Sep 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Shaun Hill (14) passes against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Thoughout practice this week, the Denver Broncos were preparing to go up against Austin Davis. Then the St. Louis Rams decided to throw a curveball halfway through the week.
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher announced on Wednesday that he would start second string quarterback Shaun Hill instead of Austin Davis in this weekend’s matchup. Shaun Hill has not gotten a whole lot of reps during the regular season, as he suffered an injury that sidelined him for a couple weeks. He healed quickly, but due to the success of third string quarterback Austin Davis, Fisher decided to keep rolling with him.
Shaun Hill will start his first game since suffering the injury against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. This puts the Broncos at a slight disadvantage due to the fact that there is not a lot of game film on him. I believe the best way for head coaches Jack Del Rio and John Fox to prepare for Shaun Hill is to look at the Week 1 film and put their faith in the defense in order to put some pressure on him.
Preparing for Shaun Hill will not be an easy task. This is especially true since the Broncos are preparing for an opponent that has been inconsistent, but has beaten the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. But if any team can prepare well when it comes to change, it is the Denver Broncos. The reason I say this is because of the changes they had to deal with within their own starting roster. This change will test the Broncos coaches as well as the defense. Most of the teams the Broncos have gone up against did not have any quarterback controversies. The closest one could have been the New York Jets with Geno Smith. However, Smith was not bad during that game until his game ending pick six.
It will be interesting to see how the Broncos defense plays against a quarterback that the team does not have a whole lot of information on. Shaun Hill is known as a journeyman backup and it is a given that not a lot of teams would prepare for him since he does not play often. If it was not for Sam Bradford getting injured, Shaun Hill would not even be in the discussion of starting. (granted that Bradford was playing well)
The Broncos are going to be tested, but they should have no doubts in the gameplan and should execute, no matter who is under center on the opposing side of the field.