ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It was the day after the NFL trading deadline expired without the Broncos picking up a skill-position weapon when Sean Payton decided to create one of his own.
Payton let Marvin Mims Jr. know about his new role on the fly.
“It was kind of a random, I want to say a Wednesday morning, about to go in the team meeting, I see coach Payton and he was like, ‘We’ve got some plays for you at running back,’ Mims said this week in an interview with 9NEWS for the Broncos Huddle. “In my mind, I was, ‘OK, whatever. He’s not really going to do it.’ And then you know what? We wound up doing it.
“It was a lot different. I was meeting with the running backs a little bit. Learning different run schemes. For me it was the first time I had been in the box like that. It was pretty cool, it was kind of fun.’’
Initially, he thought Payton’s plan was to have him become a receiver out of the backfield.
“For sure, not as a runner, at all,’’ Mims said. “Not get a handoff.”
Catching the 5th-ranked Kansas City Chiefs’ defense by surprise two weeks ago, Mims took his first handoff from the tailback position to start the second series and gained 4 yards. His second handoff from quarterback Bo Nix started the Broncos’ third possession and picked up 14 yards.
Suddenly, Mims was no longer a receiver who mysteriously rarely got the ball thrown his way. He had become a Swiss Army knife who could run, catch and return.
“We’re trying to create something,’’ Payton said Friday. “We’re trying to utilize some things he does well. You see him do certain things in the return game that lead you to believe he can do certain things in the running game. ... There’s just some stress there. There’s a little ghost element. We threw the touchdown on the screen... I think we always have to be saying, ‘Are we doing everything we can to highlight his strengths?’’
Mims did score his first touchdown of the season on a 12-yard, well-designed screen pass from Nix with 25 seconds remaining in the first half of the Broncos’ 38-6 rout of the Atlanta Falcons last week. He added rushes of 3 and 6 yards in the second half. At 5-foot-11, 182 pounds, Mims isn’t big enough to be a 15-carry-a-game ball carrier.
“I’ve been telling the weight staff, ‘Hey, let’s get my weight up a little bit,’’’ Mims said with a smile. “We’re working on it but it’s not going anywhere right now.”
He does have the speed and second-level vision, though, to be effective an effective running back.
“It’s a lot more studying from the running back (perspective) and watching other team’s film and stuff, but honestly it’s fun,’’ Mim said. “Being out there, looking at the linebackers, guessing what’s going to happen after I release from the backfield or whatever I do. But it’s a lot of fun. I like it.”
Mims is part of a team that even if it doesn’t win another game has already exceeded expectations. The oddsmakers universally listed the Broncos with a 5.5 over/win total prior to the season. Those who believed in the team have already cashed in. The Broncos are 6-5 heading into their game Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas against the rival Raiders.
Better believe the 5.5 win expectation was used for inspiration.
“I’d say coach Payton referenced it in OTAs and stuff,’’ Mims said. “I thought it was a funny thing, honestly, knowing who we had and how we practiced. We had a bunch of young, hungry guys and that’s kept us real hungry throughout the year. And not only that I think we had the second-worst roster in the NFL in the rankings. That’s kept us real motivated this year.”
The Broncos are now in great position to capture the No. 7 AFC playoff seed at the very least. Not only do they lead the 8th-best Indianapolis by a full game, the Broncos have the 2-8 Raiders, 3-8 Browns at home next Monday night, and then after a bye week, the 5-6 Colts at home.
Three highly winnable games.
“It’s going to be an important three weeks,’’ Mims said. “We’re sitting really close to .500 and we’ve to take that next step to get away from it to put ourselves from the bunch. After last game I’m pretty sure we’re feeling really good about that, especially going against a really good Atlanta team. We know who we have coming up. It’s going to be physical battles but I think we’ve got the right people to do it.”
A second-team All Pro and Pro Bowler as a rookie kickoff returner last year, Mims is ranked No. 4 on punt returns this year with a 13.3-yard average. He’s not getting enough kick returns to qualify this year but among those with 5 or more returns he is 13th with a 27.8-yard average.
While he has eight total returns – four on kickoffs, four on punts – of at least 25 yards this season, he knows he has to break one for a touchdown to attain attention for those postseason honors.
“For sure I want to break one, again,’’ Mims said. “It’s been a while. Since the third game last year, I think (a 99-yard scoring return at Miami). We’re fighting for it every week. Coaches are on us week-in and week-out, making sure everybody knows hey not my guy is making the tackle. We’re being real competitive there. It’s a lot of fun to make a difference in the game, get the crowd going and setting it up for offense to get the best field position possible.”
First things, first. The Raiders. What do you think they’re thinking when they watch Mims on film from the past two games?
“They’re going to have to figure some stuff out just with me moving around the offense, getting a lot of different looks and I think that’ll cause some confusion over there and it will take some extra studying just to figure out what they’re going to do,’’ Mims said. “We’ll see what happens Sunday.”
