Turns out they didn't have to draft Wisconsin running back Montee Ball to accomplish that feat.
Schein: Time is now for Peyton
Adam Schein says the window is closing on Peyton Manning's chance to land a legacy-securing second Super Bowl title. **More ...**
Ronnie Hillman, who was lucky to tip the scales at 180 pounds by January, is pushing 200 pounds in his quest to get more playing time in 2013. That extra mass and muscle should help him better take on blitzers and linebackers in his second season in the NFL.
Hillman's rookie season was marred by a pulled hamstring in camp and weight loss during the season, two factors that combined to keep him from honing his blitz pickup skills that are a prerequisite for playing alongside quarterback Peyton Manning.
So, Hillman hit the weights over the winter, working out this offseason at Athletic Gaines in Los Angeles, where Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahaws, Reggie Bush of the Detroit Lions and Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars also train.
At 20, Hillman was the youngest player in the league last year, and he got off to a sputtering start. He finished with 330 yards and a touchdown to go with a 3.9-yard average.
When Knowshon Moreno joined Willis McGahee on the sideline with a knee injury in that playoff game against the Ravens, the Broncos turned to Hillman, who carried 22 times for 83 yards without a fumble but couldn't get first downs in the fourth quarter to run out the clock. The Broncos lost in double overtime.
"We're really counting on him this year to have more of a role in the offense," Manning said. "Last year they kind of had a rotation and he had a certain amount of snaps that he was going to get. I definitely see that role increasing.
Not losing that added bulk as the season grinds on will be key. Also important is being able to handle the blitzers coming after Manning, and he's making progress there, too, offensive coordinator Adam Gase said. The added size will help.
Hillman said he doesn't think his added bulk will sap any of his speed. He also has a renewed appreciation for stretching because, he said, he never really recovered last year from that pulled hamstring last summer.
With Ball buried in the playbook and McGahee absent from the "voluntary" OTAs, Hillman ran with the starters this week. By adding Ball, a second-round pick, and free agents Wes Welker and Louis Vasquez, the Broncos have beefed up their offense and plan to pick up the pace in 2013.
"It's going to be something," Hillman said. "I think it's going to be a great thing, it lets us just get out there and play fast. A lot of people can't keep up with our team. We're a fast team."
Bulkier, too.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press
