Broncos sign RB Bruce Hall

by John Bena on Feb 8, 2010 9:13 PM MST in Denver Broncos Roster Moves Comment 26 comments

The Denver Broncos on Monday signed free-agent running back Bruce Hall, it was announced.

Hall (5-foot-11, 205 pounds), who entered the NFL with Buffalo as a college free agent in 2008, is a second-year player who spent the majority of his two seasons on the Bills' practice squad. He was signed to the Bills' active roster and dressed but did not play in Buffalo's 2008 season finale against New England.

Hall, 24, split time as a running back and quarterback in college at the University of Mississippi (2006-07) after spending time at Northeast Community College (2005), Troy University (2004) and Wake Forest (2003). Hall totaled 416 yards and a touchdown on 85 carries (4.9 avg.) while adding 15 catches for 149 yards (9.9 avg.) and one score in 23 games over two seasons at Mississippi.

He was an all-state selection at Northeast Community College (Norfolk, Neb.) in 2003 and earned the Offensive Backs Most Valuable Player Award after passing for 1,003 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for nearly 300 yards. He worked on Troy's scout team while having to sit out due to the NCAA transfer rule in 2004. Hall redshirted as a true freshman at Wake Forest in 2003.

Hall attended Milton High School in Orlando, Fla., where he ranked No. 45 on the Orlando Sentinel's Top 100 Florida prospects list. He totaled 5,646 passing yards and 61 touchdowns while completing 357-of-650 pass attempts during his career. He also contributed 476 carries for 2,534 yards and 31 touchdowns. He led the team to the district championship as a junior.

Bruce Tarahn Christopher Hall, who majored in exercise science at Mississippi, was born March 18, 1985, in Milton, Fla.

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Interesting

a combination running back/quarterback.

Does this lend it self to the possibility of some RB passes (ala LT)?

Thanks for fleshing out the original announcement of Hall’s signing.

We live in an age when instant gratification isn't fast enough

by BShrout on Feb 8, 2010 9:20 PM MST reply actions

Is that picture really the kind of image we want to be associated with our new RB? lol

If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.
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by kentuckybronco on Feb 8, 2010 9:23 PM MST reply actions

It made me chuckle...

I couldn’t help myself…

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by John Bena on Feb 8, 2010 9:26 PM MST up reply actions

lol ah bena.....

always the jokester :-P

This is interesting news…what does it mean for buckhalter? I would assume it means nothing about moreno though….

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
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by DenBronx on Feb 8, 2010 9:41 PM MST up reply actions

It means nothing. Hall’s never been more than a PS guy. I’d anticipate the same thing in Denver. The Bills didn’t even sign him to a future’s contract but his old RB coach Studesville thought enough of him to bring him in.

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by MattRichWarren on Feb 9, 2010 4:29 AM MST up reply actions

+1

no goats, no glory.

by Colinski on Feb 9, 2010 8:05 AM MST up reply actions

LOL that's great

We live in an age when instant gratification isn't fast enough

by BShrout on Feb 8, 2010 9:44 PM MST up reply actions

i guess at least we didn't sign their fullback (not pictured here).

by oxmouth on Feb 8, 2010 9:28 PM MST up reply actions

Hm maybe this has something to do with Studesville...

Eddie Royal will have a breakout season in 2010. Count on it.

by stedtfeld on Feb 8, 2010 10:03 PM MST reply actions

most definitley

We just went over our RB quota for training camp, featuring Moreno, Buck, Hillis, Larsen, Jordan, Ball and now Hall.

From a roster standpoint I will assume that this means Larsen will be seeing more time at ILB, as far as practicing goes, which could be a vote of confidence for Hillis going forward. If Larsen is needed at FB in the future, we will likely see movement in the backfield roster around that point.

This indicates to me that Denver is done looking at RBs this offseason. The only one we might think about cutting is Jordan, but at only $1.2 mil we probably don’t need to. When projecting the 53, we mostly need to see what kind of impact Ball and Hall have in training camp, with the expectation that only one of them will be retained unless someone beats out Jordan for a roster spot. For all intents and purposes, the RB/FB decision tree is relatively settled.

Of interest is that this may have an effect on the McClain discussions. Colinski and I were talking elsewhere about how having Larsen on the roster in his current capacity is like carrying one less ILB. Not anymore. We could officially be said to be carrying 6 ILBs now, which maxes us out for training camp. These numbers are not set in stone, of course, and are quite fudgable, but every tweak of the numbers has a trickle down effect felt throughout the rest of the roster positions, which can only be absorbed by low personnel positional units, and only inasmuch as those units can get by with less. The question then becomes, do you want to carry one less interior lineman? The answer will almost always be no, so the expected roster numbers are usually good guides.

