WR Tim Patrick Reveals Russell Wilson's Involvement in Broncos' New Playbook
Climbing the NFL ladder is a painstaking process. When the Denver Broncos appointed George Paton as their new general manager before last season, it left no doubt of the team's desire to return to competitive relevancy.
Paton has not been afraid to make the big calls either, trading away franchise icon Von Miller at the deadline last fall, and prior to that, taking super-talented Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II ahead of a quarterback in his first-ever draft.
Then, of course, Paton orchestrated the seismic trade to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson, a move which the GM hopes will solve the Broncos' long-running conundrum under center.
Some folks even dare to suggest that the Broncos are now in a Super Bowl window. The reason for Denver's sudden change in expectation is the addition of Wilson, a man who has been to the top of the mountain and is fully aware of what it takes to get there.
Talk is cheap, especially during OTAs, but wide receiver Tim Patrick is one player who isn’t afraid to openly talk about how the Broncos need to fall in behind the levels of professionalism Wilson shows on a daily basis. Patrick also talked frankly about the team’s goal to win it all, and what it will require of everyone to accomplish that mission.
“When you see someone carry themselves the right way every day, it makes you up your game not to slack and to put winning first,” Patrick said following Wednesday's practice. “At the end of the day, we’re all here to win a Super Bowl and if our quarterback does it, no one has an excuse not to do it.”
The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is visible for Denver but hidden somewhere beneath is the intrigue about what exactly the new Nathaniel Hackett/Wilson offense is going to look like when it hits the field.
Patrick pulled back the curtain just enough to get Broncos Country plenty excited about what’s going to be on the menu when this offense really gets cooking.
“It’s just something different that we haven’t done yet,” Patrick revealed. “Then you have to think—we have ‘Russ’ and we have Nathaniel Hackett. They put in both of their systems together, so it’s kind of a 1-of-1 offense. It’s not something that’s really been taught before.”
An inherent danger always lurks just below the surface — the Broncos' offense might try to run before it’s started to walk. In this case, it becomes even more dangerous when you factor in how the Broncos are running with a first-year head coach, and one who is eager to introduce a wealth of new ideas.
Wilson is the vital go-between who can make things work in real-time. During the process, some things will work, while others will eventually be dropped from the playbook.
Patrick’s unwavering trust in what Wilson and Hackett can accomplish with the complex installation of the new offense will be needed when the sun gets hot on the dog-day afternoons spent at training camp. That’s an unmistakable fact, but the veteran wideout is of the firm belief that the Broncos' offensive unit will be a finely oiled machine come time.
“The more we meet, the more we’re with each other and the more we’re meeting and talking about what he likes and what we like, the more it just hones the whole offense and we run it to perfection," Patrick said.
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