I had a chance to catch up with Juwan Thompson after Tuesday’s practice and he was just as serious and determined as I remember him from last year. One of the big question marks hovering over him is whether or not he is going to play fullback in Gary Kubiak‘s system. A system that in years past had featured a fullback in the majority of it’s calls.
When I asked Juwan which position he thinks he will be featured in most often he said, “Right now, from the looks of the depth chart, it’s special teams first and foremost. Whatever special teams (unit) I’m on, I have to get that done” He added, “Then when the time comes, as I continue to make efforts to move up the depth chart at the running back position, I will use the best of my ability to make the most of that situation.”
One of the things that has always impressed me about Juwan Thompson is his sincerity when speaking about contributing. This is a guy who would take the field with the same demeanor whether he was a spot special teams player or the number one back in the NFL. He is a special teams player right now and he is very serious about succeeding in that role but if the Broncos asked him to play fullback, he wouldn’t have a problem with that either.
“I’m a role player so I get done whatever the coaches need me to get done,” Juwan said.” They have to be patient with me, and teach me, and show me the proper techniques and I’ll try my best to get the job done.”
Interestingly, Juwan hasn’t even been approached about the possibility of playing fullback. He said, “Coaches haven’t talked to me about the fullback position but they already know that I can get in there and do certain things.” He added, “Maybe not everything because I’m only 225 and not 260, but I can get some things done.”
I think many fans and media alike see Juwan’s big frame running over players and hear about him playing fullback in college and assume that he can fill that role in the NFL, but when you see a guy like Joe Don Duncan or James Casey playing there, you quickly realize the physicality and size that it takes.
As far as this years camp compared to last years camp, Juwan told me, “It’s a whole different coaching staff, so there’s been a lot more running than last year.” He added, “I’ve moved up the depth chart a little-bit and I’m getting more reps so I got to condition a lot more and prepare for it, cause when it’s time to go, coach wants to see if your well-conditioned or not and that tells a lot about a player.”
Thompson and many of his teammates seem to enjoy the new coaching staff and their philosophy but none more than the running backs. If you are a running back in the NFL, you cannot be in a better situation than having Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison calling the plays. Juwan acknowledged this on Tuesday and even shed some light on an issue that I detected when Peyton Manning first stepped foot on this field three years ago.
“A lot of it is similar but it’s a lot less stressful than last year because we had a lot more things to know going in, Juwan exclaimed.” It’s not all about passing and protections this year, we’re actually focusing on the running game as well. We are trying to be a 50/50 team this year, not predominately one base.”
In my sometimes not-so humble opinion, that last statement is the most important one. Peyton Manning is not the offensive coordinator anymore, folks. This team will truly have balance and the running backs are actually given the opportunity to be running backs for the first time in a long time. This approach will help Peyton and the rest of the team late in the season.
