Russell Pushes Back at Broncos LT Garett Bolles' Legion of Critics

Russell Wilson stood up for his blindside protector on the Denver Broncos' offensive line.

Denver Broncos starting left tackle Garett Bolles has battled to overcome a severely broken leg suffered in Week 5 last season. He has started both of the Broncos' preseason games. 

Game 2 of the preseason saw Bolles make some strides in his recovery as he looks to silence the naysayers suggesting it might be time for Denver to move on from him.

"I felt comfortable. I'm getting more and more comfortable," Bolles told ChrChris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette. "This is my second game back in almost a year now. So it's just working out the kinks, dusting off the wings, and getting ready for Week 1."

Fans and pundits alike have found it easy to take shots at the former Utah Ute in the past. The plethora of penalty flags Bolles triggered early on in his Broncos career will trigger such criticism, unfortunately. 

Therefore, having close allies within the Broncos locker room is welcome indeed, and no endorsement is more ringing than that of starting quarterback Russell Wilson, who gushed about Bolles following preseason Game 2. 

"Garett Bolles is one of the best tackles in the game," Wilson said post-game on Saturday. "He's so athletic. Him having that severe injury last year and then to come back the first time stepping back on the field. It's like taking that and understanding that this is a huge part of the process. And so he took that huge step. This week and over the past couple of weeks in practice, he's looking great."

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Now in his seventh year with the Broncos, Bolles has found himself in the familiar territory of fending off, at times, hateful criticism, but the boo-birds provide him with the internal fortitude to overcome adversity.

"It's always been tough to come back from an injury, but I have a great support team with the Denver Broncos and great trainers and great doctors that put me in the right position and gave me the right protocols to come back and great guys around me that supported me and loved me and pushed me to be better," Bolles told Tomasson. "I feel stronger and healthier than I've ever been, so I'm excited for that."

Bolles is back on his feet, and Wilson believes he will go the extra mile. The oft-beleaguered left tackle seems to have earned the trust of his nine-time Pro Bowl QB. Now that Bolles feels he's physically in the best place to compete, he's putting pressure on himself to successfully protect his QB's blindside.

"He's that big left tackle over there that you trust and he can do a lot of things over there. He’s a great teammate," Wilson said. "Garett's a guy that will do anything for you. He's a guy who battles, a guy who wants to win at the highest level. I'm really excited about the five guys we have up front.” 

Broncos head coach Sean Payton quickly identified that the offensive line would need to be retooled if Wilson is to return to form, and that would cost the team a significant investment. 

Left guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey subsequently chewed up large portions of the team's free-agent budget, so the Broncos are counting on Bolles to make good on his own lucrative contract. Meshing with the new arrivals was always going to take some time, but Bolles feels things are coming together just in time for the big September 10 kickoff vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.

"It's always good to take steps forward," Bolles insisted. "I felt like we moved the ball well (vs. SF), we protected well, we gave Russ the time that he needed. But the work's not done. We're just at the beginning. We just got to get better every single day."

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