Five years ago Brendan Langley Jersey ,which team he roots for. He said the team that’s trailing.That’s the best approach for the NFL’s business interests. If the losing team closes the gap, the game becomes more interesting. If the losing team falls farther behind, viewers go check what’s new on Netflix.So with the new kickoff formation making it harder for the team that is losing late in the game to keep possession, the Broncos have proposed the fourth-and-15 concept as a way to keep the ball when a team is desperate to tie or win the game. Seven of eight members of the Competition Committee have endorsed the proposal, giving it enhanced chances of prevailing when the owners vote.But at a time when members of the Competition Committee like to use the possibility of “unintended consequences” as a fly swatter, there is one specific potential unintended consequence of the fourth-and-15 approach that the owners should recognize before casting their votes. As noted by Chris Simms on Monday’s , who was grasping for any reason to disagree with my own support of the idea, the standard fourth-and-15 conversion rate may not be the best way to predict success if fourth and 15 becomes the late-game replacement for the onside kick.In those situations, the defense will be expected — after a potentially lengthy scoring drive — to suck it up for one more play, with no real break. And if the offense converts, the defense continues to be stuck on the field, perhaps through another lengthy scoring drive. Depending on the depth of the hole that the losing team had dug for itself, this process could lather-rinse-repeat until the defense of the winning team collapses in exhaustion.While that’s an extreme example, the point is this: The fourth-and-15 replacement for the onside kick won’t be an apples-to-apples simulation of the normal fourth-and-15 play. So if the Competition Committee or anyone else will be using those statistics as a way to sell the approach, the owners need to realize that past success of fourth and 15 will be the floor, not the ceiling, for its conversion rate. But it’s a great perk if developed organically as players work together." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesMile High Report homepageHorizontal - WhiteMile High Reporta Denver Broncos communityFollow Mile High Report online:Follow Mile High Report on TwitterFollow Mile High Report on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchMile High Report main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBroncosOddsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Broncos NewsBroncos ScheduleBroncos PodcastsBroncos Film RoomBroncos RosterBroncos Injury UpdatesFull ArchiveBroncos StoriesScheduleRosterStatsOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Mentoring is not the ‘job’ of the starterNew,88commentsBut it’s a great perk if developed organically as players work together.MDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Mentoring is not the ‘job’ of the starterTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmaildenverbroncos.comJoe Flacco was asked yesterday if he considers it his job to mentor Drew Lock.Jeff Heuerman was asked today if he considers it his job to mentor Noah Fant.Given how the mainstream sports media went berserk over Flacco’s very reasonable comments about why it’s not his job to be the mentor, it’s safe to assume that the baited question will be asked of every veteran who may have a standout rookie chasing his starter position.So before this mentoring “issue” gets out of control (if it hasn’t already, as Joe Rowles excellently highlighted) Carlos Henderson Jersey , let’s talk about what “mentoring” actually is.As a noun, it means “trusted and experienced adviser.” As a verb, “to mentor” is “to advise or train.”Are players brought on the team to be “advisers?” No. They are here to win games.There are certainly cases where veteran players are expected to help lead a young group of starters in that pursuit of winning (a la DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller), but they are not asked to join the team for the purpose of teaching the guys behind them how to get better.But if you’ve played team sports, you know how this goes - mentoring occurs as players go through the trenches with each other - on the field, in the locker room, on the road, etc.You work out with, sit in the “room” with, possibly go in the game for the guys playing the same position/same unit. Naturally the starter becomes a mentor by way of example. His film is the one you’re watching. His questions are the key inquiries. His mistakes are the ones to be learned from - as Flacco plainly noted in his explanation about mentoring Lock:So is it his job to make sure the others in the room are paying attention, getting the corrections, making the mental notes?Absolutely not. You can argue it’s his job as a leader and a good teammate to be helpful if asked a question - and I don’t think there is any evidence to claim Flacco hasn’t done this - but it should not be his first (or even second) thought to go to the guys behind him on the roster and make sure they’re catching up.That’s on them. And it’s on the coaches to recognize if they’re doing that and make sure they jump in when necessary to help.As Vic Fangio said:Heuerman reminded reporters that while teaching the rookie Fant might be included, he saw his job as doing “whatever I’ve got to do to make this football team as good as we can be to go win games...whether it’s teaching him, running, blocking or doing whatever.”So back to our grammar lesson.None of the players are brought on the team for the job of “mentor.” They are not trained as advisers. They are trained as football players.But can they engage in mentoring? Yes - and they already are. So perhaps, sports media, you can move on to a different question of the players, such as “how can you help the Broncos win?”