Broncos' Ronnie Hillman says being benched was justified

[Denver Native (Carol)]

After fumbling in the first quarter Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, Broncos rookie running back Ronnie Hillman was benched by coach John Fox the rest of the game.

"I made a mistake, I'm living with it," Hillman said after practice Wednesday. "I'm not going to be mad about it. What he did was justified."

Although it was Hillman's only lost fumble of the season, he was replaced in the backup role by veterans Lance Ball and Jacob Hester, who combined for 111 yards on 22 carries against the Chiefs. Hillman finished his rookie season with 330 yards rushing on 85 carries, a 3.9-yard average.

rest plus other stuff - http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_22301032/broncos-ronnie-hillman-says-being-benched-was-justified

[BroncoWave]

I guess his mentality isn't as fragile as some on here said it might be. I think he will learn from this and be a better player in the playoffs.

[NightTerror218]

nice maturity, nice coming from the youngest guy in NFL.

[Chef Zambini]

I miss bobby turner.

[Superchop 7]

He is a weapon, I love that the Broncos got a guy with his skillset. Would have preferred Lamichael James....but....if you cant draft very well......plan B aint bad.

[MOtorboat]

He is a weapon, I love that the Broncos got a guy with his skillset. Would have preferred Lamichael James....but....if you cant draft very well......plan B aint bad.

Meh, Hillman's numbers are better than James'. Both were third string.

[pipes]

I think it's odd that Moreno fumbled and got sat down for weeks.
Ball fumbled and his offensive playing time diminished.
Hillman fumbled then got benched for the rest of the last game of the season that could have been used for some excellent experience.

And yet, McGahee fumbled an AFC runningback high 5 times. (Tied w/ Charles but way fewer carries)
-and nothing, no benching?! McGahee was great last year and was off to a pretty good start this year....but had serious fumblitis!

[Ravage!!!]

I think it's odd that Moreno fumbled and got sat down for weeks.
Ball fumbled and his offensive playing time diminished.
Hillman fumbled then got benched for the rest of the last game of the season that could have been used for some excellent experience.

And yet, McGahee fumbled an AFC runningback high 5 times. (Tied w/ Charles but way fewer carries)
-and nothing, no benching?! McGahee was great last year and was off to a pretty good start this year....but had serious fumblitis!

but was our best ball carrier by far. Manning threw for 4 INTs in a quarter, and he didnt' get benched. Plus, moreno didn't get benched for weeks because of just a fumble.

[chazoe60]

He is a weapon, I love that the Broncos got a guy with his skillset. Would have preferred Lamichael James....but....if you cant draft very well......plan B aint bad.

Oh FFS!

[BroncoWave]

but was our best ball carrier by far. Manning threw for 4 INTs in a quarter, and he didnt' get benched. Plus, moreno didn't get benched for weeks because of just a fumble.

It amazes me that people don't realize that better players get a longer leash on turnovers. When a marginal player like Hillman can't hang onto the ball he doesn't really have a whole lot of value on the field.

[pipes]

but was our best ball carrier by far. Manning threw for 4 INTs in a quarter, and he didnt' get benched. Plus, moreno didn't get benched for weeks because of just a fumble.

I realize that McGahee was running the best, but Moreno was doing ok.
Here is a link that does say he was in fact benched due to the fumble.
http://m.si.com/535938/from-scout-team-to-sundays-broncos-moreno-shining-again/
I realize Denver most likely wanted Hillman to get on the field and Moreno's benching was the easiest way to do that.

I would have thought that in the second half of last week's game would've been the best way to get Hillman more experience.
This could go two ways. 1) motivates Hillman 2) crushes Hillman's confidence

I also understand that star players get a longer leash when it comes to all things including turnovers.
I am a huge McGahee fan and have been since the U. I hope he comes back and runs hard, I just hope he hangs onto the ball better.

[Joker56]

Also, possibly Fox wanted a better look at Hester... so sitting Hillman down was eazy choice ..
Just my silly opinion ...

[Nomad]

Also, possibly Fox wanted a better look at Hester... so sitting Hillman down was eazy choice ..
Just my silly opinion ...

Hester rarely fumbles. He's not the fastest, but you can count on his ball security and getting positive yards.

[Ravage!!!]

I realize that McGahee was running the best, but Moreno was doing ok.
Here is a link that does say he was in fact benched due to the fumble.
http://m.si.com/535938/from-scout-team-to-sundays-broncos-moreno-shining-again/
I realize Denver most likely wanted Hillman to get on the field and Moreno's benching was the easiest way to do that.

I would have thought that in the second half of last week's game would've been the best way to get Hillman more experience.
This could go two ways. 1) motivates Hillman 2) crushes Hillman's confidence

I also understand that star players get a longer leash when it comes to all things including turnovers.
I am a huge McGahee fan and have been since the U. I hope he comes back and runs hard, I just hope he hangs onto the ball better.

The article you posted didn't say that the fumble was the reason that Moreno was benched. It just states that he was benched after the game ine which he did fumble. There could have been many reasons that the coaches did what they did, and this writer didn't address any of them... because that wasn't the point of his article. But it's not a fact, or even suggested as a fact, that the fumble is what caused Moreno to be benched for weeks. It was only a precursor to him being put on the bench.

[Army Bronco]

Also, possibly Fox wanted a better look at Hester... so sitting Hillman down was eazy choice ..
Just my silly opinion ... so true. Hester did a good job. He definitely looks like a short yardage monster.

[Nomad]

so true. Hester did a good job. He definitely looks like a short yardage monster.

He was at LSU and I know I'm repeating myself, but he takes care of the ball.

[Joel]

but was our best ball carrier by far. Manning threw for 4 INTs in a quarter, and he didnt' get benched. Plus, moreno didn't get benched for weeks because of just a fumble.
It was 3; the other turnover was Morenos fumble. However, and once again, interceptions are THREE TIMES more common than fumbles, even without accounting for fumbles on pass plays. That's why 5 fumbles is enough for McGahee to lead the league among running backs but 6 interceptions was a Pro Bowl year for Plummer. Interceptions can't be compared to running back fumbles.

That said, McGahee was an indispensable part of our offense in 2011 and 2010, so we didn't have the option of sticking his nose in a corner and making him think about what he (repeatedly) did. Quite simply, our line run blocked so badly we couldn't afford to bench the only running back on the team who broke tackles consistently (or at all.) His yards after contact were the best in the league last year; the rest of our running backs had practically none. So McGahee stayed in quite a while despite the fumbles. Now that Moreno is running well and staying healthy though....