Broncos rack up another weekly award - this time, Knowshon

Douglas Lee Dec 19, 2012 10:47 AM

Nine straight wins, all by a touchdown or more. Nine games scoring at least 30 points. Six weekly player honors.

Make that seven.

Knowshon Moreno has been named the AFC's Offensive POW for his 24-touch, 126-yard, one-touchdown effort at Baltimore, which came on the heels of a more prolific 36-touch, 167-yard, one-score performance at Oakland.

Whom do you expect to be the Broncos' primary running back in 2013?

Doug is IAOFM’s resident newsman and spelling czar. Follow him on Twitter @IAOFM

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Gosh, I wonder if people might have been criticizing Moreno and Ayers because they were both first rounders who got benched. I wonder why people weren't giving Demaryius such a hard time. Perhaps because he was contributing and showing improvement on a pretty steady basis. Nah, it had to be because they wanted to advance an evil agenda of hate. That said, I'm not ruling out the hallucination angle, but that would be a layman's diagnosis.

Posted by Yahmule on 2012-12-19 20:47:06

I don't think so. Wait, no, I'm going to do it anyway. I can't wait to bust out Ginger Cringer on Weeden this Sunday.

Posted by Yahmule on 2012-12-19 20:12:17

I always held out hope because there would be those moments where he'd show just a glimpse of how good he could be. I think it was the 2010 season when the Broncos stomped KC in Denver (possibly the last win of the Josh McDaniels' era?) where Moreno took a screen to the house and literally body slammed a Chief over the goal line with his free arm. One of my favorite plays by a Bronco ever. Every now and then he'd flash that aggression that he seems to be bringing more consistently now. He's crucial down the stretch. I'd love nothing more than to see him blossom during a deep playoff run.

Posted by Chris Sturgess on 2012-12-19 19:03:58

Picking up an extra 5 yards after someone gets their hands on you is different than fulling breaking a tackle. They both lead to yards after contact. I agree that he has gotten decent and getting those tough extra yards with guys draped all over him. However, he still rarely breaks tackles. The one he broke against Baltimore was the Ed Reed hurdle. I don't think there was any others.

Like I said though, considering the overall improvement of his running thus far, this is being ticky tacky.

Posted by RyanHennigan on 2012-12-19 18:10:55

"AR, last time I checked, fabricating an argument like Sterling did is indeed a straw man."

I've read many comments between the DP, MHR and IAOFM from April 2009 and now hoping that Moreno and Ayres fail. Unless all those comments were only my holucination, Sterling did not fabricate anything. Exagerate yes, fabricate no.

Posted by A R on 2012-12-19 18:06:56

Can We Still Call The Other Team Names?

Posted by Alaskan on 2012-12-19 17:55:02

Element, I thought he had some other aspect to that injury as well. Regardless, he looked a year older and slower this year. I still want a big back to move Ball off the roster next season.

Posted by Yahmule on 2012-12-19 17:48:29

Yeah, people who've watched football for over 35 years didn't evaluate McDaniels performance and find it lacking. They just hated him to be "cool".

Posted by Yahmule on 2012-12-19 17:41:48

The best thing about this is there's no more name-calling (of Moreno) by posters here. You know who you are. Now if you would just stop with the other players, that would be even better. You can say somebody is terrible without calling them names.

Posted by billyricky on 2012-12-19 17:21:37

I just find it gratifying because of that annoying guy at the bar who catcalled NO-SHOW! NO-SHOW! the entire time Moreno was on the field earlier this season. Ugh. I never want to see him again.

Posted by tunesmith on 2012-12-19 17:17:09

Part of it is a blocking issue. Did you see Hester block blitzers on Sunday? He didn't give ground at all. Ball is also a good blocker (as is McGahee), and you need a back that can do that when you go to the passing game. I saw Hillman get thrown aside (one of Manning's sacks). Moreno can delay the rusher, but not stop him in his tracks, like Ball and Hester can do. I was impressed with Hester Sunday.

Posted by billyricky on 2012-12-19 17:15:42

Excellent point, JT. Comparing Knowshon's play today to what it was in the previous 3 season, IMO, shows how much the OL has improved - and that in part is due to having PM here. There is much more talent - or maybe better stated - more development in the offense than previously.

