Before he was Sunday night hero, Brock Osweiler was Vegas Bowl zero
From humble beginnings come great things, and on-field interviews with "Sunday Night Football" sideline reporter Michele Tafoya with snow flurries flying through the air.
Before Brock Alan Osweiler of Kalispell, Mont., came off the bench to replace Peyton Manning and guide the Denver Broncos to victories over the Chicago Bears and the previously undefeated New England Patriots, his claims to fame were two football plays best described as ignominious.
During Week 12 of the 2013 NFL season, Osweiler, who stands 6-feet 8 (in high school he committed to play basketball for Gonzaga before changing his mind), was inserted into the interior line to attempt to block a game-winning field goal by the Patriots. He missed.
But maybe there's something noble to that, because when was the last time you saw Peyton Manning attempt to block a game-winning field goal?
Two years earlier, in his last game at Arizona State in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, Osweiler led the Sun Devils down the field in the third quarter against No. 7 Boise State.
ASU was trailing 28-10. On 4th-and-goal at the Boise 1-yard line — and with ASU coach Dennis Erickson and about four of his assistants frantically signaling for a timeout — Osweiler threw an ill-advised fade pass to the corner of the end zone.
Boise State's Jamar Taylor intercepted and returned 100 yards for a game-breaking touchdown. Osweiler ran nearly the length of the field before taking a flying leap at Taylor. He missed.
The lankiest of Devils completed 30 of 47 passes for 395 yards and two TDs in the Las Vegas Bowl. But the night belonged to Boise State, and its star quarterback Kellen Moore, who won easily 56-24.
As of this past weekend, Moore was carrying a clipboard as a Dallas Cowboys backup. Meanwhile, Osweiler has become an overnight sensation.
It's highly doubtful the Broncos will use him to block field goals these next few weeks.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski
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