kicks butt. He doesn’t kiss and make up. So what the heck is doing back in Denver?
“Itap just kind of funny how these things worked out,” Elway said Saturday evening.
Itap not funny. Itap sad. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And the Broncos were desperate for help at quarterback. Elway called it a glaring hole.
But a week ago, if I had predicted safety would get cut from the team’s 53-man roster and Osweiler would move back in with the Broncos fewer than 18 months after his acrimonious divorce from the 50 champs, you would have inserted your favorite marijuana joke here.
Don’t ask me to explain the strangest cutdown day in franchise history, which left players shocked by Ward’s departure and fans angry rookie favorite Kyle Sloter get dumped in favor of Osweiler, regarded as disloyal for signing a $72 million contract with Houston.
But don’t have a cow, apountry. This is pro football. Personal feelings never get in the way of business.
Can fans forgive Osweiler? “He’s going to need a little football rehab. We know that,” Elway said. “We’ll welcome with some open arms, and give him some love.”
So where was the love – or the respect – for Ward?
By kicking Ward out the door, the Super Bowl window for the Broncos has not only been closed, it was slammed on the fingers of , and proud members of a defense that carried Denver to a championship.
Yes, the business of football can be cruel. NFL general managers don’t trust anyone over 30. And Ward will celebrate his 31st birthday in December.
The Broncos have younger, cheaper and capable replacements for Ward in and . But the No Fly Zone is dead. Oh, it will still be tough to pass on Denver. What has been lost, however, is crucial and the most ephemeral thing in pro football: The sense that a locker room is a brotherhood.
When alerted last week that the Broncos were trying to squeeze a draft pick out of moving Ward rather than cutting the safety selected to the Pro Bowl three times, linebacker tweeted: “We better not trade the homie.” Well, Elway has taken a wrecking ball to the team’s sense of family. He has done it with the same cold, calculating heart that allows New England’s to be a constant reminder loyalty is a one-way street in the NFL.
Among the Broncos, he was Boss Ward. His strong presence will be missed, especially on a team that has yet to fill the leadership void from the retirements of and .
“I was in that locker room. I didn’t agree with every move that management made,” Elway said. “You create those relationships in that locker room. Thatap important. And T.J. was a big part of that. I could tell you how many friends and people I had cut over the course of my career, and I didn’t agree with all of them. But, you know, thatap part of it. They understand, at least I hope they understand, that we’ve got to do whatap best for the .”
The Denver defense is a big, messy toolbox of heavy hammers, sharp edges and loose screws. There’s a lot of dangerous stuff thatap hard to keep in the order. If you doubt it, I’ve got a video of Talib and linebacker bickering during the recent preseason game against San Francisco cued up for your viewing pleasure. The back-and-forth was as contentious as “Game of Thrones.”
A year ago, coach no longer had the energy to keep all the big personalities in check. There was more than a crack between the offensive and defensive side of the locker room. It was a sinkhole, which swallowed Denver’s playoff chances.
The opening four games for the Broncos are crucial for new coach . He must beat the Chargers. The Cowboys won’t go away quietly. There’s never a good time for a trip to Buffalo. And the hated Raiders are intent on reasserting their dominance in the AFC West. If Denver goes 1-3 in that stretch, I’m afraid the authority of Joseph will disappear as quickly as Talib can rip a chain off your neck.
“Every move we’re making is a football decision,” Joseph said.
These moves ripped the heart out of the locker room and kicked apountry in the gut.
