After a woeful 2022, the Denver Broncos have somehow become an even worse football team. The magnitude and scope of their ongoing 2023 failure is a lot to process. But while the root of Denver’s issues might be Sean Payton and Russell Wilson not being quite good enough, they’re not the only underperforming people in the organization.
Enter Jerry Jeudy.
A Denver first-round draft pick in 2020, the former Alabama product has a total of 174 receptions, 2503 yards, and nine touchdowns in 36 career starts. Put another way, he averages about four catches, 69 yards, and zero touchdowns a game. Woof. Once a highly-touted playmaker of the future, this is probably who Jeudy is in his fourth NFL season — a consistently inconsistent receiver.
That didn’t stop Jeudy from taking to his Twitter timeline to seemingly rip the “old heads” who criticize him and these dreadful Broncos:
these old heads be some lame aihh haters
— Jerry Jeudy⁴ (@jerryjeudy) October 10, 2023
Later that evening, Denver sports media personality and Fox color commentator Mark Schlereth — a two-time Pro Bowler and starting guard on each of the Broncos’ Super Bowl championship teams in the late 1990s — had some thoughts for Jeudy appearing to come after his “haters.”
He seemed to think Jeudy was partly referring to him with the “old heads” reference. That, or the Broncos legend just wanted to aptly roast Jeudy. So, Schlereth proceeded to drop the hammer down about Jeudy’s availability and notorious underperformance:
Does "old heads" mean someone that has more playoff starts that you have career starts? https://t.co/Yg0lYGdVHh
— Mark Schlereth (@markschlereth) October 11, 2023
Oh. My. Goodness. Wait, let me check Schlereth’s math here. He has 16 career playoff starts between stints with the Washington Commanders and Broncos. Jeudy, again, has 36. Hmm, that doesn’t quite add up, Mark. It’s a good dunk attempt, but it’s a whiff.
Let’s have some fun and try another one. Schlereth has 16 career playoff starts to Jeudy’s total career touchdowns (9). Let’s try another one again. Schlereth has three Super Bowl rings to Jeudy’s career 100-yard games (2). I’m not quite sure which number is more brutal. Let’s just go with … both.
But at any rate, that context is much better. That’s how an “old head” can forever maintain bragging rights.