Schlereth: Broncos OC Musgrave’s offense works smarter, not harder
Jun 4, 2018, 7:21 AM
Through the first two weeks of OTAs for the Denver Broncos, the verdict on Bill Musgrave’s offense is it’s “player friendly.”
On Thursday, the Broncos offensive coordinator said the team’s made a conscious effort to make the play calls more “concise,” as to not get those “long-worded plays in the huddle.”
“We’ve got three or four ways to go no huddle. And a lot of those are one-word calls. We’d love for guys to know it like the back of their hand, then they can just cut it loose and play,” Musgrave said. “That’s what we’re trying to get done.”
Perhaps the most effective tactic, “Schlereth and Evans” co-host Mark Schlereth said on Friday, is Musgrave utilizing language borrowed from his time in Atlanta and Oakland, along with verbiage from the Vikings to aid new starting quarterback Case Keenum, who played in Minnesota before signing with the Broncos in March.
“You heard Bill Musgrave talk about Atlanta, and he talked about Minnesota, the language. So, what did he do? … Take the language that your quarterback’s already used to, the guy who you signed to be your starter, and bring it in with you,” Schlereth said.
Said Keenum, of Musgrave’s offense, after the first OTA session in mid-May: “I really enjoy it, I really enjoy the way that we work, the way that he calls plays and the energy we have out there. It’s been a lot of fun”
Schlereth also said there should be a distinction made with Musgrave’s offense, that just because it’s “concise” doesn’t mean there’s an insinuation the Broncos offense isn’t as smart as the Patriots and Falcons of the NFL.
“It’s not like, ‘Hey, we have a really wordy offense. We’re smarter than everybody else,’” Schlereth said. “Sometimes, it’s not about working harder; it’s about working smarter.”
And that’s a point of emphasis head coach Vance Joseph has made with his coaching staff, to cater more to the needs of their players.
“I stress to our coordinators that it’s players first and schemes second,” Joseph said.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
