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

Teddy Bridgewater and Pat Shurmur go together like peas and carrots. Or ho and hum.

This quarterback and offensive coordinator might ultimately be good for what ails the Broncos, which haven’t made the playoffs in five long years.

But Bridgewater and Shurmur are about as exciting as eating your vegetables.

“You got to sell hope,” Bridgewater said.

Hope is good. But the Denver offense has been living on a prayer ever since Peyton Manning retired.

Hope is not a strategy. I’d like something more concrete. I want a starting quarterback who can give Denver at least 25 points against the gosh-awful New York Giants.

Can Bridgewater and Shurmur dial up 25 for me in the season-opener? Pretty please. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

In 32 games at the helm, Vic Fangio’s team has only scored 25 points or more on seven occasions. His record is 5-2 in those games, 7-18 in all the rest.

Even a knucklehead like me can understand the probability of winning increases with each additional point posted on the scoreboard. But during Fangio’s tenure, it seems as if the Broncos’ game plan has been too heavily reliant on trying to win 17-14. There’s nothing wrong with being a defensive-minded coach. In this league, however, the teams that win big have a quarterback capable of leading a touchdown drive when you need it most.

I’ve got nothing against Bridgewater. He’s as cool as his Cheshire cat grin, and unlike Drew Lock, isn’t a threat to ruin Sunday dinner by rubbing the pot roast all over his chest.

But when Bridgewater is your starting quarterback, you say stuff like Melvin Gordon did this week, when the veteran running back mused: “We want to get that Super Bowl. We want to know how it feels. We’re tired of looking at Patrick Mahomes holding it up and Tom Brady holding up the trophy at the end of the year.”

Well, we all have our pet peeves, Mr. Gordon.

Me? If Brady never wins another Super Bowl ring, it will be too soon for me. But I’m really weary of the Broncos trying to sell hope as the answer at quarterback.

Was it just me, or did Fangio sound a little desperate Thursday when he declared the quarterback drought in the NFL has disappeared?

“There aren’t many teams now that don’t have a quarterback that you can win with to various degrees,” Fangio said.

What the Broncos are hoping is Bridgewater won’t mess up their chance to win 10 games and sneak into the playoffs on the strength of Von Miller and a stout defense. Hasn’t that basically been the game plan for the past five years? Isn’t that the same wishful thinking that got general manager and franchise icon John Elway kicked upstairs?

Is there one single person in Broncos Country who regards Bridgewater as the long-term answer at quarterback? He is a Band-Aid, was brought here to stop the bleeding and erase the memories of goofy Paxton Lynch, uptight Case Keenum and the seven other imposters Denver has tried to prop up as a legit starting QB since Manning rode off into that orange sunset after Super Bowl 50.

When the Broncos had a chance to take Justin Fields with the No. 9 overall pick in the NFL draft, I’m convinced they passed on the Ohio State quarterback not only because general manager George Paton loved cornerback Pat Surtain II, but also because the team’s brain trust was unable to build a consensus on Fields, whose skill set is less than an ideal fit for the conservative and traditional way Shurmur likes to run a pro offense.

Bridgewater, who gets the ball out quick and doesn’t throw picks, fits how Shurmur likes to play football to a T. Strong pocket presence. Strong communicator. Strong sense of calm.

“Teddy has been in a bunch of different settings, a bunch of different offenses, a bunch of different settings,” Shurmur said. “The veteran presence is good, especially for some of the young players that will be in there.”

While Bridgewater gives the Broncos more than hope of competent QB play, what remains to be seen is how much freedom Shurmur gives him to make chunk plays.

Since 2016, the average lifespan of the Broncos’ starting quarterback has been nine games.

Would you take the over or under if forced to bet whether Bridgewater will last nine games before being replaced by Lock?

I’ll take the under and dare Bridgewater to prove me wrong.

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