Three biggest takeaways from Courtland Sutton’s press conference

The Denver Broncos opened their doors once again at UC Health Training Center. The offseason workout program began on Monday, so on Tuesday the media was allowed into the facility to talk to a couple of leaders on the team.

Wide receiver Courtland Sutton was the first one to the podium. He was asked a lot of questions about the addition of Russell Wilson, and he gave some great answers about his new quarterback. Sutton was quite succinct – and certainly honest – when asked about the preparation involved in getting ready for this exciting season.

“Stack these days, make OTAs count, make minicamp count…when training camp starts, make that count. Nothing is going to be given to us.” Sutton said.

Here are the three biggest observations from Sutton’s press conference.

***

Level Up

Doesn’t Ciara have a song called “Level Up” that I’ve heard? Checking Apple Music, she does! It’s a good song, and I think it’s a theme for the Broncos in 2022 with Ciara’s husband here to play quarterback.

Most of the Broncos on the roster don’t know what a winning season is, and even fewer players know what a Super Bowl win feels like. Wilson does, and it’s that championship level he’s going to bring to the Mile High City.

This level up is something Sutton has not experienced as a pro. No offense to any of his previous quarterbacks, but they’re not the caliber of passer that Wilson is. Wilson is here to run the show, and the Broncos offense should go from one of the worst in the league to one of the best in the league all because of Wilson’s guidance and his understanding of this game.

"It was nice to be able to get that introduction to (Russell Wilson), kind of getting the feel of how he operates. The guy understands football on a different level." Courtland Sutton #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 12, 2022

It’s all about levels in the NFL, and Wilson plays at the highest level. Every player on this team, and certainly the skill position players, are going to want to follow his lead. The Broncos are likely to be in the playoffs this year – a level up. Once they’re in the dance, who knows how many more levels Wilson could take them in 2022.

***

Speed Kills

The NFL is full of players who run fast. The old saying is that “speed kills” and in pro football that certainly is the case. However, there’s another type of speed that is more important – mental speed. Players – and quarterbacks – need to have fast processors to play this game at the highest level. It’s something Wilson has, and it’s something he’s trying to get his players – well – up to speed on.

The ability to play fast and perform at a high level is a sign of the elite-level athlete. The game of football can throw a lot of things at you as a player, and you need to know how to handle them, anticipate them and work through them. Wilson has done that many times, and it’s why he’s mastered the skill of improvisation as a quarterback.

There’s a good chance the Broncos have one of the best passing games in the league. In Seattle, Wilson was only once in the top 10 for passing attempts – and he led the league in passing touchdowns that year (34, 2017). The Broncos should fill the air with footballs in 2022, and Wilson could go off in a way some are not expecting. That means his teammates need to play fast – and a fast break Broncos offense led by Wilson is an exciting idea to be sure.

"His knowledge of the game….it comes to him so easy, and he wants everyone around him to understand it the way he understands it so we can play as fast as we can." Courtland Sutton #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 12, 2022

Getting on the same page, establishing strong chemistry, will help the Broncos skill position guys play faster. Now that the team is working out at the facility, the improvement of speed will be paramount to their success this season.

***

You Got the Juice Now

One of my favorite movies is “Juice” starring Tupac Shakur, and one of the best lines from the movie is “You got the juice now man.” That perfectly sums up where the Broncos are with Russell Wilson – and the term juice was used more than a few times by Sutton on Tuesday.

So, what is juice? Sutton did not define that, but I’ll take a guess. Juice is energy. Juice is confidence. Juice is the ultimate belief in yourself and your team. Those definitions seem to fit the team the Broncos are now. They’ve got the juice, and it’s all because of Wilson.

Everyone is going to listen to Wilson. He’s running the show, and this offense will be catered to his skill set but more importantly, it will be geared toward what he wants to do. This is great news for guys like Sutton who languished as he came back from injury in 2021 and had to try and perform with poor quarterback play.

"I think the juice is just different. Everyone that was here when Peyton was here say the juice is similar. We have a guy who has been at the top of the mountain." Courtland Sutton #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 12, 2022

The Broncos have juice, and that’s something that should carry over to the regular season. This offseason is going to be full of practices, and these practices should have more intensity than in years past. The Broncos have good players. The Broncos have good quarterbacks. With a superstar quarterback like Wilson, they will be one of the most talked about teams in all of football. They most certainly have the juice.

***

Related

In Broncos loss, they got a win in something specific that truly matteredBo Nix happy with ‘solid’ first TD drive, says return ‘was like riding a bike’Sean Payton unhappy after Packers demolish Broncos, sends message to startersBroncos waste no time getting Jaylen Waddle involved in his preseason debutBo Nix throws a TD, leads two scoring drives in return from broken ankleBroncos CB Moss leaves game with rib injury