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What can the Broncos do to improve its rushing attack?

Oct 21, 2016, 8:31 PM | Updated: 9:54 pm

The Denver Broncos have struggled to run the ball for most of this season, though they started out with a good game against the Carolina Panthers. In that contest, running back C.J. Anderson compiled 92 rushing yards on 20 carries and scored one rushing touchdown. He followed that game up with a 74-yard performance (also on 20 carries) against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.

Since then, Anderson’s be st game on the ground has been 49 yards (against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

With the running game struggling, the entire Broncos offense has had problems — especially over the last two weeks. The Broncos offense hasn’t looked the same with more film on its offense as the season goes on.

Teams are squatting on the short routes and daring the passing game to go deep. They’re able to do that because linebackers are staying inside where the cutback lanes should be. Instead, they’re stuffing the run regularly, and that filters down through the whole offense.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak points to lack of opportunity — at least early in games — in gettting the ground game on track.

“We have to find ways to stay on the field. You’re not going to run the ball well if you’re not on the field, and that’s been a problem right now, especially in the first half,” Kubiak said. “I think we came out with a five-yard average running the ball, but it’s very deceiving. They were draws. They weren’t first- and second-down plays, which we have to get better at. I think we have to give ‘Book’ (Devontae Booker) some opportunities; he’s doing some good stuff. We have to all get better and that starts up front.”

What can the Broncos do to improve their rushing attack? Let’s take a look.

Get Anderson into a rhythm

The team needs to get Anderson into a rhythm. So far this year, Anderson ranks 13th in the NFL with 94 rushing attempts. However, Anderson only ranks 20th in rushing yards (330 yards) gained this season.

Anderson gave an honest assessment of the problems on the ground.

“It’s a technique thing. It goes back to the communication with myself and the o-line. It’s back to just trying to find spots and pick them. It’s also the backfield, myself and ‘Book,’ being special, stepping out of more tackles, breaking more tackles and finding way to create those bigger plays. It’s on all of us, and we’ve definitely sat there,” Anderson said. ‘

“We had two weeks to grade ourselves on and Monday we graded ourselves really hard. We probably hurt a couple of guys’ feelings. That’s what you need. We are definitely looking to get back on track this week and it’s a great way to start.”

During the past two years, Anderson has been much better in the second half of the season than in the first.

This year, Anderson has 330 yards and a 3.5 yards per carry average. Last year over the first eight games, Anderson had just 315 yards and a 3.6 yards per carry average.

In 2015, Anderson finished off the final eight games with 405 yards and a whopping 6.3 yards per carry.

Can he do it again this year? If he gets into a rhythm, there’s no reason to think he won’t increase his production.

Use Booker more

We should see rookie running back Devontae Booker used more going forward. The rookie fell to the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft due to a meniscus injury that required two surgeries to properly repair. The Broncos may have gotten quite the steal in the draft with the selection of Booker — my third-highest graded running back in this class (behind Ezekiel Elliott and Derrick Henry).

Kubiak has praised Booker often throughout the season, and now it seems like we’re finally going to see more of him in the game plan.

“I just think when he’s had some opportunities he’s done some really good things. As a young player we’re trying to get him going as far as protection and those type of things. He’s starting the handle himself better,” Kubiak said.

“I think he deserves some more opportunities to touch the football and when he’s had the opportunities he’s done some good stuff.”

Booker’s first carry in the NFL resulted in a fumble. He’s shaken off a bad first game (missed a block in pass-protection that led to a Trevor Siemian interception) and has steadily improved each week.

The snap count for Booker has been uneven during the first six games of the year. In the game against the San Diego Chargers, Booker was on the field for only 15 snaps. That number should rise — and perhaps even double — as the team wants to get the rookie more involved.

Run outside the tackles

One concept that has been curiously missing from the ground game is runs to the outside.

The Broncos utilize a zone-blocking system, and that requires lateral movement of the line after the snap with an effort to create cutback lanes. In order to get those cutback lanes, linebackers at the second level of the defense must overplay the outside run. If they stay toward the inside — as opponents are doing —there is no cutback lane to run toward.

To move those linebackers, the Broncos should start running outside more.

So far this season, Anderson has only eight carries outside the left or right tackle. That number ranks 42nd in the NFL, and it’s exactly 30 carries fewer outside the tackles than Ezekiel Elliott has had with the Cowboys. Elliott is the league leader with 38 carries outside the tackles, and he has run for 197 yards and a 5.18-yard average.

Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson leads the league with 211 rushing yards compiled outside the tackles while Anderson has a mere 24 yards.

I asked Anderson if he wants to run the ball more outside going forward.

“I don’t know. It’s really been execution. It’s not really scheme. There’s not a play that I’ve been like, ‘Hey, this is going to be a bad play.’ It’s all been a good play, especially what we put on the practice field,” Anderson said.

“It’s really about execution from my point, from the o-line standpoint, from the tight ends and receivers. If we can execute it then we can run the ball, we can toss it, we can run it right up the middle, run it outside zone, inside zone, etc.”

For those who think Anderson is not fast enough to run outside, let me share these numbers with you. When coming out of California, Anderson recorded a 4.50 40-yard dash at the 2013 NFL Combine. When Johnson and Elliott performed at their combines, they recorded times of 4.50 seconds (Johnson) and 4.47 seconds (Elliott).

Anderson — and Booker — can run the ball outside. They only need the chance to do so.

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What can the Broncos do to improve its rushing attack?