Nathaniel Hackett wants to get Melvin Gordon in a groove.
“We’re talking about all that stuff,” Hackett said. “We want to be sure we get Melvin going. At the same time, we want to be sure all those guys are going. When you have three guys that you don’t mind giving the ball to, you get excited when they have the ball in their hands, and they’re making big plays and running people over and all that stuff.”
Last week, Hackett wasn’t able to get all three of his running backs going. Latavius Murray got the bulk of the work, with 15 carries. Gordon carried the rock three times and picked up eight yards. He didn’t touch the ball in the second quarter or beyond.
“In the third quarter, we didn’t have a lot of football plays,” Hackett said. “We were going three and out. Our plan was to get into manageable third-down situations to be able to move the ball and control the clock. We did, and we just didn’t convert on third down. When you are 29 percent on third-down, that’s a hard recipe for success. When it comes to the running back play, we need to look at that and sit there and say—if somebody’s doing a really good job, and I think Latavius [Murray] was doing a fine job, he had the opportunity to go another series. Then we just didn’t have a lot of plays. We want all those guys, we need all those guys, and we have to be sure they are all on the field.”
The Broncos ran 32 plays in the second half. For a team that averages 62 per game, that’s a pretty solid number. Was there really not enough work to go around?
The Broncos’ running back situation has fluctuated all season. They came into the year with Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon, one of the best duos in the NFL, but adversity hit quickly. Gordon fumbled four times in the first four games of the season. After the fourth fumble, Gordon’s future with the team could have been in doubt. But shortly after that fumble, Williams tore his ACL. Gordon, for a short time, was the clear top option, with Mike Boone as the No. 2. Then Denver added 32-year-old Latavius Murray into the mix, and he took over the top spot.
On Monday night, Gordon appeared to be upset on the sideline in the second half when he was left without a role. On Wednesday he said he was frustrated with his team’s performance and the way the game was going, not about his own playing time.
“People made it seem like I was just mad, kind of standoffish, but if you were really paying attention, that wasn’t the case,” Gordon said.
Nathaniel Hackett said that he’d met with Gordon this week to talk about his role against the Chargers. He wouldn’t share the details of the conversation with reporters.
Gordon was asked whether Hackett told him why he didn’t play more.
“Yeah,” Gordon said. “Kind of, sort of, yeah.”
The situation is murky. Whether Gordon, Murray or Boone is the guy could change a handful of times over the next few months.
But Hackett made an announcement on Thursday: Gordon will be the starter against the Jets this weekend.
