The red-hot Bears will not face a legend on Sunday. Broncos coach Gary Kubiak ruled out quarterback Peyton Manning because of injuries and announced that Brock Osweiler will start against the Bears at Soldier Field.
Bears coach John Fox coached Osweiler in Denver. Osweiler was drafted out of Arizona State in the second round of the 2012 draft. That was Fox’s second year with the Broncos.
“He’s smart,” Fox said Monday of Osweiler. “He had the opportunity to learn under one of the best. For a big man, he’s got good quickness, good athleticism. I felt good about him. I didn’t get a chance to see a lot of him, but when I did see him I liked what I saw.”
According to ESPN, Manning has a torn plantar fascia in his left foot. Manning was benched in the Broncos’ 29-13 loss against the Chiefs on Sunday. It was by far the worst performance of Manning’s Hall-of-Fame career as he completed only 5 of 20 passes for 35 yards and four interceptions.
In Fox’s three years with Manning in Denver, the Broncos went 38-10 and advanced to Super Bowl XLVIII, where they lost to the Seahawks.
“He’s an outstanding teammate,” Fox said. “He expects perfection. He has great expectations, great knowledge of the game. Especially on the preparation side, the guy might be the best time-management guy I’ve ever seen.”
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