Most football fans stop paying attention to preseason football in the second quarter when the second-stringers and third-stringers play for the rest of the game. They know those guys won’t result to anything in the NFL, so it’s pointless to them. Don’t tell this to Broncos backup quarterback Brock Osweiler.
Preseason football is the only time he will get playing time with Peyton Manning being the regular season starter. For the third-year backup quarterback, he needs all the work he can get to show his worth to the Broncos or other NFL teams that may want him one day. It’s an audition for him. He has to show how much he has improved.
Osweiler started last night’s game against the Seahawks in the Broncos’ 21-16 preseason victory over the defending Super Bowl champions, and to be honest, he was underwhelming. He did not throw deep passes often. He never could sustain a long drive when he was on the field. He was handing the ball to Juwan Thompson for most of the night. His touchdown pass came in the fourth quarter when he threw to Jordan Norwood that gave the Broncos a 21-16 lead.
At least, he avoided being sacked often. He has that going for him. Still, he has to learn how to throw and he has to keep his unit on the field. It has to be discouraging for him that he can’t still do it.
It’s easy to wonder if Manning’s backup will ever be a great quarterback. From the looks of it, he looks like a game-managing quarterback at best. In his defense, it’s hard to judge him when he is playing with second-stringers and third-stringers. No one will know until he plays with the first unit in live action.
That’s something Osweiler would love to do one day. Guys like Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas and Wes Welker can make him better with their leaps of making a catch or breaking out a run after a catch.
He is in a tough spot playing with guys that are not good. It doesn’t help when Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase tells him not to throw the ball much like Manning would do.
It remains to be seen how much he can improve playing with backups. If he is starting with the first-teamers, that can’t be good because it would mean Manning is out with an injury. The Broncos take a step back when their starting quarterback is out with an injury.
Osweiler doesn’t want to get his opportunity because of an injury of his teammate. He wants to earn his playing time through merit.
It’s frustrating for him to watch on the sidelines and play in practice. It’s hard to get better if he is observing and learning. Learning comes from doing and improving upon it. He needs live action.
The problem with that is Manning never gets hurt. Even if Osweiler becomes a starter, it’s hard to believe Gase and Fox trust him to be a prolific thrower. He’s in a no-win situation.
It’s hard to believe the Hall of Fame quarterback is retiring anytime soon. Why would he when he is playing at a MVP level? He can play for the next five years. The Broncos will have him play for them as long as he is effective. As much as John Elway likes to see his draft pick grow into the job, he loves winning more and he knows great quarterbacks are hard to find. He has a good thing in Manning, and he’s not foolish enough to ruin it just to get his guy ready to play.
All Osweiler can do is to wait and keep improving. He has to hope circumstances will lead him to start. It’s not a feasible situation for him.
Odds are he is going to have to play for another team if he is going to get the opportunity to play with first teamers or get a chance to be a starting quarterback. The problem with that is other teams can look for better options. They are not going to want to have a quarterback who hasn’t played much or be restricted to throw many passes.
It’s been rough for Osweiler. No one shouldn’t feel sorry for him. He is getting paid well, and he gets a chance to watch Manning on Sundays. Still, it has to be frustrating for him to be a benchwarmer or be Peyton’s caddy. He wants to be the guy that becomes a difference-maker like anyone that plays the most important position in the NFL.
He will go along with being a backup. He has no choice.
Maybe one day he will get a legitimate chance of what he can do.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro: @LightRodWriter
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
