Brandon Marshall, that should be enough for the Broncos to be a dangerous team in the AFC Playoffs.