Kubiak will not be deciding which QB takes the field

Former Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak is back at the Denver Broncos as an area scout, based out of his home in Houston, and The Afternoon Drive wanted to help the Internet and sports talk radio/TV set the record straight:

Gary Kubiak is not deciding which quarterback will take the field this season.

Apparently this was a concern? Hmmm...

“The most asinine thing I heard today was concern that Gary Kubiak would have a say in who makes the roster and would have a say in who plays quarterback and push his so-called ‘Trevor Siemian agenda,’” said Les Shapiro, adding that John Elway would not undermine his new staff like that.

“This isn’t Gary’s offense anymore, and John wouldn’t do that to his current coaching staff,” Shapiro noted.

Eric Goodman pointed out that although Kubiak would have a direct pipeline to his good friend and former boss, the former head coach “is not a meddler.”

“Kubiak has an open ear with anybody in that organization, and he’s not the type of guy that would take advantage of it,” Goodman added.

Shapiro acknowledged that Kubiak has more credibility than the average team scout - calling him “a glorified scout” - because he “knows what the Broncos are looking for, how well does this guy fit in to their philosophy, and can he help them win a Super Bowl.”

But that doesn’t mean Kubiak’s advice on major camp battles will be solicited.

“Make no mistake,” Shapiro said, “Gary Kubiak will have no say in who takes the field for the Broncos - in training camp, in preseason games or regular season games.”

The fact that this was even a worry is annoying. Broncos Country is happy to have Kubiak back involved with the Broncos, and I’m sure his knowledge of player skill will be an asset - just like Elway knew he would be.

Bonus Listen

Goodman and Shapiro also caught up with former Broncos safety David Bruton, Jr., who announced his retirement Monday via Instagram.

Bruton, who has had six concussions in his eight years of professional football, noted that his health was a main reason for his decision. Having been placed on season-ending IR the past two seasons - including his final year with the Broncos and this past season with the Redskins - Bruton decided to hang up the cleats and pick up the books once again as he prepares for PT school in 2019.

Asked which was harder, advanced science classes or special teams, Bruton chose the former without hesitation.

“Definitely advanced science classes,” he laughed.

But while he was studying today and news of a new study today that 110 of 111 brains from former NFL players show CTE, Bruton was reminded why his decision to retire was the right one.

“It definitely helped me come to peace,” Bruton said. “You know, I can still run, jump, play - and this is exactly part of the reason why I don’t want to play [pro football] anymore.”

But Bruton did point out that the Broncos always did a great job of taking care of their athletes and making sure players took the concussion protocol seriously.

“The problem is really that players want to get back on the field so quickly and don’t want to give our brains time to heal before going back in,” Bruton said. “And it just gets exponentially worse.”

An Ohio native, Bruton is going to set up shop in Colorado where he will attend PT school and also still manage his foundation and Bruton’s Books charity.

“Probably one of my favorite moments over the last nine years was every I time got to use my platform and make a difference in the community,” he told Goodman and Shapiro. “The NFL definitely opened a big door as far as how many people I can reach.”