The difficult decision came with 6:34 left in the third quarter of the Broncos’ . Coach Gary Kubiak pulled Peyton Manning, his five-time MVP quarterback, and gave Brock Osweiler the reins.
It was a decision many believed should have come at least 10 minutes earlier, after Manning had thrown three of his would-be four interceptions. And it was a decision that, in hindsight, others believed should have been made earlier in the week after learning of Manning’s multiple injuries. The Broncos reported a rib-cage injury the day before the game, but they had long known about the foot, with partially torn plantar fascia.
But those details, and the decision Kubiak had to made Sunday evening, could soon be overshadowed by a much more pressing one.
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Osweiler, a fourth-year player who has yet to start an NFL game, .
Denver’s second-round pick in 2012 is playing on the final year of his rookie contract. The Broncos’ window to see if he’s fit to be Manning’s heir apparent will close in March.
In that sense, the turn of events is fortuitous, for both the team and Osweiler.
But what if he plays really well? What if Osweiler not only proves to the Broncos he’s worth keeping as the future leader of the offense but also as the current leader of the offense?
What if he — playing in a system that is better suited to his style than Manning — is able to spark an offense that struggled early and hasn’t come close to replicating its performance against Green Bay?
Do you bench a legend in what could be the final season of his career? Or do you let him finish it out, with the hope that his healed wounds restore whatever had been lost in his game?
“I think Gary has made the point, though, that when Peyton is healthy, he’s going to play,” Tony Dungy, Manning’s former coach in Indianapolis, said . “Now, the caveat is when is he healthy and when can he show you that he can throw the ball like it needs to be thrown. You certainly don’t want a repeat of what happened yesterday.”
Later Monday, I asked Jake Plummer the same thing: If you’re Kubiak, what do you do in a week, two weeks if Osweiler is performing well and producing in the offense you had designed from the start?
Plummer, former Pro Bowl quarterback who played under Kubiak in Denver from 2003-06 and is familiar with Osweiler because of their Arizona State connection, understands the dilemma perhaps better than anyone. He understands the demands of an NFL quarterback and of NFL players in general with the need to shield injuries to preserve their jobs. He knows Kubiak’s ways, but also gets Manning’s thinking. He sees an opportunity for Osweiler, but knows it comes with strings attached.
“I think you give it back to Peyton,” Plummer said. “You can’t take away possibly the last year of his career because of a foot injury and give the reins to Brock. I just don’t think that would be right. But if this offense starts to put up 40 points a game, they maybe have to figure out — I don’t know, find a way to let Peyton come in and use Brock some. There’s a lot of stuff going on. Tough situation for Kubes, benching a legend. I know everyone of those guys in the locker room, they want to win now. They want to win for Peyton, but they want to win now.”
A decision that seem ludicrous to even discuss just weeks ago now bears real consideration. Whether it’s because of age or injury or the sytem or all of the above, the numbers speak loudly. He is, according to STATS, the only qualifying quarterback (minimum 20 pass attempts) to record the highest-possible passer rating in a game (158.3), which he’s done four times, and the lowest-possible rating in another, on Sunday.
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Plummer, however, isn’t ready to say this is the end of Manning.
“I expect to see him come back,” he said. “And I really hope he does. I think it’d be neat to see him come back and have a successful end to this year. But fairy tales sometimes don’t come true. The guy that’s running the show, (John) Elway, he lived one. He set the standard — two (titles) in a row and you retire, like come on now. So, yeah, you’d love to see it for Peyton. I’d love to see it.”
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• Neil Leifer is a sports god and . I’m serious about both.
• .
• Patriots lineman and former CU Buffs and Buena Vista High star .
• The , NBA reporter Christopher Dempsey writes.
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Sunday may be his first NFL start but it won’t be Osweiler’s first big game. . (If you’ll recall, Osweiler verbally committed to play basketball at Gonzaga before deciding to play football at Arizona State.)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Guess who’s 23 today? Shaq Barrett. That’s who. Here’s the Broncos’ outside linebacker .
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or @NickiJhabvala
