Broncos’ Mike McGlinchey: ‘I’ve got to be better — and I will be’

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — No one could be harder on Mike McGlinchey than the sixth-year right tackle himself.

But he knows that’s part and parcel of being not only a starting right tackle — but a leader on his new team. He stands up — and when you have a 6-foot-9 frame like he does, that yields quite a presence. And he knows that a day in which he committed two penalties — a holding that was declined and a false start that was accepted — wasn’t enough.

“You’ve gotta pitch no-hitters. And that’s kind of the life that we live,” McGlinchey said.

“It’s very similar to a defensive back. You can be great on 70 snaps, but if you’re not great on the 71st, people are going to come after your job. And that’s just the way our business works. When you’re one-on-one most of the game, you’re in a one-on-one matchup, those are the things that happen.”

And unfortunately, a sack of Russell Wilson came at his expense in Week 1, as well. And according to the data compiled by Pro Football Focus, 12 pressures came at his expense in the last two weeks.

His run-blocking work has been good. By and large, he’s winning in most of his one-on-one pass-protection assignments on the right flank. Further, his leadership is impeccable, from his guidance on the sideline to standing up in the locker room and answering difficult queries after each loss.

But he knows the demands that come with leadership — and the contract he signed, another stamp of his prominence with his new team.

WHERE MIKE MCGLINCHEY SEES HIMSELF SO FAR

By Mike McGlinchey’s own definition, the first two games of his initial Denver campaign have been “solid.”

“I don’t think they’ve been great, but they’ve been solid,” he elaborated. “Washington, I thought, played a pretty good game. Just one or two snaps that I really need to clean up. And that can’t happen.

“Especially from the amount of football that I’ve played and the position that I’ve put myself in here, I’ve got to be better — and I will be. And I feel good about where I’m at. And I felt like I had a great game, I just, unfortunately, had a couple of plays here and there that hurt us.

“And I think everybody’s kind of feeling the same way. We’ve got to get back to doing fundamental football and just keep improving each week.”

His goal?

“Just keep improving,” McGlinchey said.

“It’s an exciting opportunity,” he added a moment later. “It’s an exciting opportunity to get better and to accept that challenge in an offense that I’m still getting used to, and all that kind of stuff, and the requirements of what my position entails, and I feel good about where I’m going.

“I haven’t been there yet, but I”m gonna get there.”

The Broncos are counting on it. McGlinchey expects it. His career to date suggests that he will not fall short.

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