Ex-NFL QB on Broncos and Russell Wilson game film: ‘It’s just a disaster cocktail’

DENVER — A little over two decades ago, J.T. O’Sullivan was a teammate of Nathaniel Hackett’s at UC Davis. O’Sullivan went on to kick around the NFL for a decade as a journeyman backup quarterback; Hackett embarked on a coaching career that eventually wound him to the Broncos.

Nowadays, O’Sullivan runs The QB School, headlined by his breakdowns of offenses and quarterback play.

In a way, their paths intersected again Thursday. O’Sullivan dove into the game film of Hackett’s offense — and its quarterback, Russell Wilson.

And in 32 minutes, O’Sullivan didn’t mince words.

“The quarterback play itself, it is shockingly sloppy,” he said. “The decision-making is bizarre. And there are just some plays that are — you can’t do anything other than say, ‘What the [heck] is going on?’ So, I don’t pretend to have the answers.”

O’Sullivan broke down a slew of plays from the Broncos’ 23-10 loss at Carolina. At various points, he knocked Wilson’s accuracy, vision, decision-making and footwork.

He didn’t entirely put the blame for the Broncos’ offensive woes on the quarterback to whom they gave a guaranteed outlay of $165 million.

For example, O’Sullivan dissected a failed third-and-3 early in the first quarter. Wilson found Kendall Hinton for 2 yards. The Broncos punted.

“It’s completed; it’s just not a first [down]. It’s just terrible football. It’s horrific execution. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the depth is determined by the sticks, meaning that [Hinton] has got to get at least to the first-down marker,” O’Sullivan said.

“You cannot at any level of football come out and run a 1-to-2-yard thing and get tackled and not get a first down after a completion. Can not. Horrific football. Terrible. Any adjective you want doesn’t do it justice. This sucks. So the first-down marker is what, the 22, he comes out on the 20. … Now, this is not on Russ.”

🎬3rd & 3 completion and comes up short is not on Russell Wilson. #BroncosCountry
📽️https://t.co/V7GeIOYPux pic.twitter.com/R1pdUQw85b

— The QB School (@theqbschool) December 1, 2022

And on another third down, O’Sullivan deconstructed the run-blocking failings on a second-quarter third-and-3 that saw Latavius Murray engulfed in the backfield after the edges caved in, forcing the Broncos to settle for a Brandon McManus field goal.

“Terrible blocking,” O’Sullivan said, adding a moment later, “There are so many errors. It’s so bad. It’s so s—ty. And this is not on Russell Wilson. It’s just not.”

But by O’Sullivan’s breakdown, plenty was — starting with the second-quarter strip-sack fumble. On the play, Brian Burns came around the right flank to force the football loose just as Wilson reared back to flow. And in O’Sullivan’s eyes, the fault was not on right tackle Cam Fleming, but on Wilson.

“[Wilson] drifts to the left. That gives [Burns] an angle, a wider turn,” O’Sullivan said, noting that Wilson needed to step forward in the pocket.

“… He drifts to the left, instead of up. Look at the pass protection; it’s great,” O’Sullivan said. “And the footwork is sloppy. Really, shockingly sloppy. Bizarre sloppy. And right here it leads to a fumble. Again, why take this step at the back? I’ll tell you why, it’s because he’s not lined up to the left, so he’s got to open his hip up — which he does right there — but now he’s moving. Probably because he can’t see.

“Now, that’s my assumption. Just get up in the pocket. One, two, three — up. Instead, disasterwich. Holy cow.”

🎬 IMO, Russell Wilson's footwork lead to a strip sack fumble. Lots bad here. The RW footwork is sloppy all over this film.#BroncosCountry
📽️https://t.co/V7GeIOHeCZ pic.twitter.com/KKyIRZuNqR

— The QB School (@theqbschool) December 1, 2022

O’Sullivan also noted Wilson’s work on a three-and-out with under two minutes left in the first half. On a third down, Wilson threw it out of bounds deep down the left sideline to Greg Dulcich instead of hitting a wide-open Murray within his line of sight in the left flat, a connection which would have moved the chains.

“Here’s the back and here’s the tight end that he throws. So, if he sees the tight end, it’s all the same lane, right? I mean, this guy is wide open,” O’Sullivan said. “There’s not a defender. This guy (Dulcich), there’s a defender. This pass is 3 yards with no one around him. Just what the [heck] is going on, man?”

🎬Russell Wilson has more interesting decision-making on a 3rd & medium. He chucks a scramble throw up yards out of bounds, instead of throwing to the uncovered back in the same lane. Sometimes the film just doesn't make sense.#BroncosCountry
📽️https://t.co/V7GeIOYPux pic.twitter.com/ZYqBfzILgT

— The QB School (@theqbschool) December 1, 2022

He also dissected some of Wilson’s second-half decisions, too.

“Let’s be honest about this thing: There are errors everywhere,” O’Sullivan said. “But Russell Wilson has as much — if not more — than everybody else. And that’s just the truth of the film.

“Just because there’s a couple of good plays doesn’t take anything away from the sloppy footwork, the weird decision-making, a lot bad.”

🎬Finally, some Capital A anticipation from Russell Wilson. Unfortunately, it comes on the last play of the game, a 4th & 10, and a drop. It about sums up the day for RW and Denver.#BroncosCountry
📽️https://t.co/V7GeIOYPux pic.twitter.com/QJPs1OzDs0

— The QB School (@theqbschool) December 2, 2022

His final summation broke it all down.

“It’s bad, y’all,” O’Sullivan said. “The film is as bad as I would have thought. I think the nicest way that I can put it is that Russell Wilson really looks almost like a funhouse mirror of what he was. And what that means — in a gentle way — is that the explosiveness, the change of direction, the play-making ability, is just not there. It’s not on the film. He can’t separate.

“In addition, I think there are some bizarre decision-making elements, whether it’s turning down throws, not throwing throws, the vision, not seeing things, throwing the ball out of bounds when there are easy first downs in front of him. Some of the footwork, just shockingly sloppy. A massive amount of wasted movement.

“But there are still some elements. There’s like an outline. You can still kind of see flashes occasionally. But it’s nowhere near — it’s not even the breathing the same air as consistency. And so, that part of it is just bizarre.

“It does feel when I’m watching the film that I’m walking through a funhouse of bizarre, murky muddy images that look like they used to be someone good, but like, it’s really, there’s no clear, clean big plays. Everything is just kind of like a bizarre clusterf—. It really is. There’s no nice way to put it.

“And I think when you combine that quarterback play with some execution errors, maybe some unfortunate, unlucky situations with the play design, some poor execution — whether it’s depths or not converting third downs or dropping balls — all that together, it’s just a disaster cocktail. It’s horrific football, and I feel bad on many different levels to have to share it, watch it.”

And the worst part in O’Sullivan’s mind? It might not be correctable.

“There is no one thing,” he continued. “I’m not sure it’s fixable. I’m optimistic enough to think that potentially it can be. But I don’t know how you get away from how sloppy he’s playing footwork-wise, with the vision, with the ball control, with what they’re asking him to do.

“I mean, it’s tough. It’s really, really, really tough, and I don’t think there’s anything close to this quarterback situation anywhere else in the league right now.”

These are the kind of sentiments that nine months ago, no one thought would be said about Wilson, the Broncos offense and their long-term outlook.

But it has become the grim reality of the moment in a season gone horribly awry.

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