Everyone knows the feelings that come along with starting a new job.
Anxiety. Nerves. Excitement. All are part of starting something new.
On the eve of his first NFL start, Trevor Siemian is probably experiencing some of the same feelings. The only difference is that his first real day on the job will be viewed by nearly every football fan in the country.
When Bubby Brister took over for an injured John Elway during the 1998 championship season, former tight end Shannon Sharpe told him, “This is a Ferrari. As long as you don’t strip the gears or burn out the clutch we’re going to be fine.”
Like Brister, Siemian just got handed the keys.
While the Broncos offense seems to be far from a Ferrari heading into Thursday night’s Super Bowl 50 rematch against the Carolina Panthers, the world champions are the world champions for a reason. They have more than enough talent to be successful this season. With a little more help than they received from the quarterbacks last season, it will be fun to see what the defense is capable of doing.
Siemian was drafted 250th overall out of Northwestern University in 2015. He went from being a third-string quarterback behind Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler to the starting quarterback of the defending Super Bowl champions in the first Week 1 Super Bowl rematch since 1970. This will be the first time since 1979 that a Northwestern quarterback will start a game since 1979.
When Siemian was the only quarterback on the roster following Manning’s retirement and Osweiler’s departure, the idea that he would be the Broncos’ Week 1 starter seemed laughable. Six months later Siemian is on the doorstep of his first NFL start.
This is the type of storyline that only exists in the movies. With the way things have gone for Siemian so far, it seems only fitting that he steps into his new role and succeeds. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out that way.
Fair or not, Siemian will enter Thursday night’s game with a the weight of the entire city of Denver on his back. He’s not going to be perfect. When the Broncos’ offense takes the field for the first time on Thursday, Siemian will take the second regular season snap of his career. There are going to be growing pains.
Accomplishing anything important in a new endeavor requires that first step on that first day on the job. Trevor Siemian’s just comes on about as big a stage as there is.