Kubiak sees the bright side in Broncos' reshuffled offensive line
Gary Kubiak won't sugarcoat the state of his offensive line.
They'll be young. They'll be inexperienced. And they'll need to work as one if the Broncos want to mount a playoff run in 2015.
"We're going to be young," Kubiak told the team's official website. "If I told you the lineup today, or if I tell you in August, that's a fact."
It's not up for debate that Kubiak would rather have left tackle Ryan Clady back. The silver lining in Clady's early injury, though, is that a reshuffled starting lineup can settle in and learn from each other.
Line play, especially in Kubiak's zone-read scheme, isn't as much about individual play as it is about group play. Denver's new starting five is getting plenty of that throughout pre-training camp ball.
"I think one of the good things is that we've got a lot of work, a lot of reps with the group," Kubiak remarked.
Short-term, it's a quick fix to block in front of an aging Peyton Manning. But Kubiak is thinking long-term, too. He sees the value in such a young offensive line gelling early on.
"If you are young (and) you make it work, you've got a chance to be good for a long time," Kubiak said. "I feel like we've got some good young players and it's our job to get them going."
Added Kubiak: "If we hit it right, this can be a group that can stay together and play together for a long time."