Bradley Chubb Shares Candid Reaction to Being Voted Team Captain
The holy trinity on which the new era of Denver Broncos football is founded comes in the form of GM George Paton, head coach Nathaniel Hackett, and quarterback Russell Wilson. While the power trio hopes to turn the ship around, it’s clear that the rest of the Broncos' roster must be ready to take care of business.
Outside linebacker and team captain Bradley Chubb has become somewhat of a poster boy for turning the page on several troubled and often turbulent losing seasons. His recent graduation to team captain marks a crucial moment in his career — one where his talent has not been questioned nearly as much as his availability.
Added responsibility might weigh too heavily on some players looking to change their narrative and possibly earn a lucrative contract extension, but not Chubb. The 26-year-old pass rusher feels liberated by the honor bestowed on him by his teammates and intends to live up to its inherent leadership mandate in his own way.
“It’s probably a little lighter. People are looking at you more, but at the end of the day, like I said, I want to be the same person I was before I even had the captain logo on my chest,” Chubb said earlier this week. “It shouldn’t be too hard to do the same things and be the same person.”
One area where Chubb does have a discernible advantage, certainly in terms of becoming a genuine leader, is his past relationship with future Hall-of-Famer Von Miller. Before Miller was traded at the deadline last season, he and Chubb enjoyed a close friendship, and Chubb revealed that he learned much from the former Super Bowl 50 MVP.
“I learned a lot from him. [He’s] a guy who has seen the peak of Super Bowl success and [being a] Super Bowl MVP. Even him—he was the same guy on the practice field every day,” Chubb said. “You knew what you were going to get from him. He was always a teammate-first guy and I feel like the things he did—inviting people to his house or giving someone the shirt off his back—he was always the prime example of how you want an older guy to treat the younger guys. I just try to follow that.”
Coming to rely solely on veteran leadership can become a false economy in the NFL, a league where production and leadership skills are instantly demanded. Chubb feels the current Broncos roster has enough young talent that can command a room, and in third-year pivot Lloyd Cushenberry, they have a player he very much admires.
“I look at ‘Cush’ as a leader. I’ve tried to follow the things that he does,” Chubb said. “He’s one of those guys that leads by example. He doesn’t say too much and just goes out there and handles his business.”
On Monday, the Broncos take to the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks, hoping to prove that this team no longer has a massive dearth of leadership. We'll see if Denver can take care of business in Seattle and return home to the Mile High City with a valuable season-opening victory.
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