Denver • The Denver Broncos' running game is divided into two parts — the injury-riddled present and the hope of a healthier future.

"We may not be in midseason form on September 12, but it doesn't matter, we can't take a mulligan," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said.

Since the second hour of training camp, the Broncos' running game has become a trot.

The top two tailbacks, Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, couldn't make it to lunch on the first day of camp. And three of the team's top run blockers — left tackle Ryan Clady, right guard Chris Kuper and tight end Daniel Graham — have watched most of the preseason in street clothes. Buckhalter, Clady and Kuper are expected to put on pads for a few plays in the preseason finale tonight against the Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome.

"We're going to push hard in the next two weeks to make sure we're as prepared to run the football and protect," McDaniels said. "There are a lot of things that those guys haven't done together."

Even if so many key Broncos weren't injured, the running game would be a concern because the team's ability to block is a concern.

For the first time in 15 years, the offensive line won't be coached by zone-blocking gurus Alex Gibbs or Rick Dennison. Clancy Barone, a long-time college assistant who spent his previous five NFL seasons instructing tight ends, is now the line coach.

Barone is not teaching the Broncos' zone-blocking scheme, but a power-pull style. Rookies J.D. Walton and former Ute Zane Beadles are projected starters at center and left guard, respectively.

"I think we've made a transition and now it's just about improving on the techniques that are needed to execute what [Barone] wants us to do," said right tackle Ryan Harris. "That was kind of worked through during training camp and we're on the other side [of transition]."

Luckily for the Broncos, this isn't Vince Lombardi's NFL anymore. The rules allow offensive linemen to hold and disallow defensive backs to touch. The ball is passed on plays designed to not only gain 20 yards but also 2.

The Indianapolis Colts ranked 32nd — dead last — in rushing last season and went to the Super Bowl as heavy favorites. The league's top four rushing teams last year — the New York Jets, Tennessee, Carolina and Miami — finished with a combined 32-32 record. Modern-era offenses occasionally try to run the ball on first down. They like to run with a fourth-quarter lead. And there's always a concerted effort to run in the final month when the weather is bad.

Otherwise, it's the pass that increasingly triumphs in September, October and November. The Broncos didn't have much of a running game in August.

Still, a healthy Moreno would be nice, if only to serve as a diversion to quarterback Kyle Orton's improved passing game. "It's good to get back out here, get back into the flow of things, get back reading defenses, see how everybody's flowing, get back out there with my teammates," Moreno said Tuesday.

Those were his first public words since he hurt his hamstring on Aug. 1. Moreno represents the Broncos' best chance of putting together an above-average running attack.

Buckhalter turns 32 next month and has missed 31/2 seasons because of injuries. LenDale White is a proven complimentary back but will start the season serving a four-game suspension. Lance Ball is a young journeyman who has earned a roster spot through steadiness of running and blocking. But Ball is considered a stopgap until Moreno, Buckhalter and White get going.

Moreno is 23, in his second season and a first-round talent. He rushed for 947 yards as a rookie last year when such second-year backs as Ray Rice, Jonathan Stewart and Jamaal Charles all became first-time, 1,000-yard rushers.