The Broncos defense looked ready to start the season as they got after the quarterbacks all game.
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Coach Gary Kubiak named Trevor Siemian the starter for the Broncos’ third preseason game over Mark Sanchez and said he will decide next week who will be under center against Carolina for the season opener on September 8. Kubiak said he plans to give Siemian equal playing time with veteran Mark Sanchez and rookie Paxton Lynch. Siemian started and completed 10 of 14 attempts for 75 yards and the interception to Reid.
All along, I’ve had the feeling that Kubiak felt a bit better with Sanchez in the game than Siemian. “Obviously there’s one play he’d like to have back or it would have been as good as it could be”.
And unless Trevor Siemian goes ballistic this coming Saturday at home against the Rams – a tough task because of the aggressive Rams defense and Denver’s awful offensive line – I can’t see him as the starting QB on opening night.
“He helped us get to where we wanted to those two years in a row”, Revis said.
Though Siemian has largely played well in preseason, he has yet to throw a pass in regular-season action. “I have to sit here and think about how much I’m going to play the starters, so that’ll have a lot to do with how I play them”. Mark Sanchez, who would seem to be Siemian’s main competition, went 10 for 17 for 120 yards and lost two fumbles.
Lynch played the final 27 minutes Saturday, and despite taking three sacks and throwing an interception, impressed with some hard throws and his first two touchdown passes of his pro career.
The Broncos’ season opener with the Panthers, a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl, takes place on September 8. “We evaluate them just like we evaluate every other player”.
On Saturday evening, Kubiak defended Siemian’s one bad decision of the game, taking most of the blame on himself. Obviously we’ve got some mistakes that we’ve got to get rid of, but we’ve made some mistakes in the past, and you find a way to overcome them. I’m proud of all of them.
Mike Davis fumbled twice, negating an outstanding 72-yard performance last week against the Texans.
Starting Lynch in week one against the defending NFC Champion Carolina Panthers-whose defense past year was also among the NFL’s best-would be the epitome of teaching someone to swim by throwing him into the deep end of the pool.
Siemian is expected to start despite a sore shoulder.
-Newly signed quarterback Christian Ponder, who signed with the 49ers on Tuesday, played the final quarter after Gabbert and Driskel. Broncos’ general manager John Elway flirted with San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick for six weeks but when a trade never materialized, he traded up five spots in the first round to select Lynch, a 6-foot-7 prospect from the University of Memphis.
The Broncos are giving Siemina a legitimate chance to win the starting job.
So, it looks like the Broncos’ quarterback battle is between two players that have never thrown an National Football League pass. That is a big difference and if you are going to bet the Broncos take the time to open account.
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“At the end of the day, it’s your job to protect the ball”, Kubiak said after the 49ers loss.”That’s the most important thing”.
