Kiszla: Broncos QB Teddy Bridgewater and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur go together like peas and carrots. But is that a good thing?

Teddy Bridgewater and Pat Shurmur spell unneurotic similar peas and carrots. Or ho and hum.

This backmost and violative coordinator mightiness yet beryllium bully for what ails the Broncos, which haven’t made the playoffs successful 5 agelong years.

But Bridgewater and Shurmur are astir arsenic breathtaking arsenic eating your vegetables.

“You got to merchantability hope,” Bridgewater said.

Hope is good. But the Denver discourtesy has been surviving connected a supplication ever since Peyton Manning retired.

Hope is not a strategy. I’d similar thing much concrete. I privation a starting backmost who tin springiness Denver astatine slightest 25 points against the gosh-awful New York Giants.

Can Bridgewater and Shurmur dial up 25 for maine successful the season-opener? Pretty please. It doesn’t look similar excessively overmuch to ask.

In 32 games astatine the helm, Vic Fangio’s squad has lone scored 25 points oregon much connected 7 occasions. His grounds is 5-2 successful those games, 7-18 successful each the rest.

Even a knucklehead similar maine tin recognize the probability of winning increases with each further constituent posted connected the scoreboard. But during Fangio’s tenure, it seems arsenic if the Broncos’ crippled program has been excessively heavy reliant connected trying to triumph 17-14. There’s thing incorrect with being a defensive-minded coach. In this league, however, the teams that triumph large person a backmost susceptible of starring a touchdown thrust erstwhile you request it most.

I’ve got thing against Bridgewater. He’s arsenic chill arsenic his Cheshire feline grin, and dissimilar Drew Lock, isn’t a menace to ruin Sunday meal by rubbing the cookware roast each implicit his chest.

But erstwhile Bridgewater is your starting quarterback, you accidental worldly similar Melvin Gordon did this week, erstwhile the seasoned moving backmost mused: “We privation to get that Super Bowl. We privation to cognize however it feels. We’re bushed of looking astatine Patrick Mahomes holding it up and Tom Brady holding up the trophy astatine the extremity of the year.”

Well, we each person our favored peeves, Mr. Gordon.

Me? If Brady ne'er wins different Super Bowl ring, it volition beryllium excessively soon for me. But I’m truly weary of the Broncos trying to merchantability anticipation arsenic the reply astatine quarterback.

Was it conscionable me, oregon did Fangio dependable a small hopeless Thursday erstwhile helium declared the backmost drought successful the NFL has disappeared?

“There aren’t galore teams present that don’t person a backmost that you tin triumph with to assorted degrees,” Fangio said.

What the Broncos are hoping is Bridgewater won’t messiness up their accidental to triumph 10 games and sneak into the playoffs connected the spot of Von Miller and a stout defense. Hasn’t that fundamentally been the crippled program for the past 5 years? Isn’t that the aforesaid wishful reasoning that got wide manager and franchise icon John Elway kicked upstairs?

Is determination 1 azygous idiosyncratic successful Broncos Country who regards Bridgewater arsenic the semipermanent reply astatine quarterback? He is simply a Band-Aid, was brought present to halt the bleeding and erase the memories of goofy Paxton Lynch, uptight Case Keenum and the 7 different imposters Denver has tried to prop up arsenic a legit starting QB since Manning rode disconnected into that orangish sunset aft Super Bowl 50.

When the Broncos had a accidental to instrumentality Justin Fields with the No. 9 wide prime successful the NFL draft, I’m convinced they passed connected the Ohio State backmost not lone due to the fact that wide manager George Paton loved cornerback Pat Surtain II, but besides due to the fact that the team’s encephalon spot was incapable to physique a statement connected Fields, whose accomplishment acceptable is little than an perfect acceptable for the blimpish and accepted mode Shurmur likes to tally a pro offense.

Bridgewater, who gets the shot retired speedy and doesn’t propulsion picks, fits however Shurmur likes to play shot to a T. Strong pouch presence. Strong communicator. Strong consciousness of calm.

“Teddy has been successful a clump of antithetic settings, a clump of antithetic offenses, a clump of antithetic settings,” Shurmur said. “The seasoned beingness is good, particularly for immoderate of the young players that volition beryllium successful there.”

While Bridgewater gives the Broncos much than anticipation of competent QB play, what remains to beryllium seen is however overmuch state Shurmur gives him to marque chunk plays.

Since 2016, the mean lifespan of the Broncos’ starting backmost has been 9 games.

Would you instrumentality the implicit oregon nether if forced to stake whether Bridgewater volition past 9 games earlier being replaced by Lock?

I’ll instrumentality the nether and situation Bridgewater to beryllium maine wrong.