Knowshon Moreno finally has gotten around to popping in the tape of his rookie year with the Broncos, and what he’s seen hasn’t always been easy to watch.
“I just made a lot of mistakes. I mean, I guess that comes with your first year,” Moreno said. “It is tough, especially when you see yourself making a big mistake. You’re like, ‘Aw, man.’ Especially when it is something you work on so hard, and then come Game Day you kind of make a mistake.”
Moreno, the No. 12 pick in the 2009 draft, led the Broncos in rushing last year with 947 yards. Still, he described his rookie season as only OK. He did not have a 100-yard rushing game and averaged only 3.8 yards per carry. He had seven touchdown runs and two touchdown receptions.
“When you’re out there on the field, you’re going to go with your instincts. Watching that film, you just see a lot of different things that you could have done,” Moreno said.
The recent film study has taught the former Georgia star what he needs to work on during the offseason. He said Tuesday he has not missed any of the Broncos’ voluntary conditioning workouts — and is focusing on getting faster and stronger and into better cardiovascular shape.
“Not much you can do now but work out and get your body ready,” Moreno said.
Perhaps no Bronco could benefit from a full offseason of training as much as Moreno.
As the No. 1 running back on many teams’ draft boards last spring, he was exhausted from traveling and workouts by the time the draft arrived in late April. He participated in several minicamps with the Broncos in May and June, but he was the last player to arrive for training camp after an eight-day contract holdout.
Moreno hurt his knee on his second carry during the Broncos’ first preseason game and didn’t play again until the regular-season opener. He also dealt with a wrist injury in late November and an ankle injury in December, but never missed a regular-season game.
“I think those are things players have to deal with all the time, injuries and missing practice,” Denver coach Josh McDaniels said last month. “I’m certainly not going to sit here and say that he wouldn’t have benefited from practices.”
Moreno said he tried to maintain his health but did “get a little worn down” by the end of the season.
“But at the same time, I was feeling good, I was still having fun,” he said.
Perhaps the largest knock on Moreno’s rookie season was his lack of big plays. Moreno, known for his flashy highlight reel-worthy runs during his college career at Georgia, did the bulk of his work in Denver between the tackles. He broke only two runs longer than 20 yards (28 yards against Washington and 36 yards against San Diego, both in November).
“I guess it was a combination of a lot of things. Some misreads, and things just move so fast, who knows,” Moreno said. “I’m going to try to get better.”
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
