I always said that is one hell of a work ethic. Osweiler will turn 25 on Sunday when he starts against … the Bears.
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On Wednesday, Brock Osweiler, who will get his first career start, said he’s not sure how much the Chicago Bears can plan for him, because even Osweiler himself doesn’t know what he’s got.
Manning is dealing with foot, rib and shoulder ailments and his franchise-record 57-game starting streak will come to an end Sunday. But that also makes me nervous…remember the last time a back-up quarterback made his first career start against the Bears?
When Peyton Manning missed the entire 2011 season because of a serious neck injury, it was widely speculated that the medical issue would put an end to the career of the superstar quarterback. This appeared to be the same scenario for Brett Favre when he came out of retirement to play a few more seasons.
Nobody knows for certain if Manning will get a shot at No. 187.
While Kubiak has refused to look beyond Sunday, theres a distinct possibility Manning could be sidelined for a while given his many ailments at age 39.
Cutler, annually one of the league leaders in most interceptions has thrown just five picks all season, yet the Bears are just one spot ahead of the Broncos in turnover/takeaway ratio at -1 because they’ve managed just 11 takeaways including only five interceptions.
After replacing Manning last Sunday in a loss to the Chiefs, Osweiler connected on 14 of 24 passes for 146 yards with one TD, one interception and a 72.6 passer rating. Their offense could not get anything going, and they were shutout in the first half for the first time all season. “We know Brock has been waiting for this opportunity and he can’t wait to play, and we’re going to go out there and back him up”. We want to be at a point where we can be.
Even without this injury, however, Manning’s season has been a complete disaster.
This year Denver is 29th in the league and struggling to run the football. “They know we’re going to do X, Y, and Z. So we have to be sound in the screen game”. If he plays well in the next couple of weeks, I think it is time to hand the job over to Osweiler permanently. Hes had a tough year. Hurt and diminished, Manning was so bad against Kansas City it hurt to watch.
The Broncos were 7-0 before losing two in a row, and now Manning is taking time off to get healthy.
“It was a good run”, Fox said. Tey’re hot, gaining confidence and I understand the buzz around them. “That’s what I’ve done since I’ve been here: Prepare like a starter and take the necessary steps to act like it”.
With all of that said, Denver could be fortunate, as it may not have to deal with two of Chicago’s biggest offensive weapons.
Manning is a hard worker and super competitor, he would be the first to arrive at the complex and last one to leave everyday. But if Osweiler comes out and starts winging it around against the Bears, there’s going to be a lot of awkwardness when it comes to Peyton’s future.
If Osweiler is to jolt a sluggish offense to life, he’ll need his big guys in front of him to help pave the way.
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If the Broncos lose this game to the Bears and the Chiefs defeat the San Diego Chargers, the Broncos lead in the AFC West would dwindle down to just two games. Unfortunately, the two teams that do are Denver and Chicago, whose head coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase drafted Osweiler out of Arizona State in the 2nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft, ahead of Nick Foles and Russell Wilson. Forte’s status is still up in the air, but they don’t need to rush him back with how well Langford has been playing. Hell have better days to come..
