Mike Shanahan and the amazing success of the Denver Broncos with running backs

After a rocky start to a season and a quarter as head coach of the Raiders, Mike Shanahan became one of the most successful head coaches in the league while coaching the Denver Broncos.

One of Shanahan’s recognized strengths is his ability to assess running back talent. He has had a number of successful running backs and got most of them as drafts from other teams or at the end of the NFL Draft. There’s a debate about whether the running backs have been that good or if the Broncos’ “system” is what allows them to excel, but there can be no debate about their productivity.

Let’s take a look at the history of the Shanahan runners:

1995 Season: Terrell Davis Comes to Town

In 1995, rookie running back Terrell Davis destroyed defenses when he came out of nowhere (he actually came out of the University of Georgia, but wasn’t drafted until the sixth round) to rush for more than 1,000 yards and catch nearly 50 passes. Davis’ backup that year was journeyman Aaron Craver, who had his most productive season gaining 300-plus yards and also catching 40-plus passes.

1996-1998 – TD Continued Excellence

With each year, Shanahan’s last-round steal, Terrell Davis, seemed to get stronger. Rushing for over 1,700 yards in 1997 and breaking the 2,000-yard mark in 1998. In 1996, Shanahan was even able to average over 5 yards per carry from discarded running back Vaughn Hebron in a backup role, along with another year productive of Aaron Craver also as backup.

1999 – Olandis Who?

Terrell Davis’ bus wheels came off hard in 1999 with a serious injury. However, the Broncos were still able to get another 1,000-yard performance by a running back, this time from Olandis Gary, who in 12 games during his rookie season rushed for 1,159 yards. Olandis Gary had been selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, passed by many teams before being selected by the Broncos.

2000 – Who’s Next?

The year 2000 saw another Broncos rookie running back have a 1,000-yard season. This time it was Mike Anderson’s turn, he gained 1,487 yards and averaged 5 yards per carry in doing so. Mike Anderson resembled Terrell Davis in another respect, he too was not drafted until the sixth round.

2001 – Runner by committee

2001 was the first year since 1994 that the Broncos did not have a 1,000-yard rushing performance (the leading rusher that year was Leonard Russell with 620 yards). Time was split in 2001 between Mike Anderson (687 yards) and Terrell Davis (701 yards) on recovery. As a team, it was still a very productive year running the ball.

2002 – Clinton Portis bursts onto the scene

The Broncos finally used a high pick on a running back in 2002 (albeit a second-round pick, not yet a first-round pick) and took Clinton Portis out of the University of Miami. Portis burst onto the scene with 1,508 yards and an average yards per carry of 5.5 yards. Portis was backed up by two other former 1,000-yard rushers in Gary Olandis and Mike Anderson, both averaging four or more yards per carry.

2003 – Another term for Clinton

Clinton Portis proved his rookie season was no fluke by rushing for more than 1,500 yards again and averaging 5.5 yards per carry for the second straight season. Portis’ backup that season was, among others, Rueben Droughns, who would play a major role for the Broncos during the next season.

2004 – Year of Reuben

With Clinton Portis being traded to the Washington Redskins for cornerback Champ Bailey, the Broncos needed someone to step up and exert their dominance at running back. Rueben Droughns, a former third-round draft pick by the Detroit Lions out of the University of Oregon, would be that man. Droughns had fallen behind Portis, Quentin Griffith and Mike Anderson the year before, but in 2004 he would rush for more than 1,200 yards while averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

2005 – MA Part 2

The 2005 season would see Rueben Droughns rush for over 1,000 yards again, the only problem was that this time he did it for the Cleveland Browns after an off-season team change. Mike Anderson, who had rushed for over 1,000 yards for the Broncos during his rookie season in 2000 (5 years earlier) and had been a backup for the Broncos ever since, would return to the starting role and rack up over a thousand yards for the second. and last moment of his career. Tatum Bell, a second-round pick out of Oklahoma State University, had also done quite well, racking up 921 yards averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Also featured on the 2005 Denver Broncos team was former Heisman Trophy winner and New York Giants running back Ron Dayne. Dayne played a limited role, but had some key rushes, gaining more than 250 yards and averaging more than 5 yards per carry.

2006 – Ring of Bells

2006 was Tatum Bell’s year to lead the Broncos in rushing, as he had just over 1,000 yards averaging a very respectable 4.4 yards per carry. Bell’s backup that year was Mike Bell, an undrafted free agent who, while rushing for fewer yards (677 yards), had six more touchdowns than starter Tatum Bell.

Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan has gotten more out of different players at running back than many people thought he could, rarely giving up anything too valuable or using a high-round draft pick to get. the staff you used. .

1,000 Yard Rushers during Mike Shanahan’s tenure (until 2006)

Mike Anderson – 2000, 2005 – 6th round draft pick

Tatum Bell – 2006 – Second Round Pick

Terrell Davis – 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 – 6th round draft pick

Rueben Droughns – 2004 – Free Agent

Olandis Gary – 1999 – 4th Round Pick

Clinton Portis – 2002, 2003 – Second Round Pick