Brock Osweiler will face his former team on *Monday Night Football* this week as a different player than he was a year ago.
This is not only true because of the offense he's playing in -- far removed from the Gary Kubiak offense Osweiler came up under -- but also the circumstances. Former teammate Chris Harris picked up on something interesting after watching Osweiler lead a comeback victory over the Colts this past weekend.
"He's like a gunslinger right now," Harris told The Denver Post. "He's throwing the ball a lot. He's throwing it everywhere and he's also forcing a lot of throws so there's a lot of opportunities to get picks."
Perhaps that might have been true in just about any system Osweiler played in after leaving Denver. The Texans quarterback is currently tied for second in the NFL with eight interceptions, behind only the soon-to-be-benched Ryan Fitzpatrick.
It might sound a little tired to call this a measuring stick game for the Texans quarterback after he already faced the Minnesota Vikings' defense and lost 31-13, though Denver's defense provides some unique challenges of its own. Even if this defense seems like it has the ability to run on autopilot -- the Broncos are first in pass defense (182.3 yards/game) and fourth in total defense (295 yards/game) -- it wouldn't take long for Wade Phillips to scoot down the hallway at Dove Valley and yank out some Osweiler practice film from a year ago.
Similarly, it won't be hard for Osweiler to recall his time as the scout-team quarterback against that base defense.
A win over the Broncos could allow Osweiler to erase the chalkboard in Houston, and start over with the team's fan base and coaching staff. As suspicions creep in about his ability to shoulder a high-powered offense and hefty contract, is there a team he'd rather face than the Denver Broncos? Or would he rather face any other team?
