So far this preseason, through two games, Case Keenum hasn’t looked bad, but he hasn’t been elite, either.
In the first contest, he sailed passes because he wasn’t setting his feet and driving through the ball. That continued last Saturday night, frustrating the journeyman quarterback.
“There are a lot of things,” Keenum said Monday at Dove Valley. “For me, mechanically, I want my feet to get better. I thought I was a little unsettled in the pocket at times and caused a few balls to sail when we had a few guys open. Emmanuel [Sanders] got open a few times. Those balls that I said I want them back, looking back, my feet weren’t as good as they normally are in pocket.”
He’s right; without the proper mechanics, the ball can’t be delivered with accuracy. A rushing defensive line can certainly hurry a quarterback, as we’ve seen already multiple times this preseason.
James Palmer went on NFL Network this morning to talk more about Keenum and his being unsettled in the pocket, complete with video evidence:
Case Keenum wasn't sharp in his first two preseason outings.
If the offense isn't up to par in Week 3, is there cause for concern in Denver?
(via @JamesPalmerTV)
📺: @NFLTotalAccess https://t.co/hMTkaY2sjj
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 22, 2018
As you can see on the film, when he was rushed, he threw off his back foot and the ball sailed. On the deep and intermediate routes, Keenum’s simply not following through and driving through the ball to deliver it with accuracy.
But, on the positive side of things, Keenum already knows what he’s doing wrong, and even though it’s just preseason, he’s working to correct that now instead of later.
In two preseason games — playing about a half of football combined — Keenum has gone 9-17 (52.9 percent) for 83 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
New quarterback, new offense and a newly formed offensive line; they’re all still working out the kinks.
Meanwhile, Chad Kelly has become the team darling. Hey, backup quarterbacks have always been the most popular player on any NFL team, and that’s certainly been the case in Denver. Tim Tebow was loved when Kyle Orton was the starter, people called for Brock Osweiler when Peyton Manning struggled in 2015, and some wanted to see Paxton Lynch play when Trevor Siemian was just so-so.
Now, some fans are rooting for Kelly to take the reins of the Broncos. But, keep in mind that Keenum is playing against the No. 1 defense of the Minnesota Vikings — who could be the best team in football — and the Chicago Bears, while Kelly’s faced the No. 2 and mostly No. 3 defenses of those teams.
In Week 2, Kelly went 7-9 for 90 yards and one score, so his combined numbers are 21-30 (70 percent) for 267 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT.
Again, those are solid, but there is no quarterback controversy in Denver; Keenum is the starter.
It may take a few more weeks of diligent work from Keenum on his own mechanics, and the same goes for the offensive line, but the Broncos new quarterback will get things figured out.
This Friday, the Broncos head to Washington to face the Redskins in what will be the most important preseason game of the year because the starters will play the most in that contest. Preseason Game 3 kicks off at 5:30 p.m. MST on Friday.