Miles
Well-known member
- Mar 18, 2019
- 2,455
- 0
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Broncos prepare for life without Joe Flacco for at least this weekend, the two players most impacted by the injury, quarterbacks Brandon Allen and Brett Rypien, are ready to take on the responsibilities that now lay before them.
Allen, who will start in Flacco’s place on Sunday against Cleveland, acknowledged on Tuesday that while this opportunity comes under unfortunate circumstances with Flacco sidelined by a neck injury, he’s nevertheless prepared for it.
“It’s obviously a great opportunity this week,” Allen said. “The approach and preparation really doesn’t change. I think as a backup you prepare the same as a starter does and you’re ready to go in at a moment’s notice.”
As the Broncos’ backup quarterback since Week 1, Allen has received a few snaps in practices each week, he said, but much of his comfort stems from his familiarity with the Broncos’ system through its similarities with Sean McVay’s offense in Los Angeles, Allen’s previous team.
“It’s a very similar offense to the one I came from, so even when I first got here, I was already pretty comfortable,” Allen said. “Then terminology, I’ve learned a lot of that as I’ve been here. I feel very confident with the offense.”
The learning curve he first faced when he joined the Rams in 2016 as a sixth-round pick was steep, Allen admitted, but in the years since, he feels he’s made the strides necessary to succeed when his opportunity arrives.
“I think I’m just smarter all around,” Allen said. “I think my decision-making has gone through the roof since when I first got here [in the NFL]. Everything was fast and everything was moving so quickly. You’re trying to make these quick reads, and I think the game has slowed down for me as these four years have gone by.”
Because of that comfort with the scheme and the play book, Allen said he doesn’t believe the Broncos will have to limit their offense for him.
“No, I think the playbook’s wide open,” Allen said. “Like I said, I’ve come from a very similar offense. The thing I had to learn when I first got here was pretty much just terminology. I knew the routes. I knew the reads and all that.”