As everyone knows, the tenth month of the year is called Brocktober …as of three weeks ago.
That’s right – the man who has been labelled “football’s biggest bust”, “2016’s biggest free agent flop”, “a $72 million disaster” and a “disaster lesson for all NFL teams” is currently turning Hard Rock Stadium in to Hard Brock Stadium.
Ryan Tannehill sustained a shoulder injury against the Bengals in week 5, which meant director Adam Gase, casting Brock Osweiler as the leading man in the potential Sharknado spin-off: Dolphins V Bears.
Expectations for Osweiler were not high prior to his first start against the Bears in week 6. In fact, following the news that Osweiler would start, Vegas odds saw the Bears move from 3 point favorites to being favored by a touchdown. However, something unexpected happened in that game. It seemed kickoff was at 1 o’Brock. The Dolphins beat the Bears in overtime, and the only bust credited to Brock Osweiler that day, was the hearts of Bears fans.
(Fun fact: his first ever career start (2015) was against the Chicago Bears – a game he also won)
His familiarity with Gase’s offensive scheme was evident, and should not have come as a surprise. In fact, it was his reason for signing with the Dolphins. When asked about the decision, he told reporters that “there were a couple other offers out there … I told my agent to cancel all the other trips, I want to go to Miami and get a deal done because I want to play for Coach Gase”.
It looks as though Osweiler made the best possible career decision. His performance from the Bears game became particularly impressive when he later reminded reporters that “[he] didn’t get any reps with the ones in OTAs or training camp or anything like that, so the first time [he] was throwing the ball or handing ball off to a lot of those guys was [that] Sunday”.
Maybe more important than the reps, is his drive. When asked what he’d learned as backup to Peyton Manning for four years, he said that it was preparation, and the way that it rubs off on your teammates. Given the fact that the Dolphins had the less-than-inspiring Jay Cutler under centre last year, Osweiler may be on to something. He has something to prove, and he’s passionate. That can fire up a team, and inspire them to light up their opponents.
So… to whom are the Dolphins fans now singing “we will, we will Brock you”? That would be the Houston Texans; Osweiler’s former team. Brock is not well liked in Houston, neither by the fans or even his former teammates, if recent comments from Jadeveon Clowney are anything to go by. However, while Houston may be bringing a lot of Texas beef this Sunday, Osweiler has his own axe to grind.
Will Brocktober continue?
-He is back under the tutelage of Adam Gase.
-His chemistry with receivers is growing week-to-week.
-He led the Broncos to the playoffs, when stepping in for Peyton Manning in 2015.
-He’s already had his payday. This is not about money.
The seemingly contradictory and vague injury reports on Ryan Tannehill (currently being investigated by the NFL) mean that no one knows how serious the injury is, or how long he will be out. However, if Osweiler keeps preparing, motivating and performing like he has so far, Tannehill might end up finding himself stuck between a Brock and a hard place upon his return.
