Good morning, Broncos Country!
As we head into Week 2 of Phase III for the Denver Broncos offseason workout program and the quarterback talk has already hit level "annoying." We have about two more months of this.
Instead of the rumor fire, let's look at where the Broncos sit right now.
For that, former Denver quarterback Jake Plummer is a good place to turn. He knows Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison and what they want in this offense. Plummer also knows what it takes to succeed in this offense. Plummer, who went 39-15 in the regular season during his four seasons with the Broncos, saw his fair share of success in Denver. In 2005, he led the Broncos to a 13-3 record and an AFC Championship berth.
As the Broncos' website mentioned, he brings an interesting perspective. Plummer knows the situation that Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian are in.
"Just from watching, it's real hard because so much goes into a battle like that," Plummer told the Broncos' website. "But right now it looks like all three are very highly capable of running the system. It's just a matter of who runs it the most efficiently and can lead the guys the right way. That's what it's gonna come down to. I think all three of them could get it done."
Who does @snakestakes think has the edge to start at QB for the #Broncos?
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 30, 2016
https://t.co/dhkaNbv1qj pic.twitter.com/V2RER2vHU5
Fans and media want to know who will start for the Broncos and they want to know now. It's hard to get an indication of who that will be after one week when the team is in shorts and helmets. As we've noted since March, fans and patience don't mesh.
When it comes to Broncos Country, all have the guy they think it will be. There is one who gets the majority of the focus. When a team trades up in the first round to draft that player, it makes sense. That player is, of course, Lynch.
"The rookie looks good – throwing some good balls," Plummer said. "I'm impressed by his arm and also the fact that he's big, but he doesn't look big. He looks spry and quick, like a smaller guy would look."
When Plummer talked about Lynch, he remembered the biggest differences between college and the NFL. As Plummer watched the Broncos last week, he saw a quarterback dealing with those changes.
The short answer is no. The long answer is here: https://t.co/qxYO4IK926
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) May 29, 2016
"Just (the) timing of things," Plummer said. "Understanding that it is a big jump, but it's a jump in timing, it's a jump in anticipation, it's a jump in knowledge of knowing what you're doing and trusting the guys around you. But other than that, it's still football."
What makes Lynch so appealing, and unknown, is his ceiling. The potential is far greater with Lynch than anyone else at the position for Denver.
"All quarterbacks make those plays where they might pinch it a little bit or not throw it with as much confidence, and they're still good plays," Plummer said. "But when you've got that confidence down and you're playing at that high level, which he can get to, those are big plays, you know? Not just 20-yard completions, but 80-yard touchdowns.
"I see some good stuff from him. He looks good coming out from under center, smoother than I expected. He's an athlete. The good thing about athletes (is) you can teach them new tricks."
There is talk of a "wide open" competition for Denver and its quarterback. Perhaps, but that's highly unlikely, as this tweet from our Ian Henson so succinctly points out.
Denver traded forward to draft a QB in the 1st, traded a 7th for Sanchez and drafted Siemian in the 7th. 'Wide open' https://t.co/Y5qs8hCcWz
— The Orange Page (@theorangepage) May 30, 2016
But there's also this that The Denver Post's Woody Paige got from John Elway. As Gil Whitely noted on Twitter, "In reflecting on his rookie season Elway once told Woody 'it was good that I started. Nothing makes up for experience.'" Given how Elway felt about his own situation, he knows better than anyone how valuable that is for Lynch and why I ultimately believe he'll get the job.
As we head into Week 2 of OTAs for the Broncos, we won't get any closer to knowing who will become the starter. As I pointed out last week, everyone has the best practice ever.
That's why it's refreshing to hear from Plummer. When you hear from him, you don't need that dose of skepticism. You know he wants what the Broncos and fans want – the guy who puts the team in the best situation possible to make the repeat come to life.
Horse Tracks
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