Getty Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson calling an audible against the Tennessee Titans.
Things have not been promising for the Denver Broncos this season. After trading for quarterback Russell Wilson and hiring head coach Nathaniel Hackett, many thought that the Broncos offense would be fixed. Instead, that hasn’t happened.
So far this season the Broncos own the worst scoring offense in the NFL at 14.6 points per game.
According to former Broncos offensive tackle and Super Bowl 50 champion, Tyler Polumbus, Wilson is hurting his own offense.
“He’s at the line of scrimmage using audibles from the Seahawks,” Polumbus said on the Polumbus, Hastings & Dover show for Altitude Sports Radio. “The guys don’t know what the audibles are. He’s using code words that guys don’t know what the code words are. They’re [players] coming back to the huddle saying ‘what are you saying out there, we don’t know what that is. He’s losing his mind right now.”
Polumbus’ radio partner, Josh Dover, even brought up a previous play against the Seattle Seahawks where offensive lineman Graham Glasgow missed a play call.
“Remember the Graham Glasgow play, the run play. He checked to something and nobody knew what it was.”
Denver was inside the five yard-line ready to score a touchdown to take the lead late in the third quarter, but Glasgow missed the play call. Instead of blocking for a run play, the veteran right guard blocked for a passing play allowing the defender to bull-rush him back into running back Javonte Williams causing him to fumble into the endzone.
The Broncos fumble on the second-straight drive within the five-yard line 😱
Javonte Williams coughs it up this time.
🎥 @NFL
Polumbus also mentioned that Wilson and Hackett have had some marital problems on how the offense should be run. “There’s been some behind-the-scenes conversations about those disagreements and how they should be calling plays.
Broncos Respond to Polumbus’ Report
While meeting with the Denver media on November 17 after Polumbus’ reporting, Hackett was asked if there was any truth to Wilson using wrong audibles and code words.
With a surprised look on his face, Hackett responded, “That was just brought to my attention by Patrick [Chief Communications Officer]. It’s news to me, he’s does have freedom at the line when he sees certain things to be able to check to them.” Hackett continued, “We’ve built this system around him and all of the words he utilizes, some are from the past some are from the new.”
Earlier in the day, Broncos left guard Dalton Risner was asked about the report in the locker room and disputed it immediately.
“That’s BS. There hasn’t been a single time he’s made a check at the line that we didn’t know what it was.”
Russell Wilson Has Been Caught Doing This Before
This isn’t the first time that Wilson has been called out for using signals and code words from his Seattle days.
On opening night, multiple Seahawk players noticed what Wilson was doing. Seahawks.com released a video with wide receiver Tyler Lockett mic’d up during the game knowing exactly what Wilson was signaling.
Lockett was spotted talking to rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen. “If you see this,’’ — tapping of Wilson’s right hand on his left wrist — “it’s a go route.”
“They got our same stuff, I literally called it,” Lockett told wide receiver D.K. Metcalf.
After the game, Lockett was shown telling Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton to, “change them signals, I know this.” – point to his wrist for the go route signal. Sutton laughed knowing that Lockett was right.