The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... Ball is a smart young man. With level-headed consideration, he fully understands his place on the Broncos’ depth chart, and in the offensive plans at the moment. "I know for a fact they’re not going to hand it to me, they’re going to make sure we all get our opportunities throughout camp and throughout OTAs. … But it’s going to be who’s the most productive," Ball said. "But for me, my mentality is that it is my job."

Diehards Line: While Ball is saying the right thing, ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold notes that with Knowshon Moreno now in Miami and Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson the only other backs on the roster with an NFL carry on their resumes, "it doesn’t exactly take mind-bending calculus to do the math." And that’s fine with the Broncos, who envisioned what Ball is right now as the team begins its offseason program, when they selected him in the second round of last April’s draft -- a starting running back. That said, however, Ball already knows first-hand what being tabbed a starter in April really means in the framework of how things go when the games actually get played. Last season the Broncos spent most of their offseason work with Hillman, a third-round pick in the 2012 draft, installed as the starter at running back, with plenty of plans built for Hillman's big-play potential. But it was Moreno who wound up earning the starting job due to his versatility and pass-blocking skills. And that’s the way it stayed as Moreno topped 1,000 yards rushing to go with 60 receptions. ... So yes, Ball is clearly the favorite to win the starting job and no; fantasy football owners shouldn't take anything for granted. We'll certainly continue following closely.