This is not the type of distraction that Osweiler or the Broncos need.
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According to a report on NFL.com, Manning has sat out all practices and meetings this week and has not spoken with Brock Osweiler about a game plan ahead of the clash against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. “I remember watching John (Elway) as a kid and Jake (Plummer) and the rest of those guys so certainly it is a dream come true”.
When an opportunity presents itself to truly make a name for yourself, one must always embrace it and absolutely run with it. Such is the case this week as Osweiler prepares to make the jump from backup to starter in an ever-important turning point kind of game with his Broncos.
In the midst of a two-game slide, the Denver Broncos (7-2) are looking to get back on the winning track against a surging Chicago Bears (4-5) team. “What surprised me about him coming in was he came off as laid-back, like, ‘Oh, dude, I’m going to go out and catch a few waves.’ But his professionalism was ahead of his time”. Matthews scored six of his eight touchdowns past year with Mark Sanchez at quarterback.
“It’s going to be weird”, outside linebacker Von Miller said of facing Fox. As a relatively young player, lacking National Football League game experience will be a hard situation. A two-game losing streak could become four.
No, before we get carried away with the playoff talk, let’s examine what it will take to get there.
Adding to this week’s excitement for Osweiler is that his first career start comes on November 22, the same day that he turns 25 years old.
Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware will not travel to Chicago with their teammates this weekend so they can focus on their recovery from injuries that kept them out of practice all week.
It’s actually refreshing to be thinking, not about what Manning can’t do, to, what might Brock Osweiler be able to do? It might benefit the Broncos to take their time with Manning’s return, if the various injuries are the biggest reason for a noticeable drop-off in his play. Last Sunday was red and gold nirvana and if you just returned from vacation and missed it all you should know there are a ton of Kansas City Chiefs fans who have said that it was the best game they’ve seen them play in ages.
My hope is that this game wasn’t just a “back against the wall game” because they simply weren’t going to allow the Broncos to be the one’s to put their lights out.
Coach Gary Kubiak has said that Manning will get the week off with the quarterback carrying shoulder, rib and foot injuries. Fox split with the Broncos in January, ending a four-year tenure that produced a 46-18 regular-season record.
It’s no secret that Manning has struggled all season long: during Week 10 against the Chiefs he had the worst start of his career, leading to Kubiak benching him.
“Look at the flip side of that”, he says.
Osweiler insists this is still Mannings team and hes only filling in temporarily, which seems to be the prevailing mood in the locker room.
Granted, an National Football League sideline is not an ideal place for a person to stand when he’s undergone surgery to reconstruct his knee, considering giant men could come flying through at any moment.
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Cutler has to win this game for the Bears and the Denver defense will be easily his stiffest test of the year. “He’s trying to get Chicago in the best position that he can possibly be in”. Fortunately, he’s not the same quarterback we’ve seen in the past, and he’s been playing at an MVP level over the last month of the season.
