HOUSTON -- While theories swirl about what message Brock Osweiler really meant to send by skipping the Denver Broncos’ Monday trip to the White House, a perk of winning the Super Bowl, the reason could be as simple as the explanation Osweiler gave.
Practice.
"I feel it is important to be at practice with my new teammates," Osweiler said, according to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter. "It's a new offensive system for me and every practice and rep is extremely important. I am very appreciative of the Broncos wanting to include me on this special day."
Osweiler's decision to skip the defending Super Bowl champions' celebratory visit to the White House perfectly matches the Osweiler we've seen since the Texans signed him to a four-year deal with $37 million in guarantees. It sends a strong message: Osweiler will never shirk his work. He isn't telling that to the Houston Texans; he's showing them.
The work began right after he signed. Osweiler got his hands on his teammates' phone numbers and texted everyone up and down the depth chart. He dove into the Texans' playbook almost immediately upon getting it in March. He arranged for his receivers and even his backup quarterback, Tom Savage, to come to Arizona for workouts. By the time they met, Osweiler had already started learning signals and concepts.
"Every rep, every look, every conversation about a route, a protection, a play, a concept is extremely important," Osweiler said last week. "The clock’s ticking."
The irony in Osweiler's statement is that at this time last year, the Texans didn't even know who their quarterback was going to be. Neither player competing for the role was getting every rep, and neither player could completely command the room because they didn't know whose room it would be.
Neither Brian Hoyer nor Ryan Mallett was as prepared as he could have been had he spent the offseason knowing he was the starter. We can't know if naming one of them the starter would have drastically changed the Texans' quarterback theatrics last season -- it's likely there would have still been problems. But this year, being able to use all this offseason time has given Osweiler an advantage his teammates can see.
And he won't cede any of that advantage -- not even to visit the President.