Brock Osweiler is just happy to be here
This is the lost, vacant look of a guy happy to hold your clipboard for you
When the Denver Broncos signed free agent Peyton Manning, they effectively ended the Year of the Tebow and traded the popular fullback quarterback to the Jets for little more than to get rid of him. However, without the Tebow on their roster, Denver found itself a little light on quarterbacks. Last years opening game starter, Kyle Orton, is now in Dallas to back up Tony Romo and hear what it sounds like when boos are directed towards someone other than him. Brady Quinn, who remained the backup after Orton was cut and Tebow leap-frogged him into the starter’s role, took a pay-cut to play somewhere other than Denver, and will be using his prolific clipboard holding skills in Kansas City. All in all, the quarterback position was completely turned over, and there was still a nice spot on the bench to fill. So Denver took to the draft and selected Brock Osweiler out of Arizona State, and golly-gee-shucks, he’s just happy to be here.
From Deadspin:
“You know, I think it’s a quarterback’s dream. It really is. You know, I’m big into learning and that’s why I made this decision to enter the draft is, I wanted to go and learn from the best. And fortunately for me, it worked out to be John Elway and Peyton Manning and Coach Fox and the rest of the guys. And I just truly feel like there’s no better situation and I can promise everyone that my ears will be open every single day and I’m writing as many notes as I possibly can.”
“You know, my job as a quarterback right now for the Broncos is to do what’s absolutely best for the football team. And if that’s to sit for two years behind Peyton Manning, or 10 years, or whatever the case may be, I’m just there to do what’s ever best for the football team and I just absolutely cannot wait to get started.”
Yes, this is exactly what Osweiler always dreamed about: get paid to stand on a sideline and have front row seats to Peyton Manning so he can look back at some special teams player who can’t see over him and go “Oh man, did you see that?” whenever Peyton makes a great throw and Special Teams Tony or whatever just glumly kicks some grass and says “no.” Brock has a weird imagination like that.
Osweiler was projected as a ‘project quarterback,’ meaning he’ll need to develop a bit before he’s ready to take a seat at the big kids’ table. He broke just about every passing record Arizona State had (sorry Jake Plummer), so he has the skills the toss the ball around the field, and at 6’7″, he’s got great field vision and is not going to have to worry about seeing over any defensive linemen. However, he lacked polish during his Sun Devils career, and it showed as ASU routinely found ways to completely self-destruct down the stretch during Brock’s run as their quarterback.
So Denver probably is the best place for him. Nobody knows more about quarterback, studies more film, or expects more out of their teammates than Peyton Manning (sometimes to uncomfortable extremes), so if you’re going to learn the position, who better than an egghead who’s already learned everything? Osweiler would have been overwhelmed if he had been asked to start right away, and would have probably washed out of the league in three years with his head still spinning. This will allow him to grow, to learn, and to watch, so it’s an ideal incubator for Osweiler’s career. But just make sure he’s standing in the back so other people can still see too.
