New Broncos QB Coach Breaks Silence on Russell Wilson Progress Report
Stepping away from professional football is always a tough decision for any player, but long-time NFL backup quarterback turned Denver Broncos assistant Davis Webb had other options.
When you realize that Webb is still only 28 years old, the former New York Giants backup, it's hard to believe that he got the call to become Sean Payton's quarterbacks coach in Denver to preside over the redemption of Russell Wilson.
It was a golden opportunity for Webb to launch his coaching career, and he wasn't going to pass it up.
"I could've kept playing, but I felt like this was the only opportunity I was interested in when it comes to coaching,” Webb said via Aric DiLalla of the team website. “Being able to come here, help Russell as much as I can and learn from Coach Payton, [Offensive Coordinator] Joe Lombardi, [Pass Game Coordinator] John Morton, all these great guys, I'm very grateful that this worked out. If it didn't, I would've kept on playing. This has been a lot of fun."
Some analysts, such as NBC Sports' Peter King, have suggested that Webb might be biting off more than he can chew and entering a "raging inferno," due to the enormity of putting Wilson back together. Such misgivings are fair when you factor in that Webb has zero experience coaching, but what he does have is the ability to see things exactly as his quarterbacks do.
"If I put myself within the play, I'm like, 'Hey, I get it. I understand why you made that decision. I've seen it before. I've done it before,'" Webb said. "Russell's library's fantastic. He's been in the league for a very long time."
Walking a mile in the cleats of his quarterback will also increase the chances of Webb building some early chemistry with Wilson, who is six years his senior. When push comes to shove, how successfully Webb and Wilson work together will have a monumental bearing on whether or not the Broncos return to competitive relevance.
Webb has offered Wilson the respect his decorated resume deserves, but that doesn't mean he's going to shy away from rigorously coaching his star signal caller.
"I think the great players are always looking to be coached," Webb said. "It doesn't matter who you are; if you can help them, that's the bottom line. I've been around a lot of good ones. Sadly, that's why I'm coaching. Pat [Mahomes] to Josh Allen; Sam Darnold his rookie year. Daniel Jones. Tyrod Taylor. So many great quarterbacks. Josh McCown. [I'm] lucky to add Russell to the list."
It's been well-documented how Wilson's private throwing coach was pushed out of Broncos HQ by Payton. Payton was always going to demand full control of his operation, but thankfully for Webb, it's also allowing him to get a direct path of communication at gaining the ear of his starting QB. Too many cooks can ruin the broth.
Wilson is also savvy enough to understand that pushing back against his young QB coach could be damaging at this pivotal point in his career. Coach Lombardi already revealed that the new Broncos staff is asking Wilson to relearn some "muscle memory," which could suggest that the redemption project is likely to be more intensive than a simple reboot.
Training camp will see the reclamation blast off, and Webb's name is one Broncos Country is going to hear a lot more about over the coming weeks.
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