Ferguson: Broncos DBs knew where Osweiler would throw in practice
Oct 21, 2016, 1:47 AM | Updated: 2:54 am
Certainly, playing against former teammates — like how the Denver Broncos match up with former quarterback Brock Osweiler on Monday — may on occasion give an edge one way or another due to knowing a player.
But former Texans and Broncos safety Nick Ferguson says Denver’s defensive backfield knew where Osweiler would throw even before he bolted for the Houston Texans.
Joining Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan’s Sandy Clough Thursday, Ferguson, who was a Broncos coaching intern in 2015, said conversations on the sideline with Chris Harris and Aqib Talib indicated the two Pro Bowl cornerbacks knew where Osweiler was throwing when they faced the young quarterback in practice.
“They knew exactly where he was going with the ball,” Ferguson said. “Now Peyton Manning, they said that since he was a savvy veteran, he would just kind of mix things up, and you couldn’t really tell. But with Brock, they always had a beat on him. They always knew where he was going to throw the ball.”
Ferguson said that familiarity with Osweiler’s game could lead to success in Monday’s matchup for the Denver defense, which somewhat parallels comments earlier in the week from Harris.
“He’s like a gunslinger right now. He’s throwing the ball a lot. He’s throwing it everywhere, and he’s also forcing a lot of throws, so there’s a lot of opportunities to get picks,” Harris said Monday.
Monday’s game will be Osweiler’s first since leaving Denver in the offseason, following a Super Bowl 50 victory, in favor of a four-year, $72 million contract with the Texans.
Ferguson said that if he had been Osweiler’s ex-teammate, if he was in that Broncos locker room, he’d want some “get back.”
“When you get your schedule, you circle certain games. And this is one of those games that you circle because Brock is coming back,” Ferguson said. “It gives you an opportunity to play against a guy who you shared the locker room with, you know very well.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Har ton Twitter: @Johnnyhart7.