Nearly four years later, the Broncos still may not have a Plan B

“Plan B? We don’t have a Plan B. We’re goin’ Plan A.” – John Elway, March 20, 2012, when Mile High Sports reporter Lisa Snyder asked if there was a “Plan B” should Peyton Manning not be healthy enough to quarterback the Denver Broncos

Turns out, John Elway wasn’t lying. He wasn’t playing coy about not having a backup plan in the event that Peyton Manning, a future Hall of Famer who was recovering from a complex neck surgery, didn’t work out as the Broncos quarterback. At the time, nobody knew – even Elway – whether or not Manning’s healthy return was certain. Exactly how fragile the aging quarterback might be was still in question. And to Elway’s credit, Plan A has worked out pretty swell.

A month and six days after admitting the Broncos were all-in with Manning, Elway drafted a lanky quarterback out of Arizona State with the 57^th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. His name was Brock Osweiler and, in the minds of many Broncos fans, the pick was a bit of a stretch. Osweiler was largely unproven as a college quarterback and despite not having a backup plan for Manning, the Broncos arguably had other more pressing needs.

Even Elway couldn’t have known that Plan B would one day become Plan Brock. But sure enough, it did. It is. It was.

That’s the thing; prior to Sunday’s No. 1 seed-clinching win over the San Diego Chargers, Plan B was in full motion. It took more than three years, but on Nov. 22, 2015 Manning was finally not healthy enough to quarterback the Broncos. Enter Osweiler. The fourth-year quarterback wasn’t perfect, but he played well. Heading into the final game of the season, he’d guided Denver to a 4-2 record that included improbable wins over previously unbeaten New England and Cincinnati (who, at the time was the No. 2 team in the AFC). For the most part, Plan B looked pretty damn good.

He even looked “pretty good” in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Chargers. The Broncos, however, looked awful; they couldn’t block, run or hold onto the ball. Still, Osweiler was still on pace for a 400-yard game. He’d been intercepted twice and fumbled once, but for the most part, even those weren’t his fault.

The scoreboard was the pressing issue though. Five turnovers had the Chargers up 13-7 in the third quarter.

And that’s when Plan B went out the window. Again.

Out came Osweiler. In came Manning.

Following the switch, Osweiler was visibly miffed on the sideline. He peeled off his gloves and threw them down in disgust. Perhaps he was mad because the Broncos hadn’t caught a break and were on the verge of blowing a golden opportunity to host both the Divisional and Championship rounds of the AFC playoffs. Perhaps he was miffed because he didn’t like being yanked; he’d played fairly well, so feeling the brunt of Gary Kubiak’s decision wasn’t entirely fair. Perhaps he simply didn’t like those particular gloves. We can only speculate.

In fairness, it’s the only reaction you’d expect from a competitor, and Osweiler is certainly that. Any athlete competent enough to go blow-for-blow with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is competitive; he’s not going to like a mid-game demotion.

No matter, the headlines the next day reflected a glorious Broncos win, fueled by a legendary quarterback who had been taken down and dusted off from an unfamiliar shelf. It was Mile High High Magic at its finest and all was well in Denver.

But how were things in Osweiler’s home on Monday morning?

How thin-, or thick-skinned is Osweiler? That’s a question Elway might be asking himself right about now. Was Kubiak’s decision – while brilliant in its outcome – a move that could change the long-term plans of the Broncos?

The Broncos haven’t announced who their starting quarterback will be when the playoffs commence. But anyone who thinks this particular cat can be put back in the bag is delusional. Mark it down, the playoff-hardened Manning will get the nod. If and when that’s the case, how will Osweiler handle it?

Heading into the offseason, Osweiler is eligible for unrestricted free agency. Last week, it looked as if he was the future of the Broncos. This week, that’s not so certain. If Osweiler was embarrassed or enraged by the substitution for Manning, or if he will be should the team decide to go with the veteran going forward, the free-agent-to-be suddenly has reason to consider other teams besides the Broncos. And that’s not a good situation for Elway.

Osweiler has played well enough to attract the interest of other teams. And now, given the situation at hand, it may take a pretty penny to convince Osweiler to stay in Denver. Also – and it may or may not be relevant – it must be noted that Manning has one more year on his deal with the Broncos. Sure, he could retire, or the Broncos could cut him, but the situation still exists.

It’s quite possible that Osweiler is a tough kid with a firm grasp on both his future and his current surroundings. He might completely understand the choice to play Manning, all while knowing that he can call Denver home for as long as he chooses. Call Sunday’s benching a minor hiccup.

The reality is that nobody knows. Kubiak’s decision on Sunday leads to a new version of an old question: What will Plan B’s plans be?

One has to wonder, what if Drew Bledsoe came back to replace Tom Brady who had replaced him? Would the New England Patriots have been to six Super Bowls? Would they have won any, much less four? Would Tom and Gisele be raising kids in Philly, Dallas, Arizona or St. Louis?

We’ll never know. Because when Bledsoe was replaced by Brady, that was the end of Bledsoe. From that day forward, Brady was the Patriots’ man. The rest is history.

It’s unfair at this point to assume that Osweiler has the upside of Brady. It’s also unfair to assume he doesn’t. And we can’t accurately speculate on Osweiler’s current state of mind, either.

It comes full circle: What’s Plan B?

At the moment, the answer is quite possibly the same.