Preaching patience with Davis Webb, as the Jaguars win washed away Week 1

The Davis Webb experiment nearly collapsed before it had a chance to breathe. One week. One 31-10 loss. One avalanche of national criticism questioning whether Sean Payton had made the biggest mistake of his tenure by handing over play-calling duties to his young coordinator.

And then came Sunday. A 20-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t erase every concern, but it did something far more important. It proved that Week 1 wasn’t the whole story.

On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Cecil Lammey walked through the significance of what Webb showed in his second game as the Broncos’ play caller, and why the fan base needs to resist the urge to grade the final product before it has finished being built.

“It’s a work in progress with Davis Webb,” Lammey said.

The Broncos offense still sputtered for stretches against Jacksonville. The first three quarters were uneven at best. But when the fourth quarter arrived, Webb dialed up 14 unanswered points that flipped the game and delivered the Broncos their first victory of the season. That kind of late-game adjustment, the ability to find what works and lean into it when the pressure is highest, is exactly the trait you want to see from a coordinator finding his footing.

Lammey then addressed the pre-game report from Adam Schefter that had generated skepticism across the fan base.

“I understand when Schefter comes out with a report before the game of like, ‘Hey there’s full confidence in Davis Webb.’ And then fans are like, ‘After one week, this isn’t a great sign.’ It’s just called patience,” Lammey said.

He pointed to the deeper commitment the organization has already made.

“Sean Payton put his reputation on Bo Nix. Sean Payton put his reputation on Davis Webb. He’s not gonna wash that away after one week okay? A terrible week. A bad week,” Lammey said.

That’s the context the reactionary conversation keeps missing. Payton didn’t hand Webb the play sheet on a whim. He made a deliberate, calculated decision to entrust his offense to a coordinator he believes in. The same way he made a deliberate, calculated decision to draft Bo Nix when the rest of the league had questions. Both bets have required patience. Both are still paying off.

Lammey closed with the line that should reset the narrative heading into Week 3.

“The best thing about it is, they look like themselves, and we can wash away week one,” Lammey said.

That’s the key takeaway. The Broncos on Sunday looked like the team everyone expected to see in September, Competitive, resilient, and capable of winning a game against a quality opponent even when the execution wasn’t perfect for 60 minutes.

Week 1 was a nightmare. Week 2 was a step forward. And if patience is the price of admission for watching Webb develop into the play caller this offense needs, Lammey is more than willing to pay it.

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