Among the most intriguing storylines brought about by offseason regime changes is how the new Denver Broncos' offense will proceed with new offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak, at the helm. Likely to employ his patented zone block running scheme that rejuvenated the career of Raven running back Justin Forsett, Kubiak will inherit another Cal running back coming off a break out year—C.J. Anderson. "He made a big jump as a player, and I think he's earned the right to walk into the offseason program -- the OTAs -- and line up as our starter," Kubiak said speaking to reporters at the NFL Annual Meeting.

It makes all the sense in the world to have C.J. Anderson slotted as the lead back considering his torrid finish to the 2014 season where he finished with 849 yards and eight touchdowns at an average of 4.7 yards per carry on only seven games started. Anderson also made noise as a receiver, catching 34 passes for two scores. It doesn’t appear that Anderson’s stardom (precipitated by injuries to pre-season starter Montee Ball and backup Juwan Thompson) has deterred the new coaching staff’s confidence in Anderson’s ability to replicate his 2014 effort. Even Anderson—who has only known Broncos orange and blue as an underrated free agent—appears excited about the change citing his comments via the Denver Post: “[Kubiak’s system] fits me and the offense well. It’s always been successful. He knows the team we have and what we can do. I can’t wait to get started working with him.”

Still, it’s easy to wonder where Montee Ball fits in all this. Coming into the 2014 season, he entered as the clear starter but failed to gain traction before succumbing to a season-ending groin injury. It’s also difficult to forget what Ball did in a similar zone blocking system at Wisconsin—something the Big 10 still hasn’t recovered from. "All those guys are young. I think all three of those guys ... have all kind of had their little spurts of success with the club when they've had their opportunity,” Kubiak said of Ball. It’s wise of Kubiak not to shut the door on any of his running backs considering the overall vitality of the position. That said, heading into OTAs, it’s C.J.’s job to lose, as Kubiak puts it, "they're all young. Who's going to be the bell cow, who's going to play every down, who's going to be the three-down player, they've got to sort that out. C.J. has shown the flashes of doing that."