Ole Hotty Toddy
Fansided

Ole Miss Football: Chad Kelly’s Debut Creates QB Conundrum In Denver

ByDaniel Skipper|
OXFORD, MS - SEPTEMBER 24: Chad Kelly #10 of the Mississippi Rebels throws a pass during a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MS - SEPTEMBER 24: Chad Kelly #10 of the Mississippi Rebels throws a pass during a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Former Ole Miss football player Chad Kelly made his NFL preseason debut Saturday night in Denver and Kelly made a very good impression.

This weekend marked the beginning of the 2018 NFL Preseason and gave Ole Miss football fans a chance to see some former Rebels in action. Saturday night the Denver Broncos hosted the Minnesota Vikings and former Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly made his NFL debut. Kelly  finished out the game for the Broncos in a 42-28 loss. Despite the loss Kelly took advantage of his time on the field and should have locked up the No.2 spot on the QB depth chart behind current starter Case Keenum.

At one point after Kelly’s first TD pass the crowd could be heard chanting “Kelly, Kelly”. There was good reason for them to be excited with what they saw with Kelly on the field after a lackluster first half performance by both Keenum and current No.2 starter Paxton Lynch. Keenum finished the night with just 1 completion while backup Paxton Lynch threw an interception on his first pass attempt. Kelly finished the night with good stats going 14 of 21 for 177 yards and 2 TDs with 1 INT. Kelly also had 3 carries for 38 yards.

What Kelly Creates

More from Ole Hotty Toddy

What Chad Kelly has created is a quarterback conundrum for head coach Vance Joseph. There is no doubt the Broncos organization has invested a lt of time, money and effort into trying to develop Paxton Lynch and apparently it hasn’t worked out. Kelly had the better game because he was obviously the more developed quarterback in the Broncos system. Of course, word from the Broncos fall camp had already foreshadowed the preseason opener of what to get ready for.

This creates even more issues for a team which maybe questionable decisions at the position since Peyton Manning was a Broncos quarterback. For an organization which has been known for always having good QBs it’s hard to fathom the problems the team has seen at the position in recent seasons. especially when you consider the team is being run by former Broncos quarterback great John Elway. As of now there have been no reports or comments from the Broncos office but we can be certain it’s coming in the wake of last night’s game.

So Now We Wait And See

Early in the spring before OTAs the word was the organization was clearly behind Lynch as the No.2 QB but now the waters have become quite cloudy for Elway, Joseph and Lynch. Kelly has also created something which has waned for Denver QBs in recent seasons and that is fan support. Right now, the fans are clearly behind Kelly and so is the Denver media. That kind of pressure can be tough on Kelly to perform but at least they weren’t booing him last night.

As of now there have been no reports or comments from the Broncos office. However, when you consider the team is being run by former Broncos quarterback great John Elway you know something will be coming in the wake of last nights game. Sure, its only the preseason and you can’t judge the entire situation by just one game but last night belonged to Swag. Not only that but the offense played with a different vibe with Kelly in the game. Everybody who watched knows this, especially John Elway. Congrats on great NFL preseason debut Chad. Hotty Toddy!

Home/Ole Miss Football