His rookie season has been a learning process for Mike Bell, but in the final month of the season, the rookie tailback may be finding his comfort level.
“Mike has learned to be become more relaxed,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said Monday, a day after Bell scored two touchdowns for the Broncos in their 37-20 win at Arizona.
Shanahan said Bell, the backup tailback, was given the opportunity to get more carries later in the game than starter Tatum Bell because he was the “hot back.” Mike Bell had 61 yards on 16 carries, including two 1-yard touchdown runs. He has 542 yards rushing – the fifth undrafted player in NFL history to break 500 yards as a rookie.
Tatum Bell had 29 yards on 18 carries, just five carries after a fumble resulted in an Arizona touchdown in the second quarter.
Shanahan said running backs coach Bobby Turner is in charge of deciding the Broncos’ running back rotation.
“After the fumble, Bobby felt at that time that Mike was running a little better than Tatum was, so (we) felt like he was the hot back and gave him some more opportunities,” Shanahan said. “After looking at the film, he was right. Mike was playing exceptionally well, and Tatum wasn’t having one of his better days.”
Endorsement for Calhoun
Shanahan said he believes former Broncos assistant Troy Calhoun is the best candidate for the head coaching job at Air Force. Calhoun, 40, interviewed Monday in Houston for the job, which became open Friday when Fisher DeBerry retired.
“I don’t think the Air Force Academy could bring in a better man than Troy Calhoun for that job,” Shanahan said. “He would be perfect for that job and would do an outstanding job.”
Calhoun is the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans. He spent the previous three seasons as an assistant with the Broncos.
Injury report
Shanahan said wide receiver Javon Walker has a first-degree shoulder separation, which is mild. Walker was hurt in the first half Sunday, but returned and finished the game.
Shanahan said Walker will be able to play through the injury. Wide receiver Rod Smith and cornerback Darrent Williams have played through the same injury this season.
Shanahan is hopeful Williams, who missed the Arizona game with a toe injury, will be able to play against Cincinnati. He will be evaluated later in the week.
Shanahan said he thought tight end Stephen Alexander improved Monday from a rib injury that continued to hamper him against the Cardinals. Alexander should practice this week, as will offensive tackle Adam Meadows, who has missed the past three games (hamstring).
Morgan keeping job
After giving the Broncos’ return game a much-needed boost Sunday, Quincy Morgan has earned another chance, Shanahan said. Morgan had a 64-yard kickoff return and averaged 30.8 yards on five kick returns in the game.
Eight players have lined up as a kickoff returner for Denver this season. Morgan, who had the job earlier in the season, replaced rookie Brian Clark against the Cardinals.
“Quincy made a couple of big plays on those last two kickoff returns,” Shanahan said. “He gave us some good field position, especially on that one (64-yard return). He made a couple of people miss and had two good runs. It was nice to see some good field position out of the special teams.”
Just being Jay
What’s one of the most impressive things about quarterback Jay Cutler to Shanahan?
“The thing I like about him, to be honest with you, he looks at you like, ‘Hey, let me throw the football, would you? We don’t have to run all the time. Keep giving me a chance to be the difference in the game.”‘
Cutler is the first rookie in NFL history to throw multiple touchdown passes in each of his first three games.
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
CHALK TALK
Did the threat of the Broncos’ run game free up Cutler-Walker pass combination? Broncos reporter Mike Klis breaks down a strategic element from the Broncos’ 37-20 win Sunday at Arizona:
PLAY OF THE DAY: The 54-yard touchdown bomb from Jay Cutler to Javon Walker on the Broncos’ third offensive play.
POINT, COUNTERPOINT:The score was set up by the first two plays. Running back Tatum Bell went off right guard for 3 yards, then around right end for 8 more and a first down. On the third play, Cutler faked the handoff to Bell running right, which froze the Cardinals’ pass rush as the quarterback rolled left. Meanwhile, Walker sped past not only cornerback Antrel Rolle but safety Robert Griffith. Cutler set his feet, then winged the football 63 yards in the air before it fell into Walker’s hands for the touchdown.
FUTURE PROSPECTS: It was clear the Broncos game-planned to feature Walker, especially when he was matched up against Rolle. Walker had gone four consecutive games without a touchdown and averaged just 48 yards in that stretch. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Broncos lost all four games. In this contest, Walker had five catches for 84 yards. The long pass play might have helped to loosen up the Cardinals’ defense, because the Broncos went on to score a season-high 37 points.
EYE ON … The Bengals
CINCINNATI AT DENVER, 2:15 p.m., Sunday
For the record: The Bengals are 8-6.
Last game: Cincinnati lost 34-16 at Indianapolis on Monday night.
Streaking: The Bengals have lost seven straight games in Denver. The Broncos have lost three straight games at Invesco Field at Mile High, and they haven’t lost four straight home games since 1990.
Who’s hot: Receiver Chad Johnson was held in check Monday night, but he still has 100-plus receiving yardage games in four of his past six games, including a 260-yard performance against San Diego. The Johnson-Champ Bailey matchup will be entertaining.
Who’s not: Former Denver player Deltha O’Neal has been in the doghouse since being arrested last week for allegedly driving drunk. He is the eighth Cincinnati player to be arrested this year.
Key stat: Cincinnati has given up at least 26 points in five of its six losses.
FYI: Cincinnati is the third team in the past six weeks, starting Nov. 12, that played a Monday night before facing the Broncos. The other teams are Oakland and Seattle.
Coach speak: “Unfortunately, I can’t hold their hands 24/7, but it is embarrassing. It’s an embarrassment to our organization, to our city and to our fans. These things socially are not right.” – Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, about his player’s arrest trend
– Bill Williamson
