In his introductory press conference with the Texans, former Broncos backup quarterback Brock Osweiler said all the right things — even if he might not have meant every one of them.
For starters, Osweiler insisted he was not insulted by being benched in favor of Peyton Manning in the Broncos’ regular-season finale win over the Chargers, subsequently losing his starting job throughout the playoffs and Denver’s Super Bowl victory.
“Absolutely not,’’ Osweiler said Thursday. “That’s football. Guys get benched, replaced, that’s football and that happens all the time. I always want what’s best for the team. As long as the team is winning games, I’m happy. When Peyton came into the game in the third quarter and remained the starter all the way through the Super Bowl, it was OK with me because, bottom line, our team was winning games and ultimately we won a world championship.
“I supported Coach [Gary] Kubiak’s decision 100 percent.’’
Asked why he chose to leave a secure starting job with the Super Bowl champions for a wild-card team, Osweiler said, “At this point in time in my career, I feel like the Houston Texans give me the best opportunity to be successful.’’
That surely is debatable considering the fact the Broncos have won 50 regular-season games in the last four years and have played in two of the last three Super Bowls.
“I feel like this offense fits my skill set very well; that’s ultimately what brought me to Houston,’’ Osweiler said.
That and the $37 million guaranteed in the contract that dwarfed what Denver was offering him to stay.
“It was a very difficult decision,’’ Osweiler said. “It was the most difficult decision of my life.’’
On Wednesday, Broncos executive vice president and general manager John Elway delivered a thinly veiled shot at Osweiler when he said, “We’ve stayed true to our philosophy of building a team with players who want to be Denver Broncos and want to be here.’’
Osweiler said he “gave John Elway a phone call to let him know which direction I was going, and that was a very hard phone call to make.’’
As for his time with Manning, Osweiler said he “would need hours to get through the full list’’ of what he learned from the future Hall of Famer.
“Peyton is one of the best to ever play the position and I have tremendous respect for everything he’s done,’’ he said. “Ultimately, the thing I truly pulled from Peyton was how to be a pro on a daily basis, how to be the same guy Monday through Sunday whether it’s April or November. I’ll always be appreciative for Peyton. Whether he knew it or not, I was watching, and he taught me how to be a pro.’’
Osweiler did his best to deflect the pressure that comes with signing a $72 million contract as a player who has started all of seven NFL games.
“The way I look at it, the Houston Texans were a playoff team last year; they already have a great football team,’’ Osweiler said. “My biggest thing is doing my job to the best of my abilities … just don’t hurt the football team. I don’t think I have to come in and do anything special.”
Under Texans head coach Bill O’Brien, Houston has started seven quarterbacks in the last two seasons and had a winning record in both seasons. Last season, the Texans made the playoffs, winning the AFC South with a 9-7 record, while using four different quarterbacks — Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden.
Hoyer, who had a miserable ending to the playoffs, remains on the roster, though the Texans are shopping him. He’s in the second year of a $10.5 million contract.
