‘Pure luck’ on Broncos part in signing Phillip Lindsay, says DMac
Dec 20, 2018, 6:18 PM | Updated: Dec 21, 2018, 9:02 am
By now, the legend of Phillip Lindsay and his path to the NFL is widely known — from being overlooked as a high school prospect to not being invited to the scouting combine to becoming the first undrafted offensive player ever named to a Pro Bowl roster in his rookie season.
But, it was only good fortune that Lindsay’s journey happened in the orange and blue threads of the Denver Broncos, says “The Drive” co-host DMac.
“It’s pure luck. It takes no skill to pick up the phone and call somebody who should have been drafted. Zero skill,” DMac said. “Three-quarters of the teams in NFL did it. His phone was exploding.”
When it came down to it, DMac said, the Broncos got lucky with Lindsay choosing them over all the other teams who called after the draft much in part to his mother convincing him it was the right move.
“It wasn’t because Phillip Lindsay had posters of John Elway up on his bedroom door. Or it wasn’t because he loved Terrell Davis so much, which he probably did. It’s because his mom just made some very smart, logical sense,” DMac said. “You know what I call that? Luck.
“It’s not skill. It didn’t take a lot of brains to pick up the phone and call Phillip Lindsay.”
DMac’s comments come in response to remarks earlier Thursday from “Schlereth and Evans” co-host Mark Schlereth, who said the Broncos pursuit, and ultimate acquisition, of Lindsay was not based in good fortune.
“You went out as soon as the draft is over and you pursued him. So, that has nothing to do with luck. That was you pursued him, and you got him,” Schlereth said. “Now, maybe his mom had a big influence like he said and everything else. Great. But it’s not luck.”
However, Chad Brown, filling in on “The Drive” on Thursday, said he had to differ from Schlereth, saying that teams “cannot claim greatness” for their undrafted free agent signings.
“You don’t claim them. They claim you,” Brown said. “Yes, do you have to turn into a little bit of a college coach and recruit some of these guys because they are getting multiple offers? Well, of course, you do.
“But if you want to claim them, then you draft them. That’s how you make that a certainty.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