Precision in thought, concision in style, decision in life.

"That's MR.Styg..."

by Jeremy Bolander on Feb 8, 2010 10:59 PM MST up reply actions

To me it looks like the end for Mr Jordan.

by bfree2bronc on Feb 8, 2010 11:12 PM MST up reply actions

Hoping this is (will be) true!

-Stick to the fight when you are hardest hit - it's when things seem worst that you must not quit!

by BroncoSense72 on Feb 9, 2010 7:18 AM MST up reply actions

+1

by oxmouth on Feb 9, 2010 11:20 AM MST up reply actions

agree on most points, styg

But I disagree that this makes much difference for McClain. I know that the draft approach will be different this year due to time in town for McDaniels, but I really don’t think they’ll go into the draft with slots open for exactly the positions they expect to draft. I think that McX will probably fill the roster as much as possible with the best players available at each position and view the draft as a chance to upgrade. Sure there are likely to be vacancies leading into the draft, but that’s to be expected due to available talent that is interested in playing for Denver.

I think we go BPA or trade back at 10/11. Regardless of position for the most part (obviously we will probably not take players from a handful of positions where we’re set or the value just isn’t there.).

by BroncosBassist on Feb 9, 2010 5:36 AM MST up reply actions

sounds good to me...

I think you are exactly right.

Precision in thought, concision in style, decision in life.

"That's MR.Styg..."

by Jeremy Bolander on Feb 9, 2010 11:04 PM MST up reply actions

This is a great move! I knew we were always one player away from a superbowl!!!!!

Now we have the final piece!!!

by Calibroncoboy on Feb 8, 2010 11:08 PM MST reply actions 1 recs

hahahaha

Yeah a runningback to thrrow in the wild horses formation. TC Fodder

... if you have a belief, you will tend to find things that support it. But if you have a prejudice, you’ll move heaven and earth to maintain it. BroncoBear

by 3nS on Feb 9, 2010 9:56 AM MST up reply actions

Talk about versatility

almost a 10 yard per catch average,almost a 5 yard per rush average and 1 touchdown pass for every 100 passing yards.Maybe he can do a little coaching too.

by Broncolorado on Feb 8, 2010 11:54 PM MST reply actions

Get Rid of Lamont Jordan

He’s of little worth at this juncture and it appears Bruce Hall will be of more value than him. Judging by Hall’s versatility, he should be a great asset to the Broncos, but we’ll see what happens.

Brad James

by the new Bradfather on Feb 9, 2010 1:04 AM MST reply actions

How do you scout these practice squad players?

Are we able to get practice footage? If he hasn’t played in a meaningful game, how can we know what improvements he’s made since college? Very odd.

by legendarywalton on Feb 9, 2010 11:38 AM MST reply actions

I'm thinking Studesville is probably familiar with him & his capabilities

We live in an age when instant gratification isn't fast enough

by BShrout on Feb 9, 2010 12:28 PM MST up reply actions

That's a lot of faith in a coach that just came over.

If McDaniels hired him, it makes sense that he’d trust his opinion. Still, I’d like to see some footage before making any moves— there’s plenty of late round talent to be had.

by legendarywalton on Feb 9, 2010 2:44 PM MST up reply actions

It seems to be McDaniels' pattern

He brought in Fields on the word of Nolan.

We live in an age when instant gratification isn't fast enough

by BShrout on Feb 9, 2010 7:47 PM MST up reply actions

Wow, he has the same birthday as me.

It must be fate!

"All by their heads, he places crowns."

Matt Prater, pre-2009 season: Despised, lambasted, Josh McDaniels is derided for not replacing him.
Matt Prater, post-2009 season: Loved, praised, everone forgets the time when they called Josh McDaniels an idiot for not replacing him.

by Tempestuous Binary on Feb 9, 2010 4:31 PM MST reply actions

LOL

We live in an age when instant gratification isn't fast enough

by BShrout on Feb 9, 2010 7:47 PM MST up reply actions

4 colleges in 4 years?

I am far from an expert, but Hall’s 4 different colleges in 4 years makes me a little nervous.

I would be interested to hear the thoughts of those wiser then myself.

Does it point to on-field problems, off-field problems? An ego that thinks he is better then his abilities? Injuries? I simply do not know, but it makes me nervous.

by crazy_urn on Feb 10, 2010 3:58 PM MST reply actions