With the second week of preseason having come and gone, the Broncos seem to be facing the exact same question they faced a week ago: Who is going to be the Broncos starting quarterback Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers?
On Monday, Gary Kubiak named Trevor Siemian the starter for the third preseason game, but he reiterated that a final decision has yet to be made. Are the Broncos doing their due diligence or are their option so bad a decision is near-impossible? The difference between the two could affect the way Denver moves forward into the season.
“I don’t know why there is a controversy. There really shouldn’t be,” former CU superstar Mike Pritchard told Les Shapiro and Eric Goodman on Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports Radio. “I think the Broncos are trying to find a starter. There is a competition and Trevor Siemian pushed himself.”
Siemian was impressive at times last Saturday against the 49ers, going 10 for 14 with 75 yards passing moving the ball up and down the field. But his success was largely overshadowed by a pick-six Pritchard believes we’re reading too much into.
“If you’re gonna look at a pick-six and think that a guy isn’t ready … that’s coachable, that’s correctable,” Pritchard said. “I think [Kubiak] made the logical decision, to be honest. Is Trevor Siemian coachable? Yes. Is Mark Sanchez coachable? No, not at this point. He is set in his ways. Is Paxton Lynch coachable? Yes, but you take a risk at ruining his confidence.”
And for Pritchard, a big part of Siemian’s allure is his history, or lack thereof. The Broncos, their fans and the entire NFL know what they’re going to get from Sanchez: inconsistency and turnovers. With Siemian, though, there’s still a chance that he’s a diamond in the rough.
“You don’t know what you’re going to get with Aaron Rogers, who sat behind Brett Favre for three years, so he throws 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions,” Pritchard said. “You don’t know what you’re going to get with Tom Brady, who’s a sixth-round draft pick, and he throws 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions when he finally gets an opportunity. You don’t know what you’re going to get with Trevor Siemian, neither did any coach that had those quarterbacks, but eventually those guys went in and had some success.”
The Broncos, though, are still undecided on their starting quarterback. And after having Peyton Manning in the building for the last four seasons, the city of Denver is becoming more uncomfortable with the quarterback situation every day.
“You can’t just pluck a guy off a tree and say, ‘Okay, help this team win another Super Bowl,'” Pritchard said. “The Broncos don’t have a problem; they make pro bowlers.”
To hear the full interview with Mike Pritchard, listen to the podcast below…
https://soundcloud.com/milehighsports/8-22-16-mike-pritchard-says-all-is-good-in-denver-and-we-shouldnt-be-worried
Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro Monday-Friday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.