The injuries to running back Phillip Lindsay and cornerback Bryce Callahan serve as the collateral impact of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's decision to force the Denver Broncos to play an 8-2 New Orleans Saints team without a quarterback. Silver linings coming out of Week 12 are in short supply.
Out of all the wreckage, debris, and anger, the Broncos players have emerged from the debacle with real pride due to their committed performances and willingness to "accept the challenge" unfairly foisted upon them by the NFL. Kendall Hinton stepped up in the absence of all four of Denver's recognized quarterbacks and the undrafted rookie wide receiver managed to deliver a gutsy showing against the Saints that has made him something of a folk hero with Broncos Country.
Drew Lock, whom Hinton replaced in the starting lineup, was enormously impressed by the rookie's heart and let him know the first chance he got, which was Monday morning in the parking lot at Broncos HQ.
"I saw him the next morning when I'm sitting in my car waiting to get my rapid COVID test results back that were negative," Lock said on Wednesday. "He got out of the car—I kept my mask on of course—and said, 'Kendall, man, I'm so proud of you for going out there. It takes a lot of guts and a lot of heart to go out there and do what you did in the circumstances that you did.' He said, 'Much respect for what you guys do now, of course,' but I was just really proud of him to be able to go out there and try to lead that team against such a good defense. He showed a lot of heart and he gained the respect of pretty much this whole team.”
Fellow Wake Forest alum Essang Bassey was also on the field on Sunday, helping to set up the Broncos' only score after registering his first interception as a pro. An undrafted rookie himself, Bassey has been around Hinton long enough to know that the 23-year-old emergency QB was going to give it his best shot last Sunday; despite being handed the ultimate mission impossible.
“I’ve known Kendall for like five years now and I’ve always known he’s a competitor,” Bassey said after Sunday’s game. “He’s been like a brother to me. I know he’s focused going into games and the type of player and type of person he is.”
The fallout from the controversial decision taken by the NFL to force the Broncos to play on Sunday has been considerable and only amplified by the news that the Ravens-Steelers game has been pushed back for the third time to Wednesday. The widely-held belief is that the Broncos' mask indiscretions have been punished in a completely disproportional and severe manner. A double-standard.
How dangerously unprepared Hinton was for the challenge on such short notice became abundantly clear during the early stages of the lopsided 31-3 defeat at the hands of the Saints. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur decided to use his late stand-in QB primarily on third downs, wisely opting to protect him as much as possible from the ferocious Saints' pass rush.
Hinton revealed just how limited the playbook he was running actually was when he was responding to reporters’ questions after the defeat.
“We cut the playbook into like a 10th just because we only had so much time to prepare,” Hinton said post-game. “So, it’s tough to say. Maybe 20 to 30 plays—somewhere around there that were going into the game.”
Such a basic and rudimentary knowledge of the offense served to fatally sink the Broncos' chances and is soberley reflected in the rookie’s box score stats of 1-for-9 passing for 13 yards with a couple of interceptions. Coughing up the two picks hardly seems relevant, however. Simply surviving that rial-by-fire in one piece is a notable achievement that has gained the rookie a large amount of respect from his teammates and peers alike.
Hinton’s old college teammate Bassey is among the teammates whose estimation of the rookie has only grown after watching him play with surprising poise in the face of overwhemling adversity.
“It was a lot of pressure on him and it's short notice and he handled it unlike anybody I’ve ever seen,” Bassey noted. “He was calm and he was focused like he always has been, and you know I was really proud of him. Proud to know him and like I said, I was really, really proud of how he went about the situation.”
Flushed with the new respect and admiration of his longtime friend, and the wider ranks of the NFL, the rookie now heads back to the practice squad with a renewed vigor to make it as wideout, not as a quarterback. Andy Warhol once said everyone would get their 15 minutes of fame.
At least Hinton got a full 60 minutes as a starting QB in the National Football League.
“I would not say this is how I planned it out in my dreams, but it usually doesn't work out how you want it," Kendall said post-game. "So, just getting this opportunity and this experience has been amazing. Imagining myself playing quarterback in the NFL four years ago, it's completely different being in a completely different situation. But, it's an experience like none, so."
It should serve as a compelling yarn to tell his grandkids in the years to come.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
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Drew Lock Dishes on Unique Encounter With Kendall Hinton Following Broncos' Week 12 Mission Impossible - Sports Illustrated
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