No, Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bears didn’t count. And no, you can’t take anything you see during the preseason as gospel. But yes, the Broncos demolishing of the Bears was impressive, and yes, we learned a good deal.
What exactly? Well, here you go:
Mark Sanchez is the starting quarterback:
Gary Kubiak won’t announce an official decision any time soon, but come Week 1, Mark Sanchez will be the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos.
He did enough on Thursday to convince me of that.
In just a quarter of work, Sanchez completed 77 percent of his passes for 99 yards and a touchdown, while also converting several key third-down conversions — including a 32-yard touchdown to Demaryius Thomas. And while he also tossed the Broncos’ lone interception of the night, I can’t really fault him for that; the defender simply made a fantastic play on the ball.
Siemian, though, looked good, too. And if it weren’t for a Bennie Fowler drop in the end zone, he likely would have had the best stats of the night. But he’s simply not special; he’s Mark Sanchez with a weaker arm and a more inconsistent deep ball.
If Siemian were to start for the Broncos, I’d trust him to protect the ball, but I wouldn’t trust him to make a play on third and long. That’s what Sanchez can do — not at an elite level, but on a more consistent basis than Siemian.
With this defense behind them, I, and I think Coach Kubiak, will bet on the upside.
The pass rush is just as deadly:
I don’t care about the seven sacks. It’s the preseason and the Bears offensive line isn’t exactly stellar. What I care about is the eye test, and in that regard, the Broncos aced their first outing.
Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett could start for any other team in the league and they’d be one of the best pass-rush duo’s in the league. In Denver, they’re the icing on the cake, and that’s terrifying.
Throw in Derek Wolfe and Jared Crick, who were tossing linemen aside like they were pillow cases, and the Broncos front line is set to be just as good as they were last year. And that’s without even discussing rookies like Adam Gotsis and Vontarrius Dora who shined on Thursday night.
Cody Latimer, not Jordan Taylor, is the Broncos’ secret weapon:
Since Peyton Manning began singing the praises of Jordan “Sunshine” Taylor last season, Broncos Country has been waiting to catch another glimpse of the golden-haired wide receiver. That anticipation only grew after Taylor made one of the most impressive catches you’ll ever see at training camp this offseason.
But on Thursday, it wasn’t Taylor who stood out like a ray of sunshine; it was third-year wideout Cody Latimer.
In four quarters, Latimer nearly matched his career line of eight receptions for 82 yards, with seven receptions for 82 yards against the Bears. He was the most reliable target on the field, a quality he has not possessed through his first two seasons.
Right now, the Broncos are looking for a third wide receiver in their offense, and through the first few weeks of training camp, it’s been a tight battle. Last night, though, it seemed pretty clear.
There’s a reason Latimer was drafted in the second round, while Sunshine and Bennie Fowler entered the league as undrafted free agents: He has the superior talent. If Latimer can finally put it all together, the Broncos’ receiving corps, from top to bottom, could return to the peak form we saw a few years back.
Wade Phillips is the best:
It still stuns me that Wade Phillips lasted so long without a job last offseason. He wasn’t even the Broncos first choice! But after a season with Son of Bum, I have no doubt that he’s the best defensive coordinator in the NFL.
More than that, he’s the most fun.
He, like the rest of the team, knows how to enjoy playing football — just check out his Twitter feed — but he, like there rest of the team, is ultra competitive, and he’s not happy about the lack of the respect being direct towards his defense. And yesterday, he walked onto Soldier Field with the mindset of proving a point.
Wade Phillips may have blitzed Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears more times than I’ve ever seen in a preseason game. He was relentless. Ruthless. And it was awesome.
This team isn’t messing around, whether it’s the preseason, the regular season or the post season. That’s the type of mentality you need to repeat as champions, and the Denver Broncos are lucky to have Wade Phillips.
Paxton Lynch has all the tools:
Paxton Lynch didn’t light the world on fire, and Paxton Lynch didn’t force himself back into the starter conversation, but Paxton Lynch showed enough to explain why the Broncos moved up in the first round to select him.
The ball comes out of his hand like a rocket, and when faced with pressure, he’s more than mobile enough to save a broken play.
Kubiak took it easy on his rookie quarterback, only giving him seven attempts through two quarters, but Lynch still managed a few highlight passes where he launched the ball on a rope to a receiver in a tight window.
He’s still a long ways from being ready — the game is moving a little too fast — but the signs are all positive. In due time, the Broncos should be able to lean on Paxton Lynch.