You'll hear some talk about John Fox hesitating to give big workloads to rookie running backs. That would be a concern for Montee Ball this season, if you believe Fox actually runs the team.
Fox is the head coach and no doubt called the shots in Carolina, but now his quarterback is Peyton Manning, and it's unlikely anything happens in Denver's offense that doesn't have Manning's stamp of approval. So it sounds awfully promising for Ball's rookie outlook that he's working closely with Manning at OTAs.
"We're just kind of going through plays, going through games, getting him comfortable hearing audibles at the line of scrimmage. Because we are going to count on him in a big way this year," Manning said. "He's a rookie, but coach (John) Fox isn't going to bring him along slowly."
Willis McGahee and Knowshon Moreno? McGahee isn't attending OTAs, working out and rehabbing in Miami. Moreno hasn't been cleared to practice after suffering a knee injury in the playoff loss to Baltimore.
Stuff can change, but we're pretty comfortable that Ball will make an early impact with the Broncos. Manning seems to think so.
--Andy Richardson