Is cocky poppycock?

Or is there something to be said about being cocky, this way of life, this state of mind? For however many cocky jocks there have been — Deion Sanders, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, every boxer named “Sugar” — there have been the humble heroes who’ve similarly succeeded — Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Tim Duncan, Jimmy Chitwood. Does being cocky change a player, fuel a player, propel a player? Conversely, can this confidence on steroids break a player, who is suddenly too big for his britches?

(Also, do people still say “too big for his britches?” I think my grandpa once said that about Milt Plum.)

What made me think of all this was a chat I had with Montee Ball, the Broncos running back. It’s quite possible that next season Ball will be THE Broncos running back, if Knowshon Moreno signs with another team (I can see some team splurging). I’ve always liked talking with Ball, who’s been humbled and blessed by the opportunity to play the same position for the same team as his boyhood hero, Terrell Davis. Ball improved during his rookie campaign, but I was somewhat surprised to hear him in the Dove Valley hallway last week, when I asked about wanting the ball as much as possible, regardless of Moreno’s situation.

“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.”

Wait, was that cocky? Or just honesty? Or both — can it be both? It was definitely some more Ball brashness than we heard in August. But I’m fine with it. I’d want my running back yearning for the ball. He’s not saying anything disparaging about the other backs, per se (I like saying per se, it makes me seem smart); he’s simply saying that if he’s the back, he feels the Broncos will be in good hands.

This is different than when the ball wouldn’t even stay in Ball’s hands. As his hometown St. Louis Post-Dispatch pointed out, he fumbled only twice in 924 carries at Wisconsin, and then he fumbled twice in his first 31 carries in the NFL. But by season’s end, it was evident that he’s a more decisive runner and found holes a few more times. He even blocked better, though Ball’s no wall, as evidenced in an NFL Network’s Super Bowl show, when a mic’d up Peyton Manning screamed after a play: “Montee, you got to stay with him!”

I asked him what’s the difference between him on Aug. 4 to Feb. 4?

“Oh man, huge difference,” he said. “There’s a huge difference in confidence and what it takes every play — it’s a completely different stage and mind-set of every player out there. It’s a lot more about teamwork in the NFL than in college. There could be one player out there in college doing everything, really standing out, but it takes a lot of teamwork in the NFL. You need leaders to really step during the offseason to really make that work.

“It was a very unfortunate situation for us, obviously, in the Super Bowl, but it gave us a lot to work for. We understand how much it took to get there, and for me as a rookie, it was great to be a part of the process leading up to the Super Bowl, because I truly understand what it takes. And I’m going to play a huge role in next year’s success, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Benjamin Hochman: bhochman@denverpost.com or twitter.com/hochman



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