On a scheduled off day for many of the veterans, including Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler saw significant reps at today’s OTAs. Shane Ray saw his first on-field action and Ty Sambrailo saw continued action in place of the injured Ryan Clady.
Head coach Gary Kubiak, Osweiler, Shane Ray and Ty Sambrailo all addressed the media following practice. Some of the highlights are below.
Kubiak: “I’m trying to really rep those other guys. I’m also trying to see how [QB] Brock [Osweiler] reacts and how [QB] Zac [Dysert] reacts when they take the football team and they get it for a day.”
Osweiler: “I’m getting more reps than I’ve ever gotten as a Bronco. [QB] Peyton [Manning] is out and I split time with [QB] Zac [Dysert]. I’m getting twice what I usually get. It’s very valuable to a new player, and especially in a new offense. You can only study so much in the classroom. You need to get out to the grass and you need to go out there and run those plays.”
Ray: “They didn’t want to rush me back and cause more injury. They wanted to make sure that when I started getting work that my foot was feeling good and it wasn’t going to have any setbacks. We’ve got plenty of time so today pretty much they kind of let me go a little bit, let me get some work in because they felt like I was progressing well and throughout the week I’ll be doing more work.”
Sambrailo: “I expected to compete for a spot and hopefully get on the field early. It’s unfortunate what happened to [T] Ryan [Clady]. As great of a player as he is, he’s an even greater person. It’s a bummer and we’ve come together in the offensive line room. Nothing has really changed. We still have to go out and earn a spot.”
Kubiak: “He’s [Osweiler] changing systems, so remember, he wasn’t under center either. It’s not just [QB] Peyton [Manning], so it’s different for him. I’m asking him to read some things differently. I teach guys to read with their feet and how they hitch and how they do things without me going inside. It’s different for him. He’s responding.”
Osweiler: “…I love the extra reps. I’ll take as many as they want to give me. In fact, sometimes I try to sneak in a couple extra. Zac, if I see him not running in there, I try to act like they’re my reps and then I get ripped out (laughs). It’s huge. I think it’s huge for development in a new offense. I’ll take as many as I can get.”
Ray: “I’m taking lessons from [OLBs] DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller every day, watching formations, watching our plays, knowing what I’ll have to do when I get into the mix.”
Sambrailo: “I saw a lot of DeMarcus. I don’t think I went against Von. [He’s] obviously a future Hall-of-Famer. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation to be thrown into in terms of learning as a young player going against a guy like that. I’m going to have my growing pains, but I think that ultimately it will make me a better player.”
Kubiak: “I’m standing back there talking to Peyton during the periods and stuff. We encourage them that if they’re going to ‘sit,’ they’re not going to sit. They’re going to coach. They’re going to help. They’re going to be involved with what’s going on. I think they know how important it is that the youth of our football team gets better.”
Osweiler: “I think everyone is coming in and really stepped up. [T] Ty [Sambrailo] is thrown into left tackle right away, which is obviously a huge job in the NFL. He’s out there battling and getting better, and same with [G] Shelley [Smith] and the rest of the guys.”
Ray: “Every day, they’re going to progress me with what they feel comfortable with me doing and when they feel like I’m ready to be full go out here, I’ll be out here.”
Sambrailo: I think I was drafted to play. I think the coaching staff didn’t really have a choice either. They kind of decided to throw me in there, give me a shot and see what I can do.