Lost season may net QB Lawrence
Can somebody please find coach Vic Fangio a mask he likes, maybe something with orange and blue spangles, so Uncle Vic won’t get docked another $ 100,000 in fines?
As long as you’re up, would you mind also grabbing me a blindfold? These beat- up Broncos are done at 0- 2. I’ve seen enough.
But like momma always said, it will all work out for the best, so long as Denver gets Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL draft.
John Elway has been looking for John Elway, ever since he took over as architect of this Denver roster nearly a decade ago. Well, at long last, here is
Elway’s chance.
“When you look at Trevor Lawrence, he is a generational talent. He is John Elway,” former NFL general manager Mike Tannebaum, who ran the Jets from 2006- 2012, told ESPN in the spring.
No offense to Drew Lock, who has quickly proven to be a competent if injury- prone pro quarterback. But Lock is no Lawrence, widely considered to be the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck. With a 31- 1 record as Clemson’s starter, Lawrence could well win another national championship with the Tigers ( if the pandemic allows) and become the prohibitive favorite to be selected No. 1 overall in the draft.
After two games, is it too early for Denver to tank? Yes, if you listen to the Broncos.
“We’re not hitting the panic button,” cornerback Bryce Callahan said Wednesday.
But it’s certainly not too early to start dreaming and scheming for next year.
The Broncos are currently favored to win only three of their remaining 14 games, according to the simulations spewed out by the computer at FiveThirtyEight.
While there are probably a whole bunch of 3- and- outs between now and a last- place finish in the AFC West for the Broncos, I would take a 4- 12 record right now. Then I’d trade the No. 4 overall pick and linebacker Von Miller for the privilege of moving atop the draft board, where the selection of Lawrence could finally start the Broncos back on the road to championship contention.
This franchise is in a fog, with no clear vision on how to get back to elite status. Hey, the same could probably be said of Uncle Vic.
In fact, Fangio said the reason he got hit with a six- figure fine for failure to consistently wear a mask over his nose and mouth on the sideline during the loss at Pittsburgh was because his glasses kept fogging up.
I don’t particularly like wearing a mask either, Uncle Vic. Who does? But I never take mine off in the press box during Broncos games ( at least until the hot dogs are served at halftime).
“I’m wearing ( a mask) because the NFL says we have to wear it,” Fangio said, “and I’m a loyal employee of the NFL.”
During three seasons playing for the top college football program in America, Jerry Jeudy lost four times. That’s right. He lost four games total with the Crimson Tide. As a rookie with the Broncos, Jeudy could easily lose five before Halloween
“I am not liking losing, coming from Alabama,” Jeudy said.
Nobody expected the Broncos to be legit contenders in 2020. But how could anybody have possibly anticipated this season to take such a bad turn so quickly?
It’s not so much that they’ve dropped two winnable games in frustrating ways that bad NFL teams seem to invent. The real sense of dread results from Denver’s most dangerous offensive player ( Courtland Sutton) and most talented defender ( Miller) being lost to injuries that will require extensive rehabilitation.
The next three months figure to be more about honoring the grind than chasing glory for the Broncos.
For starters, Fangio vows to pay more attention to all those deathbyinches details, like not letting his mask slip on the sideline.
“I’m going to do my best to do better,” said Fangio, with all the enthusiasm of a kid who promises to eat his peas and carrots.
There’s no masking all the issues on both sides of the football for the Broncos, though.
Of course, these players won’t quit. But what’s the point of another 7- 9 or 6- 10 season for Denver?
Although by the time he returns from injury the team could be headed into the bye week with a 1- 6 record, Lock has the capability to be a solid quarterback in this league. But his ceiling is closer to Jake Plummer than Patrick Mahomes.
And since when was good enough considered acceptable in Broncos Country? This team’s lone goal, as Elway constantly reminds us, is to win rings. Something has got to change for this franchise in a dramatic way.
Tank for Trevor?
That’s not what I’m suggesting, because there’s no need to tank.
This Broncos team is bad enough to lose 12 or 13 games without even trying.