Brock Osweiler should take some advice from Justin Bieber.
*Yeah, I know that I let you down… Is it to late to say I’m sorry now?*
In case you don’t listen to the radio, um, ever – Bieber’s song “Sorry” has been played 253 times a day for the last two-plus years.
And the Biebs has some advice The Brocket Launcher could use. But he hasn’t taken it yet.
When Oz met with the Denver media on Monday for the first time in 19 months, he, by many accounts, “won” the interview.
Osweiler was charming and seemed humbled. He realized being back at Dove Valley was an opportunity no one ever thought he’d get again.
“It’s kind of like that old deal when you’re a little kid and your mom tells you don’t touch the hot stove, so what do you have to do as a curious kid? You have to go touch the hot stove and you learn real quick how nice that stove is when it’s not hot. Needless to say, I’m very thankful to be back here,” Osweiler said.
Apparently, the Houston Texans were that hot stove, and from a football standpoint Osweiler got burned.
And while the Broncos are now helping Oz heal that wound by giving him another shot, there’s still one thing he should do.
Osweiler should say sorry to Broncos Country.
He should apologize for skipping Peyton Manning’s retirement ceremony. For skipping The White House. For skipping the Super Bowl ring presentation. For reportedly not texting teammates back. For not comprehending why he could possibly be benched for The Sheriff with the No. 1 seed in the AFC on the line.
In general, Osweiler showed a lack of awareness after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50. Almost every decision he made during the offseason in regards to his former team was a wrong one.
People can have hurt feelings. And they’re allowed to make unpopular decisions. But that doesn’t mean an apology wouldn’t help mend some hard feelings between a large contingent of Broncos fans and Osweiler.
No one faults Osweiler for getting paid – he made a wise business decision – but Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan both got paid and they decided to show up to The White House with their former teammates. So much drama could have been avoided by Oz just getting on an airplane a couple of times.
But it never happened, and now here we are in this awkward situation where more fans are hitting the ‘angry’ emoji on Facebook when it comes to the Osweiler news than the ‘like’ button.
“I understand the anger, frustration, whatever you want to call it,” Osweiler said on Monday. “I just hope in time those fans who feel that way let me earn back their trust and get a great relationship again.”
The name on the front of the jersey will always trump the one on the back, and you can bet if Oz gets a shot to be the starter in 2017 and wins football games, Broncos fans will quickly forget he decided to skip everything a year and a half ago. But I’ve got a hunch more fans would forget tomorrow if he simply said sorry.
Sports are a larger part of life than many folks care to admit, and while it sounds silly to be upset about where a guy chooses to continue his football career, there’s no doubt the hurt feelings were real – especially after Oz chose to be absent from so many celebratory events.
The return has gone about as well as possible so far, even though it’s only been 48 hours, and right now everyone is saying and doing the right things. However, if Osweiler would just say one more thing, any remaining ill will would evaporate into the dry Rocky Mountain air.
It’s time for Oz to channel his inner Biebs.
*Yeah, I know that I let you down… Is it to late to say I’m sorry now?*
