Garett Bolles wasn’t a happy camper on Sunday.
After the Denver Broncos’ fourth day of training camp, and first day in pads, Bolles and the rest of the offense walked off the field in a bad mood after running into the buzzsaw that is the Denver defense.
“Yesterday was unacceptable,” Bolles said after Monday’s practice. “We weren’t on our game and we had things we had to work out. We had some injuries that happened, so the next man has to step up. We’re just trying to get used to each other.”
After a rough day Sunday, Bolles felt like the offense had a better day on Monday.
“Yesterday we were all upset because it wasn’t our best, and today I thought we came out better running the ball,” the 2017 first-round pick said on Monday. “That’s what we’re going to do. The guys stepped up today. The veterans stepped up, did what they need to do and brought the young ones like me along. We were ready to go today.”
The offense is still a work in progress, but head coach Vance Joseph agreed that the offense bounced back on Monday.
“Offensive line wise, they came back and were physical today,” Joseph said. “I told the guys, ‘It’s not that things aren’t going to happen. Things are going to happen, but how you respond is the key.’ Football is a game of adversity and a game of mistakes. That’s going to happen. They’re going to have bad days, but how you bounce back is critical.”
One thing Bolles brings to the table is the right attitude. After the offense’s bad day, Bolles came to work on Monday with one thing in mind: Get better.
“I try to come out here every single day and I pick one goal,” Bolles said. “Today, my goal was to work on my steps and I feel like I did a great job of that. Yesterday, my goal was to come off the ball. I have different things I’ve got to work on. The thing about the NFL that people don’t know is it’s all about consistency. It’s all about doing the same thing over and over again.”
While Bolles is still getting the hang of life in the National Football League, his head coach can already tell a difference in his game from when the Broncos drafted him in April.
“He’s getting better,” Joseph said. “He’s getting better. Again, it’s not perfect, but he’s getting better. It’s going to take time for him. As a left tackle, it’s almost like playing corner. Block your guy. He’s there. Block your guy. That part he will overcome.”
One thing that Bolles doesn’t lack is confidence, and he made a promise to Broncos fans everywhere on Monday.
“Our offense is going to be there; I promise you guys that,” Bolles said. “Coach [Mike] McCoy wants to run the ball. If we can’t run the ball, we’re going to throw the ball and get [Demaryius Thomas] D.T. and [Emmanuel] Sanders on the edge and go win games.”
