The Broncos are making a mistake by sitting their starters
Aug 27, 2019, 6:38 AM | Updated: Sep 13, 2019, 12:07 pm
I couldn’t help but notice while Vic Fangio was putting Joe Flacco and the rest of his starters on ice for the Rams preseason snooze-fest, the following quarterbacks did play in what is traditionally viewed as the dress rehearsal for the regular season: Andy Dalton, Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, Cam Newton, Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garappolo, Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady.
How is it that those QBs played while Flacco sat? How is it that some of those teams, with serious Super Bowl aspirations, played their franchise quarterbacks while the Broncos shifted down in cruise control?
I can’t understand how Fangio believes having his first-string offense remain dormant for three weeks before the season opener in Oakland is considered sound strategy. I know, I know, health and not risking injury and all that. But if coaches like Sean Payton, Pete Carroll, Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin and Bill Belichick feel it’s worth the risk, why not Fangio?
This is an offense with a new quarterback, remade offensive line, young personnel at running back, wide receiver and tight end, and a new offensive coordinator who’s never called plays before at anything resembling a big boy football level.
This group doesn’t need the work?
Flacco played 30 snaps in the entire preseason. I understand that some of the quarterbacks mentioned above waited until this past weekend to make their preseason debuts, but they have been in the same system for a few years, or a couple of decades. Flacco is new to this.
By the way, it’s not like he isn’t lugging a considerable amount of baggage to Denver after being unceremoniously dumped by the Ravens. He needs the work and the confidence needed to go out and play at a high level.
Make no mistake, the Broncos have to get off to a fast start. A win in Oak-town on opening night is a must if they have any hope of getting to 10 wins in 2019. The following week against Chicago is almost as important, as the Bears are sending a very clear message they are willing to ease into their season and treat the first quarter of it like an extended preseason.
Maybe that’s where Fangio got the idea. He comes over from Chicago. Matt Nagy is the coach of the Bears. I don’t think it’s a reach that Fangio has talked with Nagy from time to time as Vic learns the ropes of being a first time head coach.
I suppose the potential silver lining in all this is for the first two weeks the Broncos will play teams in Oakland and Chicago who have been equally reluctant to expose their first-team players to any potential harm. Derek Carr played for a brief time on Aug. 15, so he’ll have sat just as long as Flacco. Mitch Trubisky, Khalil Mack and the rest of the Bears starters haven’t played at all.
But is that the way the Broncos want to play this? Count on their opponents to be as rusty as they are? Can a team that has been wallowing around in the kiddie pool of NFL offenses the last several years have enough swagger to believe they can come out of the chute flying?
Put it this way: If the Broncos come out and beat the Raiders 27-17, all this will be forgotten and I can be accused of unnecessarily pushing the panic button.
But lose 17-13 in a game the defense did their job and the offense was a no show? Vic Fangio will be amazed at how short his Broncos honeymoon lasted.
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