“Ronnie Hillman is like a bad penny,” according to Benny Bash of The Big Show on Mile High Sports AM 1340. “He keeps coming up heads.”
Hillman was the topic of discussion across much of Denver between Friday and Monday following his 66-yard effort on eight carries against the Seahawks in the preseason opener, including the hot topic of debate on The Big Show. Hillman, a 2012 third-round draft pick, has managed to eke his way onto the Broncos roster each year, according to the guys on The Big Show, but finds a way to disappoint when the regular season arrives. Hillman, whose lifetime stats include 982 yards and five touchdowns on 246 attempts, looked strong once again in the preseason, ripping off a 23-yard gain against the Seattle defense on Friday – the longest rush of the game for either side.
In fairness to Hillman, during his three years in the league he’s played in a system that was not exactly designed to provide big numbers for running backs. It was only after Denver abandoned their Peyton Manning-focused offense (and their sanity) late last season that the ground attack started producing any noticeable stats – albeit mostly from C.J. Anderson. Surprisingly, Hillman and Anderson had the same number of 100-yard rushing games last season (two), but Anderson won the lion’s share of praise thanks to the 849 yards he posted through what was essentially the second half.
Anderson went down early in the preseason matchup with Seattle, and Hillman took advantage of the opportunity. After the game, head coach Gary Kubiak said this about his veteran running back:
We ran the ball well in the first half and Ronnie (Hillman) had a lot to do with that. Ronnie’s got that gear, maybe that the other guys in our group don’t have in terms of getting the ball to the edge and those type of things. In some of the zones we had tonight, the ball needed to get to the edge and he got it there. So Ronnie has had a really good camp. He has been impressive in training camp. And lo and behold you usually show up and play well. It’s good to see it’s carrying over for him.
Still, the guys from The Big Show say they’ve been down this road before with Hillman. Check out their full analysis, plus their take on the surprising play of Bennie Fowler, in the podcast below.
Listen to The Big Show every weekday from 2p-4p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 or Listen Live anytime for the best local coverage of what’s new and what’s next in Colorado sports.