Posted by BlackKnigh on 2012-12-19 17:11:15

Posted by billyricky on 2012-12-19 16:15:32

Yahmule - I don't know the specifics of his MCL injury, but typically they heal just fine without surgery. The MCL is a big ol' fatty of a ligament and usually peels off the bone a bit when sprained. Rest is usually enough to allow it to re-attach. (I sprained mine in the past)

My point is, he should be 100% when he comes back.

Posted by OutOfYourElement on 2012-12-19 16:12:13

I've been less than impressed with Knowshon all along, and I often wondered how others saw the "special" in him. And now, I have never been so happy to eat crow... I am SO happy to see how he's performed the last few weeks!

Most impressive, to me, has been that he is running HARD. The kid is showing a lot of desire and authority, and it's awesome to see....

Posted by Nick (ncm42) on 2012-12-19 16:05:02

Comeback player of the month, at least!

Posted by MississippiMudWalk on 2012-12-19 15:34:24

Sterling, you can add his coaching at St. Louis. He did nothing special. In fact, so far the only time McDaniels has any real success is when he's under Belichik's wing. And, when McDaniels was gone from New England and turning over our apple cart, the Patsies went right on winning without him.

I'll give you a few draft choices of his were good. Some were pretty bad, you'd have to admit. But, I'll stand by my opinion he's a lousy coach.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2012-12-19 15:18:25

Disagree. Moreno is one of the best at picking up yards after contact. Moreno has been carrying would-be tacklers on his back the past two weeks at Oakland and Baltimore. If anything, the ticky tack issue I have is with McCoy never calling any type of running back screen plays. Moreno is absolutely lethal on those.

Posted by RSH, Esq. on 2012-12-19 15:06:09

Moreno has been playing well but he has still not always been the most consistent or reliable. So McGahee, Moreno and Hillman on the team in 2013. It would be nice to upgrade that fourth spot so if McGahee gets hurt again they are not scrambling to find someone who weighs more than 200 lb that is not named Lance Ball.

Posted by ohiobronco on 2012-12-19 15:03:07

It's been great to see Knowshon step up. Before the season even started I thought Moreno could be a great fit for a Manning led offense with his abilities as a receiver and a blocker. Moreno is a very well rounded player, and it seems that he's finally putting it all together.

Posted by andrew on 2012-12-19 15:02:34

When Knowshon has been hitting the pile, he has been reminding me of the great TD. His legs never stop pushing, no matter how many are stacked on him trying to push him down. And that persistence in falling forward is paying off. All Bronco fans are very proud of him right now.

Posted by Gentleman_Bronco on 2012-12-19 14:46:39

That makes a lot of sense. McGahee's still great, but a bit too old to be a featured back. Moreno has the pass catching and blitz pickup skills to be an every down back, and his inside running game has improved markedly. McGahee's still got some gas in the tank as a power runner to complement Moreno, and Hillman's got the potential as a 3rd down back.

Posted by Hercules_Rockefeller on 2012-12-19 14:08:54

As long as McD doesn't come back to Denver, I don't care what he does.

Posted by Alaskan on 2012-12-19 13:54:45

Straw man, indeed, and said with the smartest of smart ass tones you can possibly imagine. I do think that some players drafted/signed by McDaniels were overly criticized due simply to the fact that McDaniels selected them and it was/is cool to hate McDaniels in Denver. That said, several of his decisions deserved to be criticized. My personal opinion is that the '09 draft was a poor one, even considering recent contributions by Moreno and Ayers and the solid special teams play of David Bruton. But the 2010 draft was a very good one. I challenge anyone to find another example of a team finding 4 starters in the first 3 rounds of a single draft, and I think several of his free agent acquisitions were solid as well. I also happen to think the guy can coach, and I sincerely hope he gets hired elsewhere as a head coach again so he has a chance to prove it. Less than 2 seasons in Denver is far too small of a sample to draw any concrete conclusions.

Posted by SterlingMalloryArcher on 2012-12-19 13:40:41

I'd suspect KM will start, and McGahee will be the power/backup next season. McGahee was born falling forward three yards.

