Fresh start for Schofield
Denver’s O-line will include untested Michigan man at right tackle
It’s like deja vu for Broncos offensive tackle Michael Schofield. One man’s injury is another man’s opportunity. And Schofield is the benefactor.
Coach Gary Kubiak announced Friday that starting left tackle Ty Sambrailo won’t play Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings because of a shoulder injury. That impacts two spots on the offensive line, with the Broncos moving starting right tackle Ryan Harris to left tackle and the 6-foot-6, 301pound Schofield getting a start at right tackle.
Not only will it be Schofield’s first start, it will provide the first snap of his NFL career.
“I’ll definitely have some butterflies. I’m sure everyone does in their first game. I’ve just got to go out there, play with confidence and play with good technique,” said Schofield, who’s in his second season with the Broncos.
An almost identical situation happened to Schofield during his redshirt sophomore year at the University of Michigan. He wasn’t supposed to get much action that season, but the starting left guard went down with an injury in Week 1 and it was Schofield’s job from that point on.
That’s where a lot of his motivation comes from this week. Despite struggling in training camp and during the preseason, Schofield is confident he can do the job.
“They drafted me last year in the third round,” he said, “so I’ve got to prove I was worth that pick and come out there and dominate.”
He found out Wednesday that he was getting the start. He quickly reached out to Harris and right guard Louis Vasquez for advice.
But Schofield knows that when he’s on the field Sunday, it will all be on him. Offensive tackle Tyler Polumbus, who was signed by the Broncos on Wednesday after being released by the Atlanta Falcons, will be available if needed.
Along with the pressure of being in the spotlight, Schofield has a lot of pent-up frustration. He watched the Broncos move Vasquez from right guard to right tackle instead of him last year
when the offensive line was reshuffled at midseason. And this year, after being an early favorite to start at right tackle, he was quickly passed by Harris and Chris Clark in training camp. Clark was subsequently traded.
Schofield treated it like an indictment of his play and said he’s on a mission to prove his value.
“This is a great opportunity for Michael,” Kubiak said. “As a player, that’s all you ask for — work, work, work and then someday, OK, hey, here we go. Then you find out. It’s Michael’s turn.”
Schofield isn’t the only Denver offensive lineman with a new challenge this weekend. Harris will play left tackle in a regularseason game for the first time since 2013. He has played on both sides of the offensive line throughout his NFL career but admitted it’s not an easy switch. All of the terminology is backward, and there is the added pressure of protecting Peyton Manning’s blindside against the Vikings’ top pass rusher.
Sambrailo, a rookie from Colorado State, suffered his shoulder injury late in the Week 3 victory over the Detroit Lions. Denver’s offensive line had perhaps its best game of the season, though the running game remained stalled. The Broncos allowed one sack by the Lions after allowing seven the previous two games.
Harris isn’t looking for any pity. The rest of the offensive line isn’t either.
“You play in the NFL, things aren’t going to be perfect, ever,” Harris said. “That’s in life too, whether you’re a sportswriter or a fan; things in life don’t go perfectly and you have to be ready to adapt. The team that can adapt the best is going to win on Sunday and is going to win the Super Bowl.”