Broncos GM Reveals How he Competes with Russell Wilson Daily

The Denver Broncos have a healthy competition shaking out behind closed doors.

The old adage, 'the early bird catches the worm,' is certainly applicable to the 2022 Denver Broncos. Fans old enough to remember Denver's back-to-back World Championships under head-coaching icon Mike Shanahan will recall how the lights remained on at Broncos HQ pretty much 24/7.

Shanahan set the standard for putting the nose to the grindstone back in the 1990s when the Broncos chased their first championship rings. Fast forward some 20-plus years, and we now find Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, GM George Paton, and head coach Nathaniel Hackett buying into Shanahan's battle-tested routine. 

Who will be the first in the door and the last to leave each day?

While the legendary Shanahan laid the foundations all those years back, Hackett credited Wilson as the main impetus for Denver's competitive spark and inspirational energy. The Broncos are investing in Wilson's work ethic to the tune of $245 million over five years.

“When you hear Russell talk about how much he loves the process, and how much he loves waking up in the morning and pushing all the guys and pushing the coaches—it’s true,” Hackett said last week. “It’s awesome because it’s inspiring to a coach.”

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Paton is already renowned throughout the league for his tireless work ethic and attention to detail. Late last week, the GM mirrored the firm belief expressed by Hackett that Wilson is the main catalyst for everyone going the extra mile.

“Just to piggyback on that—we’re all early morning people here. ‘Russ’ typically beats me in and that drives me. I look for that big truck every time I get here. If I beat him, I’m pretty happy,” Paton said last week. “It’s the same when I leave at night. He inspires not only the players and the people in the building, but subconsciously, me. You see that through the entire building. All he’s doing is working. You heard the stories in Seattle, but we live it. This is genuine. He’s all about the process. I’ve said that 100 times, but he loves the process and the process of winning.”

All three protagonists are pushing each other extremely hard to stay in hot pursuit of ultimate glory. Wilson's determination to set the bar at such a lofty height is not without the benefit of his own careful analysis and forward planning. Primarily, it's all designed to set himself up in the best possible position to succeed in moments of adversity on the field.

Of course, that's an extremely prudent approach, especially when you consider that those formidable challenges are guaranteed to come the Broncos' way with each and every season.

“That’s the great thing about this business because you get to choose. Nobody else chooses for you,” Wilson said last week. “I get to wake up every morning and make that choice, and I’m not going to let anybody else can make that choice for me. For me, I’ve always been dedicated to learning as much as I possibly can and push when tough times come. I believe that adversity is temporary, and to just keep going.”

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