Posted by jvill on 2012-12-19 13:38:24

Hard to judge a back by yards/game in a Manning offense. Yards/attempt is more like it.

Posted by RyanHennigan on 2012-12-19 13:34:23

Heck even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Posted by k9style on 2012-12-19 12:47:27

Ivan, the position, "...every single player drafted by McDaniels...." is a fabrication of fact to support an opinion.

Some of us, like myself, criticized McDaniels heavily, and part of it was SOME of his draft picks. In my case, yes, I've always challenged the idea that Moreno was worth a first round pick. But, I never, ever said that EVERY single player picked my McD was bad. In fact, about the only thing I found of value from McDaniels was a few of his player moves.

"Every" player? Please.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2012-12-19 12:06:07

JT
More like "frabicating an argument" like you just did, would be considered creating a straw man.

Posted by ivanthenotsobad on 2012-12-19 12:00:34

AR, last time I checked, fabricating an argument like Sterling did is indeed a straw man.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2012-12-19 11:53:42

We don't seem to have that back who can be a threat to break into the backfield and turn a 15 yard run into a TD. I thought Hillman might give us that, but I haven't seen it yet.

Hey, just picking nits along with ya'....lol.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2012-12-19 11:51:52

I'm very happy to see Knowshon responded to the challenge. His resurgence probably did nothing short of rescue the season. That said, I hope we acquire a power back this off season to add to the mix. I love what McGahee has done in Denver, but he'll be 32 next year and coming off a pretty severe knee injury. Even before he got hurt, he seemed to be aging before our eyes. Only once over 100 yards in his final six games (that against the hapless Saints defense) and problems hanging onto the football.

Posted by Yahmule on 2012-12-19 11:46:31

Yahmule, that's what a good coach does.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2012-12-19 11:44:46

I guess Knowshon just needed a man like John Fox in charge to get this out of him.

Posted by Yahmule on 2012-12-19 11:42:28

Nothing like a little rewriting history? SMA may be accused of exagerating, but hardly strawman.

Posted by A R on 2012-12-19 11:34:13

If you wanted to pick nits, he's still learning how to run with power. In space, he's often brought down with a simple hand/arm tackle. Seems like he looses his footing quickly. When he feels pressure, its like he becomes more frantic rather than more powerful. As bulky as he is, he should be much harder to bring down. But certainly there has been improvement. Very exciting to see. His inside running has improved tremendously. He's more patient, and really has found his burst inside. His straight ahead running HAS become a strength and you can see him pushing the pile. Very nice to see!!

Posted by OutOfYourElement on 2012-12-19 11:31:02

Ah, nothing like a little strawman argument to add some spice to the board.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2012-12-19 11:29:03

Having Lance Ball in there instead of Knowshon was always a head-scratcher. If you believe in tough love, then maybe it was the most brilliant coaching move of the year.

I suppose by stashing him, it also served as an insurance policy - that'd we always have a feature back ready to roll once injury struck.

Posted by OutOfYourElement on 2012-12-19 11:21:04

But I thought that every single player drafted by McDaniels was terrible? That's what I've been told by my fellow Bronco fans for the last three years. What the heck.

Posted by SterlingMalloryArcher on 2012-12-19 11:17:35

Very glad to see Knowshon coming into his own a bit. Seems like a good kid who took his demotion like a man and is now taking advantage of his opportunity. I hope he can keep it up.

Posted by Chris Sturgess on 2012-12-19 11:12:44

And that was with hardly playing the fourth quarter

Posted by RockyMtnThunder on 2012-12-19 11:07:47

Knowshon's doing a very nice job. We should also be congratulating the entire Broncos organization, as their work contributed to his success these past two games.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2012-12-19 11:04:02

So impressed with Knowshon right now. His patience has been nothing short of impressive. The only thing lacking (this is being ticky tacky) is his ability to break tackles. He doesn't break many. I think he has learned to fall forward for that extra yard or two though.

Posted by RyanHennigan on 2012-12-19 10:59:42

Wow, is it too late to throw another name into the hat for Comeback Player of the Year? :) (Yes it is, but still...)

Posted by underdog on 2012-12-19 10:50:40

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Broncos rack up another weekly award - this time, Knowshon

Whom do you expect to be the Broncos' primary running back in 2013?

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