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It’s an awkward position for Brock Osweiler to be placed in, but the Broncos quarterback has consistently tried to keep the attention off himself.

And even when asked to explain the fact he’s now officially replaced Peyton Manning as the team’s starter, Osweiler graciously steered the focus back to the team’s goals.

“Obviously it means a lot,” Osweiler said, via Mike Klis of 9 News. “It shows I think that coach believes in me, but once again, that’s not where my focus is. Like I’ve said before, whether I’m the starter, whether I’m the backup, I’m going to prepare the same exact way. I’m going to give this team everything I have every single week.

“Certainly to answer your question, yes, it means a lot, but that’s not really where my focus is. It feels good, but at the same time, I have a job to do this week.”

While the Broncos have tried to tiptoe through the PR minefield associated with benching a future Hall of Famer such as Manning (with the HGH story providing convenient cover), they can’t deny that the switch has been made at this point.

“It’s a combination of things,” Kubiak said. “It’s a combination of [Manning’s] health as he’s worked his way back to being available for this football team and I also think that Brock has done one helluva a job with the football team and his opportunity.”

It will be interesting to see how Osweiler responds, now that the pressure of expectation is squarely on him, or if it’s a relief to no longer worry about the shadow of the guy he has now replaced.