Miles
Well-known member
- Mar 18, 2019
- 2,455
- 0
In two years with the Broncos, Wide Receivers Coach Zach Azzanni has been a key part of the Broncos offense’s youth movement. When he arrived, he coached a group led by two veterans in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Now, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and DaeSean Hamilton are the players with the most NFL experience in his room — and they’ve just wrapped up their second NFL seasons. Before the 2019 season concluded, we talked with Azzanni to hear his perspective on Sutton's big year, the fun personalities in his meeting room and more.
Your two starting receivers are both tall for their position, and most teams go with one big receiver alongside a smaller wideout. How does their combination of size come into play for this offense?
“I think it’s huge. I mean, if you ever talk to defensive coaches, they don’t like to face big wide receivers. We’re pretty lucky; we have two guys where, not only are they big, but they can also run. They’re good both in and out of a break — that’s rare, and that’s hard to find. Those contested catches, blocking those safeties running the alley, you feel good when you have two 6-4 guys that weigh over 210 pounds doing those jobs. It’s a problem for defenses, too, and they’ll tell you that. We’re lucky and fortunate. And they play big, that’s important too.”
Courtland’s had a really special season. Looking back to when he first got here, when did you realize that he could be a Pro Bowl-caliber player?
“I kind of realized it just watching him through college, through that last year, as far as talent-wise. I know his position coach in college very well, and he was just verifying his personality for me and what he’ll be like when he gets here and what he could grow into, just being around him in college. He’s got the right make-up, and that’s a big attribute you need to have to take your talent to the next level. There’s a ton of talented guys in this league. Not everyone’s made up of the same things. Courtland’s made up of the right stuff. Now we’ve just got to keep him on track, keep him humble, keep him hungry, and he hasn’t scratched the surface yet. There’s a lot more to be done. He’s a different player than he was a year ago, and hopefully we can take that to the next level this next offseason, too.”