Part 4: The Training Camps

The Broncos sure did a whole lot of nothing in the Draft. Oh sure, they had nine picks, but even the second-rounder they got from the Rams was at the end of that round so it felt like a third-rounder. The sunshine take was that that was what they were hoping to do to the Seahawks next year. So, with Russell Wilson in place, they had drafted for the future they were building around him.

Which explains why they didn’t draft an O-lineman until the fifth round. Luke Wattenberg was destined to be a backup, since they already had two starting-quality centers, and would likely see more time at guard than as center. But that’s the great thing about rookies – you can tell them to play anywhere & they’ll run through the wall to get to that spot.

So gullible. So cheap.

Besides, Coach Hacket felt he had enough tools in place that they didn’t need to prioritize the line. With most ‘expert’ rankings of the line firmly in the middle third of the league average, and most of the louder fansites thrilled with the acquisition of #3, most of the team’s draft capital was spent on the defence, which ranked near the bottom of the NFL in 2021. Lord knows the defence had one consistent drawback in 2021 that was apparent every game,

Thanks to Von Miller’s departure, the Broncos had to rebuild their front four. So they used the Rams’ pick on Nik Bonitto, an average-sized kid out of Oklahoma, who skipped his senior season, that they hoped they could bulk up into a qualified replacement for Miller. They also used the Seahawks pick on Eyioma Uwazurike, a Defensive End who had the benefit of a sixth college season due to COVID eligibility changes. The extra prep, it was thought, made him more prepared to take the field at a moment’s notice. And because it was due to COVID & not being away on a “mission”, there was none of that Garrett Bolles / Mormon stink on him.

And Russell himself? He settled right into his new home town, buying a $25 million house in the toney Cherry Hills neighborhood. Replete with four bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, and five half bathrooms, this was not the house of a rental player or a one-and-done contract. No sir, this was the house of someone looking to make an impact and build a new legacy around himself.

From a DangeRuss perspective, this was the perfect place to begin anew. Gone was the constant criticism from the Seattle fanbase, especially the people who still held a grudge that he didn’t let Marshawn waltz into the end zone that fateful February evening. Well, he would show them! The first step would be to amend his familiar “Go Hawks!” mantra that became his custom to close every postgame presser. He just needed something catchy… something he could make synonymous with him. He looked over what his PR team had put together (and already trademarked):

“Go Broncos!”

No, too similar. And too common – he needed something that couldn’t be argued in court as “fair use”…

“Broncos – yee-haw!”

Hmm… had promise… Maybe if he built on that…

“We! The Broncos!”

Oof; that sounded like he’d had a baby with Jack Swagger. This was harder than he thought…

“This is Broncos country!”

Better, but it sounded too much like he was in Flavor Country, and a guy in his position didn’t need any association to cigarettes or other vices.

^{Like these fucking killjoys.}

But he did like the sound of it, so he began workshopping it. He just dreaded creating this without running it past the boys in the focus group. 

He knew that if he wanted to keep the “Broncos Country”, he was going to need something else. Something that encouraged people to follow him. Something he could ride both into the ground and to the end of his career.

As he sat alone in his private office, he realized he’d come upon a winner. All he needed now was a season that would make it a legend.

Oh boy, was Pete Carroll happy. He didn’t honestly think that John Schneider hated Russell Wilson, but he sure drafted like he did. It seemed like vengeance each time Goodell went to the microphone to announce the pick. The players they’d acquired sure would have made Russ’s life easier – and, by extension, Pete’s – because of where they went in the lineup. For once, and in a long time, they drafted position players to actually play their drafted position. No more recruiting pole vaulters and converting them to guards! 

Nine picks! They ended up with nine picks. By any definition, it was Christmas in May in the head coach’s office. And what a collection of presents those were.

Charles Cross was, by anyone’s definition, a goddamned monster. At six-foot-five and just over three hundred pounds, that was a lot of beef protecting the left side of the line.

It also helped that his former teammate Greg Eiland would be alongside him, cementing the two as a core within a core on the Seahawks O-line. Adding to that was drafting Wazzu Cougar and local kid Abraham Lucas,

who would boost the right side of the line, giving the Hawks youth at three of the starting five. It was the protection Russell always wanted, and Pete felt just a little sad that it took his leaving for that to finally happen.

But what really got Pete Carroll hard was the quality of guys they found waiting for them when their time came. Boye Mafe was a kid they were hoping they could work into the lineup during the season, so he could get used to the speed of the game. Because at 6’4″ and 260 pounds, Lord knew he had the size. Kenneth Walker, THE THIRD, had pretty much singlehandedly made Michigan State relevant in 2021 with his running ability. Pete couldn’t wait to team him up with Rashaad Penny & Travis Homer. Tariq Woolen reminded Pete of Richard Sherman, in that ‘iron sharpens iron’ kind of way:

“I know that under a great coaching staff I can become a great player. I’m already a good player but I feel like I can be great. There is stuff I have to work on and there is stuff I’m good at. I want to work on both of them. That’s what makes a great player. I just want to go there and have fun and be a great player.”

The Draft even took care of that “human” element Jody Allen kept nagging them about. They invited an inaugural 1976 & current season-ticket holder to call out some picks alongside his son,

because they can’t have Steve Largent do everything ceremonial. He’s just one flashback away from talking about cockfighting again, and the team just doesn’t need to be targets of social media.

Yessir, he and John had managed to make the Draft work for them. They had acquired a lot of the help they needed to get back to .500 and, like Houston, Pete hoped that that was enough men to get the job done.

And he was going to need that help. As he surveyed the quarterback group he didn’t exactly see anyone hot enough to melt aluminum, let alone steel beams. If he’d had to guess going into camp, he would have suspected Drew Lock would have been the opening day starter, with Geno as backup. On the surface, Pete Carroll was saying all the right things, even calling back to 2012 as a parallel – it’s a two-man race; they have all the tools right there; they don’t need to look outside the organization for help. “It isn’t any different than when Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson went at it, same kind of deal.” He figured that if he kept saying it, he might one day actually believe it.

But inside him there was a conflict.

John was adamant that they not bring in anyone else. “We’ll show that preening fucker!” was the last thing Pete remembered Schneider snarling when the topic of the starting pivot came up at a recent prayer breakfast. It’s not that Geno had been terrible backing up Russell, and even played admirably during his absence. It’s just that he didn’t feel… “confident” in Geno’s starting consistency. He had shown promise early in his career, and Pete hoped he could find that spark once again. The players sure loved him, and Pete knew that was vital. As long as Geno didn’t owe anyone money, he felt confident enough to at least let him start the season.

Because who else was there? They cut Jake Eason the day after camp ended. And Drew Lock?

Well, in an emergency, Pete Carroll hoped Colin Kaepernick might answer his phone…