DENVER — His endearing throwback ‘fro that sits upon a friendly smile and unimposing kid-next-door frame that bounces when he walks and talks makes Phillip Lindsay unique.
He'd be a favorite of Broncos fans if he grew up in New Jersey and played his college ball at Kansas.
As a Broncos’ 1,000-yard running back, though, Lindsay is the latest on a list of common, replaceable parts.
Sure it stings Lindsay knowing he overcame all odds to start his NFL career with back-to-back, 1,000-yard rushing seasons, only to be effectively demoted in year three in favor of Melvin Gordon.
A look at the history of Broncos’ previous 1,000-yard rushers, though, suggests the blow could have been worse. Way worse.
Take a look at the Broncos’ 1,000-yard rushers prior to Lindsay:
*C.J. Anderson rushed for 1,007 yards in 2017, only to be released three months later.
*Knowshon Moreno mixed in 1,038 rushing yards during Peyton Manning’s record-breaking passing season of 2013. The Broncos made no attempt to stop Moreno from free agency after that season as they already had him replaced him with Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.
Moreno blew his knee out three games into the 2014 season with the Dolphins and never played again, cruelly justifying the Broncos’ decision to dump their 1,000-yard rusher.
*Willis McGahee rushed for 1,199 yards in the Tebow season of 2011. He was on pace for another 1,000-yard season in 2012 when he busted up his leg and knee in game 10.
McGahee made the mistake of believing he was worth more than the $2.5 million he was scheduled to make in 2013. He was released on the eve of the team’s mandatory minicamp that year and was replaced by Moreno.
*Tatum Bell rushed for 1,025 yards for the Broncos in 2006. Two months later, he was traded to Detroit in the Dre’ Bly deal.
*Mike Anderson was the Broncos’ 1,000-yard rusher in 2005. He was released after that season in part because the team wanted to promote Bell from 1B back to 1A.
*Reuben Droughns was the Broncos’ feel-good surprise of 2004, rushing for 1,240 yards after he hadn’t compiled 100 yards in his first three seasons combined.
After that 2004 season, though, Droughns was told he wouldn’t be guaranteed a starting job in 2005. So he asked for, and received, a trade to Cleveland. Mike Anderson and Bell followed him up with back-to-back, 1,000-yard seasons.
*If Clinton Portis can become expendable after the first two seasons he had with the Broncos, then no running back is sacred.
Selected in the second round of the 2002 draft to replace the retired Terrell Davis, Portis rushed for 1,508 yards and 15 touchdowns as a rookie, and 1,591 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2003.
He was a Fantasy League superstar just as Fantasy Leagues were booming.
Yet, after only his second season with the Broncos, Portis was dealt to Washington in exchange for cornerback Champ Bailey and a second-round draft pick that turned out to be Tatum Bell.
Think about that. A running back was so valued in the early 2000s, the Broncos got a Hall of Fame cornerback and a second-round pick in return. That would never happen today. Today, the Broncos would have had to trade Portis and a high-round draft pick in exchange for the league’s best young cornerback.
*Prior to Portis, the Broncos’ 1,000-yard rushing seasons were turned in by Mike Anderson in 2000, Olandis Gary in 1999 and Davis in 1998.
Davis had 2,008 yards to win the NFL MVP in 1998, but blew out his knee four games into 1999. Gary replaced him and rushed for 1,159 yards as a rookie in 1999, only to blow out his knee in the 2000 opener.
Anderson, a 27-year-old rookie and former U.S. Marine, replaced Gary and rushed for 1,487 yards.
For his thanks, Anderson was demoted to back-up behind Davis in 2001, Portis in 2002-03 and Droughns in 2004 before he finally got another chance in 2005. Did his 1,000 and got fired.
*And don’t even start with Bobby Humphrey. After starting his career with back-to-back, 1,000-yards seasons, Humphrey held out into the 1991 season. Gaston Green stepped in and rushed for 1,037 yards and Humphrey’s career was finished 20 games and a little more than 500 yards later.
So was it a tough deal for Lindsay when the Broncos signed Gordon to a two-year, virtually fully guaranteed $16 million contract to become the team’s new No. 1 running back? No doubt.
But was it unprecedented? Not even close.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Sports
