In all the quarterback drama of late, one guy has largely been left out of the discussion, and he's the guy who started the offseason and preseason as the presumed starter - Mark Sanchez.
And that's the guy Les Shapiro of The Afternoon Drive still believes should be No. 1 on the depth chart.
(note: if you cannot stay away from quarterback drama, this is the clip for you, but if you’re sick and tired of it, don't shoot the messenger - just skip down and listen to a discussion about a more interested competition in Dove Valley right now - the running backs).
That's right. Shapiro may be one of the few left in the Sanchez Fan Club, but he has little faith in Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch and would rather have the seasoned veteran, no matter his shortcomings.
Don’t freak out.
Shapiro admits that he’s conservative and Gary Kubiak may prefer to take risks with his second-year backup in Siemian or his very green rookie in Lynch, but Shapiro believes going with a quarterback who has "been there, done that," is the better play.
A guy who can convert on third downs in the NFL is better than either of the others who have never thrown a pass in a meaningful NFL game, Shapiro says.
I know it’s trendy right now to pick your favorite of the three QBs and live or die by him being named the starter, but the truth is, all three of our quarterbacks have some upside - and all three have some downside. The best we can do is adopt Darian Stewart’s attitude when The Afternoon Drive asked him how it was not knowing: "We just let the coaches do their job and we’ll do ours."
But when pressed about whether Lynch should get some reps with the 1s this weekend, Stewart couldn’t help but agree.
"He’s a great talent and can make all the throws, it would be good to get him ready as early as possible," Stewart said.
And is Lynch ready right now?
"There’s always room for improvement, but a lot of quarterbacks came in and started right away, so why not him?"
That should be enough to keep you all talking for a while :)
If you’d like to take a short break from quarterback drama, Les Shapiro and Eric Goodman of the Afternoon Drive caught up briefly with rookie Devontae Booker who says he’s starting to get the hang of this NFL thing.
"It’s slowed down quite a bit," Booker said of the pro ranks, noting that the "little jitters every day" are disappearing, which he attributes to "just coming out every day, working my butt off and competing."
And other than the quarterback competition, the running back competition might be one of the toughest ones going right now. C.J. Anderson is No. 1, but after that it gets murky.
"I’m out here with C.J. and Ronnie, making each of us better in the backfield," Booker said, adding that the competition to be the No. 2 or No. 3 back just makes him go harder. "I’m pretty sure it’s the same for them."
If the season started today, Shapiro believes Anderson and Booker would be 1a and 1b on the depth chart with Hillman beating out Kapri Bibbs for the third spot.
"Booker is a high draft pick, a great talent, he catches the ball really well, and since C.J. has never had more than 179 carries in a season, I bet Booker gets a minimum 5-10 carries a game," Shapiro said.