"Perhaps the Broncos' rookie running back should be called No-Gain Moreno, or his name possibly should be written as Knwshn Mren.

Here are statistics the Broncos won't tell you, and you may not believe:

Of Knowshon Moreno's 224 runs this season, 36.6 percent have been stopped for 1, 0 or negative yards. A startling 23.7 percent of his rushes have produced a cumulative minus-39 yards.

Knowshon had no gain on five of his carries Sunday against the Raiders. He lost yardage on four attempts. He picked up 1 yard twice. His other eight runs resulted in 3, 8, 7, 5, 7, 8, 6 and 4 yards. Nineteen rushes for 42 yards, a 2.2-yard average.

No wonder the Broncos' offense is struggling, straggling, sprawling, straining, stressing. The running game is running aground with Moreno.

When will somebody admit it?

If Moreno, who has 879 yards with two games remaining, reaches 1,000 yards, he will have no honor among NFL runners.

Real rushers don't fail to surpass 100 yards once in a season. Real running backs have at least two runs in the 30-plus category in a season. Real members of the Broncos' 1,000-yard club don't have five games in which they net fewer than 50 yards, or 11 games in which they have negative plays, or five games in which their longest run is not in double digits.

Welcome to the NFL; this isn't the SEC.

And Knowshon held out for more — or Moreno — money.

Sure, he's a rookie, and he's getting his footing, and he doesn't have enough help in front of him, but he was the highest-drafted running back, and he was drafted at a spot where you expect to get a big- time player who makes an immediate impact. The Broncos have a long history of running backs who averaged more than 3.9 yards per carry their first season."