Posted Wed Jun 18th by Monty
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Ben Hamilton was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 4th round of the 2001 draft. A durable player, Hamilton missed his first snap since 2002 when he was placed on the Injured Reserve list in 2007. Since being designated the starter in ’02, Hamilton had an impressive streak of 5,407 consecutive snaps in the regular and post season until his concussion in training camp sidelined him last year. He now returns with the hope to start a new streak for years to come.
The Good: Hamilton is wildly underrated, and in my opinion, was the best offensive lineman the Broncos had in 2005 and 2006. His absence was noticeable last year, as neither Chris Myers nor Chris Kuper were able to fill his massive shoes. He says he is 100% healthy and has taken part in every offseason team activity to date. Hamilton helped a Broncos offensive line that placed second in the NFL in rushing yards (11,919) and ranked fourth in the league in fewest sacks allowed (140) from 2002-2007.
The Bad: Hamilton’s injury is one of the scariest kind – a concussion. For months, Hamilton was expecting to return within two weeks from any given time. The date kept moving back and back until the Broncos were already in the middle of their season, and they finally decided to put him on IR. At the age of 30, Hamilton’s future health and ability to maintain his previous level of success on the line have to be in question.
Status: Incumbent starter. Signed through 2009. Hamilton has the starting job locked up if he can just stay healthy.
As always, we invite you, the readers, to partake. Does Hamilton’s injury give you too much cause for concern, or can he stay as long as he likes?
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Published on 06/18/2008 at Wed Jun 18 16:00.
Tagged: Ben Hamilton,Center,Guard.