Broncos QB Brock Osweiler Speaks Out About Peyton Manning
Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler was on Yahoo! Sports radio, and he really opened up about his role with the team and his relationship with Peyton Manning.
While the last three years have gone by incredibly fast (in my opinion), I can’t really imagine what it’s like to be in Osweiler’s shoes, basically getting drafted into a situation where your role is to prepare as though you’re going to start at some point, perhaps any given week, you just have no idea when.
That’s the curse — and blessing — of having a future Hall of Famer in front of you on the depth chart. Peyton Manning is a living legend. The players on the Broncos know that, and there have even been some rumors that it’s hard for them to treat him as just another ‘one of the guys’ but for the most part, it seems like everyone generally gets along with the Sheriff and that includes his protege Brock Osweiler.
“I’d be lying to you if I said it hasn’t been tough to not play over the past three years,” Osweiler said, “but the one thing I do know is that I’m going to work on a daily basis with one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game and I guess I really just want to make the most of that situation.”
Osweiler’s not the first quarterback in this league to have to sit for awhile before he ultimately will get a chance to lead a team. Heck, even a guy he’s been compared to who plays within the AFC West in Philip Rivers had to sit for a couple years behind Drew Brees.
Rivers, as it turned out, would be one of the best quarterbacks in the league (though none of us would ever want to admit it). Aaron Rodgers came into the league not only as a backup to a living legend in Brett Favre, but he also was projected to be the top overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, a team close to home.
The draft day slide had to sting a little bit after that.
But Rodgers waited patiently, and three years later, finally got his chance.
Osweiler is having to wait even longer than either of those two guys did, but there are things he can glean from the way they prepared while waiting for a couple of future Hall of Fame players to move on to their next city, or their next endeavor.
While he’s waited, Osweiler says he’s prepared like every week is his week to play, and that’s exactly what he’s supposed to do. However, the experience of working with Peyton Manning has been something that he’ll be able to hold on to for his entire career, and probably the rest of his life.
“The one thing that I really have taken away from him and I probably hold dearest is how to be a professional on a daily basis. Whether that’s on the football field, off the football field as far as maybe a charity event goes, in the classroom and just being an overall leader. Peyton really showed me how to be a professional in this league.”
After all he’s done in this league, that’s the best possible impression Manning could leave on a young player. As a person who watches the Broncos very closely, I’m sure you can relate to me in that I have always wondered what kind of impression Manning left on players — especially someone who might play the same position — that work with him on a daily basis.
To know that Osweiler has picked up on not only the incredible habits on the field but off the field as well in being an impactful person to the community and being in people’s lives.
Hopefully, when the time comes, Osweiler is ready to show the rest of the league the fruits of all that learning.