The Facts: Ball improved during his rookie campaign, but Post staffer Benjamin Hochman was somewhat surprised to hear the RB last week, when asked about wanting the ball as much as possible, whether free-agent to be Knowshon Moreno is around or not. "Of course, obviously I have no idea what's going to happen with him and this organization, but I do want to be a starter, and yeah, I want the football every time," Ball said. "I think I'm going to have a great offseason, and I'm going to have a better season next year for sure."

Diehards Line: As Hochman points out, it's quite possible that next season Ball will be the Broncos primary running back, if Moreno signs with another team. It's much less certain if that will be the case if Moreno somehow sticks around. Ball, who fumbled only twice in 924 carries at Wisconsin, fumbled twice in his first 31 carries in the NFL. Once past his slow start, however, it was evident that he's a decisive runner. Ball averaged 0.4 more yards per carry than Moreno and became an effective relief option late in the season, although he struggled in the Super Bowl, gaining just one yard on six carries. He also blocked better on the whole as the season progressed, despite a mic'd up Peyton Manning screaming after a play in the team's Super Bowl loss to Seattle: "Montee, you got to stay with him!" Stay tuned. Ball is going to be a player worth watching as the season draws nearer -- especially if Moreno moves on.