The old axiom among football folks is that if you have two quarterbacks, you really don’t have one.
The thought is both true and false at the same time.
Oftentimes, if you don’t have a standout, clear-cut, number one quarterback on your team, that team is destined to struggle. Having “the guy” under center usually separates the contenders from the pretenders.
On the other hand, what happens if you lose your top guy to injury – the way the Denver Broncos did at the end of last season? Are you just supposed to punt away the rest of the season?
It doesn’t have to be like that.
After a couple weeks of practice and a single preseason game, it’s very clear that the Broncos do have more than one quarterback, and that’s a very good thing for their Super Bowl hopes.
Bo Nix is Denver’s “guy.” Now that his broken ankle is healed, that’s not in dispute. Going into training camp, there was some question as to whether or not Jarrett Stidham or Sam Ehlinger would be the primary backup. Stidham famously got the start in place of Nix in last season’s AFC title game loss to New England and did not fare well. The circumstances and the brutal weather contributed, for sure… but the NFL is not about excuses.
It’s a new year, and after another excellent preseason performance as the starter against Atlanta, Stidham should have cemented the number two spot behind Nix going into the season. Ehlinger is fine, and having him on the roster remains a very solid decision. But watching both guys execute the offense, it’s pretty clear who has the better stuff.
This is important because the health of Nix remains a concern. Yes, the third-year QB is healthy now, but he has an injury history, so depending on Nix to play a full season is not a great bet. The real question should be if (when?) the Broncos need to go to Stidham at some important moment, will he be ready?
With the expectation that both Stidham and Ehlinger will take the majority of the preseason snaps, if Nix were to be unavailable early in the season, both backups could and should be ready. However, if Stidham has to sit the majority of the season – as he did a year ago – and then be pressed into emergency service down the stretch, or even in the playoffs again, it’s fair to expect a performance similar to last season. You don’t get better by not playing. The fact of the matter is that you get worse.
Perhaps the answer to keeping Nix healthy and keeping Stidham ready is the same thing?
If Sean Payton is forward-thinking, he will force himself to get Stidham some snaps during the regular season. Not necessarily in crunch time, but for a series or three with the starters, sometime in the middle of some second quarters, or some mop-up duty in games that are already decided. Pick your spots to give Bo a break and give Stidham some badly needed work.
He’s proven he can handle it.
This is another place where having Payton not calling the plays, and instead “managing the game,” could be beneficial. He can think and plan ahead, knowing when and where to insert Stidham – with the starters – without messing up his team’s offensive rhythm.
You could say this is a very “baseball” way of looking at things, since baseball managers aren’t shy about allotting some limited playing time to reserves and bullpen arms. It’s an accepted practice that has gotten positive results.
It could work for the Broncos, too.
Strike 1: Broncos should give Jarrett Stidham some regular-season reps Mile High Sports.
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