New Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi has revealed that the team are pleased with quarterback Russell Wilson's work so far during the offseason.
A year on from trading for Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, there has been a complete coaching overhaul in the Mile High City after missing the playoffs for the seventh straight season. Long-time New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has come in and brought approaching two dozen new staff through the door too.
One of those is Lombardi, who arrives after spending a single season as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator. Before that, the grandson of the late Vince Lombardi spent two stints working with Payton in the Big Easy as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach.
While Lombardi was working with Drew Brees, the Saints QB set several passing records in New Orleans. The Broncos have to hope similar success follows for Wilson.
So far, the noises coming out of the organisation are positive. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re really happy with where he’s at,” Lombardi told The Denver Post.
“(Wilson is) used to doing things a certain way, and we’re presenting a new way of doing things. It’s a new year, new coaching staff and a new scheme. We have a lot of time to figure out the best plan for all these players.”
“(Wilson is) really fun to work with. I think the answer for him is what the answer is for everyone: Work hard every day, get your fundamentals down, and understand what you’re trying to accomplish. So far, it’s been good.”
Addressing Wilson's first year with the franchise, Lombardi stressed that injuries suffered across the team hardly helped the new quarterback settle. As many as seven regular contributions missed significant time.
Wilson also missed two games because of a concussion and a partially torn hamstring while dealing with right shoulder problems during the season. “As you look at what happened last year, a lot of it was injuries,” Lombardi said. “It’s about staying healthy.”
However, injuries or not, they cannot wholly mitigate Wilson posting career lows in touchdown passes, completion percentage and quarterback rating. The Broncos offense finishing with a league-worst points per game of 16.9 also reflects poorly on their starting quarterback.
Understandably, it is already apparent that is an area Lombardi is aiming to address ahead of the upcoming season if they are to end the league's second-longest postseason drought. “That’s a challenge,” Lombardi said. “No matter where you’re playing, you have to score enough points to win. It’s never easy.
"The (Kansas City) Chiefs … you don’t expect them to have any step back. They are a team that has been doing really well for years and scoring a lot of points.
"The last couple years, we had some shootouts with them, and it’s never over. We’ll have to be on top of our game.”
