In the fourth quarter of last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime lost a fumble. That marked the rookie’s second career fumble on just his ninth career carry.
Estime obviously can’t keep that kind of pace up if he wants to stick around in the NFL. To help the rookie prepare for this week’s game against the Carolina Panthers, veteran Javonte Williams gave Estime a fitting gift this week.
“Javonte has given him a present today where he’ll have a ball for a week whenever he goes,” coach Sean Payton said after Wednesday’s practice. “I think it happens to young backs a lot because at this level, the ability for players and the point of emphasis of taking the ball away, it steps up a lot. Historically speaking, it wasn’t really until the ’90s where Lovie Smith and there were a handful of coaches that began to value the takeaway maybe over not necessarily the proper tackle, but they understood. Then it quickly caught on to our league.
“In other words, the (former NFL CB) Peanut Tillmans, and you just saw what it did to a game. I think it’s coached every… We try to as best we can with these young players give them up-the-river medicine. In other words, before there’s a problem, but now he’s someone where if we’re scouting him, is someone who’s fumbled. Now it’s you kind of have to earn your way out of that, and he will.”
Estime has totaled 56 yards on his nine carries thus far, good for a productive 6.2 yards per carry average. Now the Broncos just need him to hang onto the ball. Williams is hoping giving Estime a ball to carry around all week will help the rookie going into Sunday’s game against the Panthers.
