Opinion: Veteran Pittman is Broncos' best RB option

ENGLEWOOD • Signing Michael Pittman made Travis Henry expendable.

Actually, it was Henry's lack of commitment to football that made him expendable to the Denver Broncos.

Henry had the talent to lead the NFL in rushing. He obviously mastered the talent of not caring enough, too.

Henry's loyalty to things not football has given Pittman, an 11-year veteran, a chance to show he still can be a productive running back.

There's one certainty about Pittman - today he is the most complete running back the Broncos have.

He's better than Selvin Young, Mike Bell, Cecil Sapp, Andre Hall or anybody else the team calls a running back.

"He's got great hands," running backs coach Bobby Turner said. "He's an excellent route runner. He can read coverages. He's excellent in the classroom."

Notice how there wasn't talk about Pittman's running ability? Granted, Turner did talk about that moments later. But when one thinks of the 33-year-old Pittman, versatility is high in the thought process.

Pittman, who missed six games last season because of an ankle injury, can pick up a blitz or two. He can catch and he can run. And he became expendable when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up Warrick Dunn and Michael Bennett.

Pittman has rushed for 5,307 yards and has 415 receptions for 3,400 yards in 10 seasons.

"I've kept my body healthy because I'm a competitor, and that's what has kept me in this league for so long," Pittman said. "I'm here to compete with the young guys. Everybody's hungry. Everybody wants to start, of course. I want to start, too."

If the season started today, Pittman's my starter. That's not saying that Pittman is great - just more complete than his competition.

In his best season in Tampa Bay, Pittman rushed for a career-high 926 yards and caught 41 passes for 391 yards in 13 games. But the Buccaneers' Super Bowl victory over the Oakland Raiders in 2003 is why many might remember Pittman.

He ran roughshod over the Raiders, dropping 124 yards on a defense that was supposed to be able to stop the run.

Buccaneers defensive back Dexter Jackson earned MVP honors that game. Remember, Rich Gannon threw five interceptions.

The Buccaneers defense - as a unit - could've been the MVP.
But I didn't see a Buccaneers player cause more havoc to the Raiders than Pittman.

It's hard to tell if Pittman still has that ability. They haven't put on pads yet. They haven't gone to blows.

"They didn't tell me anything; they didn't promise me anything," he said. "They didn't even promise me a spot on this team. They have high expectations.

"It's all about opportunities. And when I get the opportunity to put these pads on in the preseason and showcase my talent, I'll show them I'm still hungry. And we'll see what happens after that."

What happens after that is up in the air. We've seen in the past that coach Mike Shanahan changes his mind as much as the Colorado weather.

"This is the system that got me into the NFL in the first place," Pittman said. "Just line up in a ‘I' and run the rock until they stop us."

That might be what Pittman wants. But the Broncos didn't get him because of that. They got him because he's complete.