Ryan Harris will be there; it doesn’t matter that he’s currently donning a Steelers uniform. Omar Bolden is making the trip, as well; he’ll forget for a day that he’s now a member of the Bears organization. And Malik Jackson will also make an appearance, calling it his “last act as a Bronco.”
Almost everyone who was on the field at Super Bowl 50 will be in Washington, D.C. Monday to meet with President Obama. When the invitation to visit the White House was extended to every member of the 2015 Denver Broncos, almost all of them accepted it; whether they’ve moved on to greener (richer) pastures or not, they wanted one more chance to celebrate being a part of the orange and blue.
Of course, one prominent member of last year’s championship team won’t be on hand in the Rose Garden; Brock Osweiler was one of the few who declined the President’s invitation. And the quarterback, who left in March to become a member of the Texans, was roundly criticized for his decision.
Some saw it as a cowardly move; they think he’s hiding from the awkwardness of the situation, wanting to avoid teammates that he rebuked in favor of a big-money offer in Houston. People view Osweiler’s choice as a slap in the face, as he’s not paying the proper respect to the people he fought alongside to accomplish something great last season.
Others take a less harsh approach, instead judging the quarterback’s decision based on the fact that he’ll be missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. They believe he’ll regret not being there; in 20 years, they think Osweiler will be kicking himself for not jumping at this unique opportunity.
Of course, neither of these Denver-centric approaches to the news bothered to take into account the quarterback’s explanation of his decision. They completely dismissed what Osweiler said last Wednesday when word of his choice leaked.
“The Broncos graciously extended an invitation for me to join them at the White House on Monday,” the quarterback said from Houston. “But due to a scheduled OTA in Houston, I feel it is important to be at practice with my new teammates. It’s a new offensive system for me and every practice and rep is extremely important. I am very appreciative of the Broncos wanting to include me on this special day.’’
Frankly, this explanation should be applauded. Instead of ignoring what he said, people should be praising the quarterback for doing something that all too often doesn’t seem to matter anymore; he’s skipping out on short-term fun in favor of a long-term goal.
In other words, Brock Osweiler is doing his job.
In March, the Texans offered him a four-year, $72-million contract, with $37 million guaranteed. When he signed it, the quarterback instantly became set for life, as did future generations of the Osweiler clan.
But his John Hancock did more than pad his bank account; it also represented a commitment to go out and earn the money. In this day and age, where things like honor, loyalty and responsibility don’t get celebrated very much, most people don’t look at it that way; instead, they see the deal offered by Houston as something akin to a winning lottery ticket. That’s misguided and wrong.
When Osweiler agreed to accept the millions offered to him, he also decided to put Denver in his rearview mirror. From that moment forward, it was about earning his paycheck; it was about demonstrating that the Texans’ faith in his ability to be the leader of the team and the face of the franchise was not misguided.
Once September rolls around, that will mostly be measured by what the quarterback does on the field; leading touchdown drives will be the way in which the wisdom of the contract will be gauged. But right now, during the offseason, it’s non-football actions that demonstrate whether or not the Texans made a good decision.
Living in the past would not be a positive sign. Nobody in Houston cares that Osweiler won a Super Bowl last season with the Broncos; they’re only worried about what he’s going to do in his new home. Celebrating with a former employer, while his current co-workers are sweating it out at OTAs, doesn’t send a very good message; Osweiler would be doing nothing to earn his paycheck during his time hobnobbing at the White House.
And living in the future wouldn’t be a good move, either. Nobody in the Texans organization is concerned with making sure their new quarterback has stories to tell his grandkids about the time he shook hands with Barack Obama; they only care that he’s learning his new offense, getting acclimated to a fresh batch of teammates and prepping for the upcoming season. They want him to be worried about earning Houston a trip to D.C.
No matter what decision Osweiler made, he was going to tick off someone. By not going, people in Denver have their feathers ruffled; had he decided to skip work in favor of hanging out with his ex-teammates, plenty of people in Texas would have been rubbed the wrong way. He was in somewhat of a no-win situation, but he made the right call.
Brock Osweiler isn’t worried about the Denver Broncos anymore. And that’s okay. That’s someone else’s job; he’s responsible for helping the people he’s working with now, not the folks posing for pictures at the White House.
