John Elway Apparently Likes Brock Osweiler’s ‘Swagger’
Jun 10, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) warms up during mini camp drills at the Broncos practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos are not in a ‘hurry hurry’ for Peyton Manning to relinquish his role, but they are pleased with third year protégé Brock Osweiler’s development to this point.
As Jeff Legwold explains it at ESPN.com, Osweiler is in his third year at the School of Manning and if he needed to start by whatever set of circumstances, he’d be more than ready.
Legwold touches on a number of ways Osweiler has made improvements this offseason, but he said one of the reasons why the Broncos and specifically John Elway like the former Arizona State Sun Devil is for his ‘swagger’ in leading the huddle.
Osweiler seems like a cool customer, but it’s great to hear that he is taking command of the huddle and getting a better understanding of the offense while the Broncos wait patiently for his time to come.
Personally, I’m really looking forward to the pre-season to make note of Osweiler’s development in game situations. He has reportedly been really efficient in practices thus far and that’s what you’d expect when the guys are running around without pads, but the reports of Osweiler’s deep ball timing, deeper understanding and comfortability with the offense, and overall increase in confidence as the quarterback of an NFL team are all marks you want to hear from the perspective of reporters and analysts covering the practices.
What I want to see from Osweiler is what Elway has mentioned a trait he likes in the QB — swagger. I want to see old Oz sling the ball around the field a bit, and be aggressive even in pre-season play and drive the Broncos down the field with authority for touchdowns. That was a huge negative for me last year, was that Osweiler’s drives didn’t oft end with seven points.
That’s going to be a major area of focus for me as Osweiler has now had three offseasons to develop in this offense, and two now with Adam Gase at the helm. I love his total skill set with the size, athletic ability, and the howitzer of an arm (as Mel Kiper might call it) and I’m really rooting for him to succeed.
I think if Osweiler had come out in the 2013 draft he might have been a top 10 pick, but the Broncos cashed in on a raw prospect who needed this kind of time to develop. The best way to learn is by playing, and Osweiler has certainly done his share off the field.