Today’s questions about the Broncos come from Brad Hovden.
Q: How come (former Broncos coach Mike) Shanahan is the only one who figured out how to utilize Eddie Royal? Josh McDaniels couldn’t figure it out, and it seems like this season’s Broncos are headed down the same path. He needs to be in slot more; it seems to me he isn’t as effective outside. Am I missing something?
A: Brad, Royal didn’t play Sunday because of a groin injury and may need some more time before he’s back in the lineup. He practiced some on a limited basis last week, but that type of injury can be difficult to predict.
On any given week, he will have to show he’s full speed at least by Friday to get into a Sunday game. He had two receptions in the season opener for 33 yards and then had two catches against the Bengals before he was injured early in the game.
Royal was a Shanahan draft pick, so he was selected by a top offensive coach at that time to fit what the team was doing on offense. The result was a 91-catch season as a rookie.
Shanahan said he felt Royal could play both on the outside and in the slot because of his ability against man-to-man coverage. Shanahan called him the best receiver against press coverage on the board in the 2008 draft.
So, he fit that West Coast system, with the route tree — the collection of pass routes for the receivers on each play — that made the most of his skills. The result was his single-season career highs in catches, receiving yards, yards per catch, receiving touchdowns and 100-yard games, all in that rookie season.
He struggled mightily at times in the offense during McDaniels’ two seasons as head coach, finishing the 2009 season without a touchdown catch despite playing in 14 games, and starting 12.
Last season, after McDaniels said the team needed to get him the ball far more, Royal fared better at times, getting back to 59 catches with three touchdowns even with the emergence of Brandon Lloyd as a Pro Bowl player on the other side.
There are many in the league who believe Royal’s increased special-teams work — he returned 30 punts in 2009 and 25 punts in 2010 to go with 26 and five kickoffs, respectively, in those seasons — subjected him to more punishment than he faced as a rookie and that it had a cumulative effect on what he did on offense.
He had returned just 12 punts as a rookie to go with 23 kickoffs. Some players have pulled double duty through the years — being starters and the team’s top returner — but some players simply don’t fare as well in the dual role.
Some of the difficulty is Royal’s ability as a returner is attractive given he has performed well doing the job in his career. So, teams seeking impact in the return game so they can have improved field position for the offense will be inclined to send him out there.
To get the most from him on offense, they may have to simply let him play offense and be a returner in an emergency situations only.
He has dealt with several injuries, including a hurt hip during the entire 2010 season — he had surgery this past offseason — so his health has been an issue too.
The Broncos would like to get him in the offense, and the current regime appears inclined to play him in the slot as often as possible.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
