Will we see the real Gary Kubiak offense?
The Denver Broncos ranked 19th in the NFL in points per game, a distinction that stands out as one of the few black marks on Gary Kubiak’s record.
In fact, in the 21 years Kubiak has spent as a coach or coordinator in the NFL he’s only ranked lower twice, his first and final seasons in Houston. Otherwise, he’s coordinated a top-10 offense in 15 of those seasons.
Pretty impressive.
So what was different about last season? Well, for one, there was the whole Peyton Manning thing. Even at full health, it was clear Manning and Kubiak’s styles were never going to mesh perfectly. And while Brock Osweiler may be more of “Kubiak quarterback,” a guy who can stretch the field and roll out of the pocket, it’s not as if Kubiak could really get his hands dirty with his scheme.
Kubiak runs a very specific offense, an offense that has been very successful in the NFL for the last two decades, but he could not run that offense in 2015, at least not to its fullest capabilities. We knew that when he came in. We knew that Manning was not a “Kubiak quarterback.” And it not only affected the plays Kubiak could call, but it impacted the running game that was a staple in the old Broncos and Texans offenses.
Kubiak has coordinated 14 top-10 rushing attacks (nine top-five), but the Broncos clocked in at 17th in 2015. Sure, some of that can be blamed on the offensive line and some of that can be blamed on the backs themselves, but some of the blame has to be placed on the fact that playing out of the pistol and shotgun took out, or severely altered, many of Kubiak’s staple plays.
Will that change next season? Will the Broncos be able to construct an offense built around Kubiak’s style?
Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?
