Being a backup quarterback in the NFL is not natural. Unless you’re Matt Cassel, every single quarterback in this league has been groomed to be a starter, from Pee Wee to High School to College.
It’s their job, and they know it, because they’re good.
The NFL is a different story.
In the NFL, all quarterbacks are “good,” but only 32 quarterbacks are afforded the opportunity to start; the rest prepare all week, only to hold a clipboard on Sundays.
For an athlete that has always been the focal point of his team, that’s not an easy transition. Paxton Lynch is realizing that now.
Lynch started his second career game last week while starter Trevor Siemian rested with a sprained foot, and now he’s waiting to see if he’ll start his third. The two have been splitting reps all week, but Siemian remains listed as questionable.
For Lynch, all he can do is prepare as well as he can, and wait.
Here’s what Lynch had to say about his new job description on Friday:
Lynch on whether it’s frustrating not know if he’s starting:
“I guess you could say that, just because you don’t know, so you’re kind of waiting. I know the coaches have a plan. You have to stand by that and trust in their process and things that they want to get done. I’m happy to get the reps that I’m getting. If [QB] Trevor [Siemian] is starting, I have to support him, and if I have to play, I want to play.”
Lynch on his preparation this week:
“I feel good about the week. We had a good week of practice on offense. It felt good to have the opportunity to get some reps instead of just taking all the scout team reps. I feel confident in myself. I think the guys around me feel confident in me if I have to play. I’m going to be ready.”
Lynch on if he learned anything from his last start:
“I think just going back on the film, there was a couple of times I had a shot to give those guys a chance on the outside to make a play on the ball, but I didn’t put it where I needed to. I think that will come whenever I get more reps with them and we have better timing. Obviously we were happy about the win and that’s what we took from that.”
Lynch on if he thought he might play earlier in the week:
“I wasn’t really sure when we first came in. I knew that Trevor had got out of the boot early last week. I thought he was making good progress on his foot. I didn’t really know what to think when we came out to practice and who was going to get the reps or how they were going to get split up. I’m just glad that I got a chance to get a handful of reps here and there with the ones.”