One of the common refrains coming from the Broncos coaching staff over the past six weeks – all Broncos losses – has been the quality work put in by players at practice. From the quarterback trio of Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and now Paxton Lynch, to a special teams unit that has been plagued by inefficient play and turnovers, the coaching staff has stood by their players, consistently praising their game preparation efforts. It was more of the same this week as the Broncos head to Oakland trying to snap a losing streak unmatched dating back to 1990.
“I thought the guys responded well. We had a really good week of practice on teams and we did that again this week as well. We stepped it up a notch in the classroom as well,” special teams coordinator Brock Olivo said on Friday. “They understood that we have to be accountable for not only what we do in the classroom, but on the practice field and in games, too.”
It was a similar refrain coming from head coach Vance Joseph about Lynch, the second-year quarterback making his third career start on Sunday and tasked with getting Denver’s offense back on track and back into the win column.
“Paxton’s fine. He had a great week, he was very engaged and he threw the ball very well. I’m looking forward to seeing him play.”
Joseph has said more or less the same thing about Siemian and Osweiler, yet none of those good-to-great weeks of practice have produced a win since the team’s Week 5 bye.
Denver has a good chance to turn another good week of practice into a win against a 4-6 Raiders team that has severely underperformed this season.
Click here to watch Vance Joseph’s full Friday press conference, including his take on the scuffles that broke out during practice on Thanksgiving, or watch in the video below.
Video courtesy of Denver Broncos Facebook – AMP users click here to watch on Facebook
