Denver Broncos: Jalen Virgil can help fix offensive woes
By Aric Manthey
Conclusion
Look, nobody’s going to expect one player to come in and rescue this offense. New players and systems take time to mesh. As a fanbase, we should all be well aware of that by now. One thing we should be expecting from this team though is creativity in their playcalling.
After all, wasn’t a big selling point for Nathaniel Hackett his infamous “Gold Zone” package? His reputation was built on using creative play calls to maximize the talent of his players.
If that’s the case, then why aren’t we thinking outside of the box to utilize a talented rookie? Jalen Virgil’s biggest deficiency could also be used as a weapon. He’s an excellent athletic lump of clay. Use that ability to create mismatches and give your offense the occasional spark.
Both Harvin and Patterson came into the league with similar profiles and eventually, found their own brand of success. Both of them became Pro Bowl returners (which is another area where Virgil could excel) that eventually carved out prolific roles on offense.
Harvin was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2009 and had a season where he tallied over 1,300 yards from scrimmage (with 8 TDs). He eventually went to Seattle where his unique skills were put to use by a certain person wearing #3. I don’t think I need to remind Broncos Country what he did to us in SB48.
As for Patterson, he served as a fun RB/WR hybrid for multiple teams until he went to Atlanta. There, he became a full-time RB and is currently 4th in the league in rushing yards (340).
The point is, I think this coaching staff is getting in their own way. Instead of following through on their fun, creative mentality to play calling, they’re letting inconsistent decision-making spoil segments of a game.
Nobody’s expecting Jalen Virgil to be the next version of anybody I mentioned in this article. What he can be is a versatile chess piece that this team can utilize to help kickstart a stagnant offense. That alone is a valuable asset to a team with offensive struggles.
Instead of letting Russ cook, maybe we should be more focused on grilling. Let’s take the raw ingredients we have now and make the most out of them now to satiate our hunger. If we can grill now and stack wins, the real cooking will come in the near future.
When it comes to the grilling in the playbook, there isn’t a better ingredient to experiment with than Jalen Virgil.