Does Mike Shanahan believe Selvin Young can be a No. 1 tailback in the NFL? Without a doubt.
“I said it in the preseason: It wouldn’t surprise me if he was a starter in the National Football League and be over a 1,000-yard back,” Shanahan said of Young. “I kind of like him where he’s at, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. That’s pretty good for a young kid.”
Does that mean the undrafted rookie, fresh off his second 100-yard rushing performance, is the Broncos’ featured back now? Not necessarily.
Shanahan, a longtime running back fanatic, likes a logjam of talent. Perhaps next year Young could be his full-time starter, but Shanahan isn’t ready to proclaim that. For the rest of the 2007 season, Shanahan likes a three-pronged running back attack consisting of Young, Travis Henry and Andre Hall.
“You can never have too may backs,” Shanahan said Monday with the Broncos (6-7) preparing to play a Thursday night game at Houston they need to win to keep their faint playoff pulse alive.
While lauding Young, who gained 156 yards on 17 carries against Kansas City in Denver’s 41-7 victory on Sunday, Shanahan also defended Henry. Henry missed three games because of a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament, then struggled in Denver’s past two games, when he gained only 73 yards on 25 carries.
While Young is garnering raves, Shanahan warned Monday not to throw in the towel on Henry. He was the leading rusher in the NFL through the first four games of the season before he was injured and distracted by a successful appeal of a drug-related suspension. He had three games in which he gained at least 128 yards.
“Everybody’s kind of throwing Travis Henry under the bus,” Shanahan said. “He led the National Football League after four games, averaging 5 yards per carry. He had a rib injury and obviously he had (a knee injury) where he missed three or four games. You just don’t come back in football shape right away. It takes time. Travis Henry is still the same back he was after the first four games. He was going through a tough time with the rib injury and obviously with the (knee injury), he’s got to get back in football shape.”
Shanahan is intrigued by the idea of using Young, Henry and Hall in the same game. Henry still is not 100 percent healthy, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Young remains in the starting lineup. Young has gained 569 yards on 100 carries. Henry is due a large option bonus in the offseason and could be expendable if Young continues to excel. Hall has averaged 5.0 yards per carry on 41 attempts.
For now, Shanahan likes the glut of backs, in particular because each has suffered injuries. Young has dealt with a knee injury and Hall has coped with an ankle sprain and a thumb injury.
After Sunday’s game, Young said he is taking nothing for granted. He clearly hopes to return to his hometown of Houston and put on another 100-yard show Thursday night against the Texans, but he knows he must go with the flow. Perhaps that’s what happens when you have a collegiate career at the University of Texas that is marred by injuries and no team chooses you in the draft.
“This is your J-O-B,” Young said. “A person like me doesn’t need motivation. Even if I’m the guy holding the ball when we kick it off, I’m fine with that. My thing is just keep on pushing and take advantage of every opportunity I get. I could be here today and gone tomorrow. It’s great to be somewhere and have a home where people believe in you.”
Bill Williamson: 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com
