To think, just last weekend, we thought there were questions at the quarterback position heading into a game. To say there are questions again this weekend would be a vast understatement. The Broncos placed Jeff Driskel on the reserve/Covid list earlier this week. The Broncos backup quarterback had tested positive. At that point the team began it’s contact tracing. It was there that today’s game took a colossal turn for the Broncos. The NFL determined that all three of the remaining Broncos quarterbacks had been in direct contact without masks and thus all would be placed in the high risk to exposure protocol and would be ineligible for today’s game. So in case you’re not following this completely, THE BRONCOS WILL NOT HAVE A QB AVAILABLE FOR TODAYS GAME.
It’s hard to even discuss the other factors in this game because that is such an overwhelming change in every aspect. It changes how your offense approaches the game and how your defense approaches the game, and I’m talking about the Saints. With the run defense the Saints have, the idea that a wildcat style of offense would be effective vs. New Orleans has major holes in it. There are no other viable options.
Playing quarterback in the NFL is as difficult a job as there is in professional sports. Taking that position today for the Broncos will reportedly be rookie wide receiver Kendall Hinton. Hinton, who played at Wake Forest, started his college career as a quarterback. He was 93/177 for 929 yards with 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. At that point, he was demoted and eventually was moved to wide receiver before the 2018 season. He finished his career 133/251 for 1504 yards with 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also ran the ball 188 times for 881 yards and 12 touches and finished with 79 receptions for 1062 yards and 4 TDs. Nothing in this stat line is all that impressive. It tells a story of a young man, who is a good athlete, but not great at anything. To think he is going to start an NFL game at quarterback is mind bending.
The Broncos will also reportedly allow reserve running back Royce Freeman to take snaps at quarterback. There has not been a situation arise like this in the NFL since 1965 when RB Tom Matte made a couple of starts at quarterback for the Baltimore Colts. The second start, against the Bart Starr led Green Bay Packers, in the divisional round of the playoffs on their way to the championship. That was an unsuccessful experiment then and it will be again today.
So, if you’re the Broncos, what is your game plan? Obviously, the Broncos will run the ball a lot today. You don’t have a choice. The bigger issue is even that is going to be incredibly difficult. Remember, the Denver Broncos found out YESTERDAY that they would not have a quarterback. They scanned their roster for anyone who previously played quarterback, but that player, Kendall Hinton, has only been in the building for three and a half weeks since being cut after training camp. That’s what makes all of this so unique.
When Tom Matte started in 1965, he had been in that Colts offense for 5 years. When the Dolphins ran the Wildcat for the first time vs. the Patriots, they had spent 30 minutes a day working on the SIX plays that made up the entirety of the wildcat offense. It was a disaster during training camp and the offense was being mocked for attempting it. It was also being run by Pro Bowl running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Hinton has never taken a snap.
All of these realities severely limit what the Broncos can realistically even attempt. What the Broncos will be forced to do is look back at what Hinton did at Wake Forest and try to adapt the other players. So, zone read becomes a part of this offense by default. While that could lead to handling issues, what other choice do you have? Every option will come with risks. They will run some single wing, similar to what the Saints do with Taysom Hill, though they will likely use each of their running backs in that role. Why not? Throw on the Saints film, watch how they structure the Taysom Hill runs, and insert another running back.
From a passing standpoint, you’re even more limited. If it was me, I wouldn’t allow anyone to throw a pass between 5 and 25 yards downfield. Can you run a naked and check in down to a running back or a tight end? Sure. The problem is that’s all the Saints will be concerned about. If I’m the Broncos, I’m finding out how far Hinton can throw, and I’m working on getting one on one matchups down the field. If they are able to, and they should be, get receivers in advantageous matchups, then just throw it up and let the receiver make a play.
If you have any real thoughts of winning this game in Denver, you are going to have to take massive amounts of chances. At least that ball gives you a 50/50 chance of picking up a chunk of yards. Throwing the ball to crossers or intermediate routes should be completely eliminated from contention.
I’m going to speak plainly here, because the situations mandate it. This is the craziest situation that has occurred in the NFL since I’ve been involved. I believe it’s the strangest situation that has ever occurred in the NFL. The Denver Broncos cannot win this football game. Could they keep it close? Possibly. The Saints will be substantially less aggressive as the only real chance Denver has is the defense scoring points.
There is no way, in today’s NFL, to produce an offense with 24 hour’s notice without a quarterback. It’s impossible. We all become a little numb to the incredible precision that exists at this level from the quarterback position. How difficult is the position? Enough to comfortably state that there are not 32 starting grade quarterbacks in the world. Half the league is looking for a replacement as we speak. To think a converted wide receiver could come into a game with this little notice and throw the football in the NFL is to ignore how talented these defenses are. In my opinion, if the Broncos were in contention to win the AFC West, the correct decision today would have been to forfeit. It isn’t worth the risk to your players to take the field in a game you can’t win.
I’m saying none of this to be harsh. I think the Broncos have a lot of talented players on the field today. Insert a practice squad quarterback who has never started a game, this story is completely different. Any given Sunday. That phrase, any given Sunday, assumes both teams have all the players needed to win. The Broncos do not. The NFL, in an effort to draw a line in the sand, have put the Denver Broncos in an unwinnable position as a punishment for not following Covid-19 guidelines put in place by the league. The NFL didn’t want to open the can of worms that would exist by postponing a game this late in the week. To avoid it, they have put the Broncos in an unprecedented situation in and unprecedented season.
Is the game intriguing? Sure it is. The same way as a video on the internet of someone falling and getting hurt. Hard to look away from the train wreck. I don’t know exactly what this game will look like today, but it won’t look right.