With Gary Kubiak in charge, everyone gets to play. And everyone has to sit. That includes sure-fire Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.
On Monday, the Denver Broncos’ fourth practice of their 2015 training camp, Manning watched from the sidelines as fourth-year quarterback Brock Osweiler took the old man’s reps with the first-team.
Unsurprisingly, Osweiler struggled early while running the offense, as chemistry and timing can only come through consistent reps. He overthrew nearly every receiver, multiple times. Still, he enjoyed the opportunity, seeing the positive and negative of the experience and looks to learn from it all.
“I think that today was a really good day,” Osweiler started Monday. “Offensively, there were some guys that sat out practice, but it gave a lot of guys a great opportunity. I know that for myself that I don’t get a lot of reps with Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Cody Latimer and that No. 1 line with Gino Gradkowski. To get those reps and go out there and have a good day felt great, but we need to build upon it and get better.”
“I just think we wanted to see him run the team, and he did,” head coach Gary Kubiak explained of “Osweiler Day” at training camp, which will be every three-four practices says the coach.
“At the end of practice he moved the football team,” Kubiak continued. “It’s a growing process for him but I think he’s handled it really well. Being a guy that has done that job for a living, when the team gets thrown your way, it’s a lot on your plate, and you have to be able to handle it day in and day out and I think he’s just trying to do that.”
With Manning the maestro of offense for the last three years in the Mile High City, missing only a handful of plays in the regular season, Osweiler hasn’t had much a chance to handle the pressure of being the team’s first string quarterback. Could the Broncos be grooming him for the future? It seems that way, with Manning’s career coming to a close soon.
If Osweiler is to be the next starter for Denver – the team run by Hall of Fame quarterback turned general manager John Elway – he’ll have to prove himself as a leader both on and off the field. The 24-year old handed the press well following practice.
“I think every single practice, including today, you’re going to have some ups, you’re going to have some downs,” Osweiler explained, maturely. “It’s all about how you bounce back from the downs. As long as you learn from those mistakes and they don’t happen again, I consider it a good day. As far as what we did as an offensive group today, I thought we had a good practice. But obviously there’s room for improvement.”
There’s always room for improvement for a football player or a team as a collective; Kubiak knows that, too, which is why he’s remaining patient with the youngster and evaluating him throughout this entire training camp.
While Broncos fans may cringe at the thought of an injury to Manning, in the NFL, backups are only one play away from being the starter. Getting Osweiler reps now is another way Kubiak is proving he’s the right man for the job.
