DENVER — Russell Wilson plays football with evangelical zeal. In the Book of Russ, sloth is a deadly sin. The sinners might be forgiven. But they also will be left behind by a quarterback who earnestly treats the pursuit of a championship like a crusade.
“You have to set the tone every day. There is no other option,” Wilson said Monday, after a spring practice where attendance was voluntary, but the commitment to excellence was not optional.
“If you want to win, and if you want to win it all and be the best in the world as a team and everything else, there is no other option. That’s what we have to do. It’s a wild obsession every day.”
Wilson is so wildly obsessed that when he throws a touchdown pass in May, he celebrates with a rowdy chest bump.
“You have to enjoy the moments, as well as be able to push to the edge and not fall off the edge,” Wilson said.
During this organized team activity on a spring afternoon, new coach Nathanial Hackett installed offensive and defensive concepts for the players that volunteered to participate.
But it’s also apparent: Far more important for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in six seasons is establishing a tone in which failure is not an option. That tone is unmistakably set by Wilson.
In this regard, the manner in which the Broncos operate now harkens to when quarterback Peyton Manning came to Denver way back in 2012. The coach was John Fox, but PFM ran the show. This time around, Hackett is the cheerleader pumping up Wilson and leaning on the championship pedigree of the new QB to re-energize a franchise that had become too accepting of defeat.
On the opening day of OTAs, when a full-squad practice integrated veterans and draft picks, among the missing were outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, safety Kareem Jackson, kicker Brandon McManus and running back Melvin Gordon.
Chubb, entering the most critical season of his Broncos career, is expected to participate later this week after attending the graduation of a family member. Family before football. We all get that concept.
On the other hand, if the Broncos want to establish a new culture, I have trouble understanding why Gordon is still a member of the team. Yes, somebody has to give a breather to No. 1 running back Javonte Williams, whose bulldozing style might lead to breakdowns with 25 touches per game.
Bringing Gordon back on a one-year contract with a base salary of $2.5 million, however, must have meant general manager George Paton really, really, really didn’t like the depth of quality in running back prospects to be found in this year’s draft.
How much does spring football really matter? I asked safety Justin Simmons to balance the commitment to the daily grind of establishing winning habits with respect for the private life of teammates.
“As a leader, I’m really big on protecting your space and doing what’s right for you. I’ll never question that. This is voluntary,” said Simmons, the most-distinguished member of the Denver defense.
The start of the Wilson era at Broncos headquarters is more about mindset than X’s and O’s.
“A new defensive system, new offensive system, new teammates and a new culture. I think it’s important to be around and be present,” Simmons said. “Is that the case for every single person? No. Maybe there are times you need to take a week off … and handle personal matters. You never know what’s going on in someone’s life. With that being said, I do think it is important to be here. There are a lot of new things going on, and we haven’t won in a while.”
Dare I say it? The Broncos forgot what it took to win.
In the Book of Russ, winning demands a wild obsession to championship football, each and every day, from a Monday in May straight through Super Bowl Sunday.
The sinners amongst the Broncos will be forgiven.
But they won’t ride with Wilson.
