DENVER — No matter how much a player gets pushed down the depth chart, no matter how little time remaining there is to change minds, no matter how bleak making the team may appear, there is always reason to hang in there.
The injury factor is why a player should never give up.
Kevin Hogan was the Broncos’ No. 2 quarterback behind Joe Flacco through the entire OTA/minicamp offseason in the spring. Hogan was the No. 2 QB through the first three weeks of training camp and first two preseason games.
But starting with practice on August 11, Hogan was passed by second-round rookie Drew Lock and undrafted Brett Rypien. The kids took all the reps behind Flacco.
“That’s expected,’’ Hogan told 9News after he replaced the injured Drew Lock in the Broncos’ preseason game Monday night against San Francisco. “I firmly believe you can control what you can control and not worry about the outside stuff. It doesn’t do any good. I just worry about how I can get better each day and I feel like I am getting better each day. I felt better out there tonight than I did the other night and even week 1.’’
Hogan’s prospects for the Broncos’ 53-man roster aren’t dead, yet. In fact, he’s the No. 2 quarterback again after Lock suffered a thumb injury early in the second half Monday. The rookie will be sidelined into the regular season.
Hogan, not Rypien, went in to replace Lock to mop up the rest of the second half. With the game on national TV, the Broncos may not have wanted to expose Rypien to scouts on 31 other teams in case Denver wants to slide the rookie from Boise State through waivers and onto their practice squad on August 31.
Working behind an offensive line of backups, Hogan had a tough time against the 49ers, completing just 5 of 15 passes for 40 yards. And has it been mentioned Hogan had not been getting many practice reps the past two weeks?
But after the 49ers turned the ball over late in the game, the Broncos’ offense got the ball 24 yards away from a score. Hogan stepped up and made a play by scrambling 24 yards for a touchdown to bring the Broncos to within, 24-15.
An impressive run by a guy who hates to leave the pocket.
“I do, I do,’’ he said. “They just had it covered. They played a good coverage for our play. We were in an empty formation and I stepped up to get to my third read and just felt the defense was soft and there was an opening there. I just wanted to get a first down with my legs and keep the drive moving and I was able to avoid some people and get in.”
As Hogan talked, the belief at the time was Lock’s injury wasn’t serious as X-rays on his thumb were negative. It was an MRI exam on Tuesday morning that revealed ligament damage in the thumb.
Hogan, who could have sulked the past 10 days over his clear demotion, instead maintained a professional attitude throughout and is now ready to jump back to the No. 2 spot as Lock heals.
“Yeah, they continue to coach me and say I’m doing a lot of good things,’’ Hogan said Monday night. “I’ve had a lot of positives. We have a real good room. I love Drew, love Brett, love Joe. It would be great to keep the room intact. I think we have a good thing going and we’re all pushing each other to get better every day. I just want to keep that going.’’
Fant OK, Dineen to have surgery
An MRI on rookie tight end Noah Fant’s foot Tuesday morning revealed a sprain, but otherwise not a serious injury. He is day to day.
Rookie linebacker Joe Dineen, however, is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday to repair a broken fourth metacarpal in his right hand, a source told 9News.
Dineen, who suffered the injury while covering a kickoff in the first half Monday, will be sidelined at least two weeks, which means no more preseason play. He figures to be a strong candidate for the Broncos’ practice squad.
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