Self-help books say to visualize yourself succeeding and you are already halfway there. If that’s the case, all three Denver Broncos quarterbacks are more than halfway to winning the starting job.
To succeed in the NFL players must hydrate with self-confidence on a daily basis, and there was no shortage of it Wednesday.
Head coach Gary Kubiak said that he has not yet developed a firm depth chart, but the trio of quarterbacks, even Paxton Lynch, made it clear that each thought himself to be the front-runner.
Kubiak said Monday Trevor Siemian will start the upcoming preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams, but he has yet to decide whether Lynch or Mark Sanchez will come in as the No. 2 guy. Still, while it appears the move to start Siemian in the third preseason game is a prediction of what is to come, he has far from locked down the starting job.
For starters, Siemian tweaked his throwing shoulder Saturday night and has been limited in practice this week. That freed up Lynch for some reps with the first team offense.
“He was named the starter, but he missed a little bit of practice yesterday and a little bit of practice today,” Lynch said. “That opens up opportunities for a guy like me to get more reps with the 1s and the 2s, so you really don’t know what’s going to happen, but they have to name a starter for a reason.”
After the loss to the 49ers, and the three turnovers between Siemian and Sanchez, Lynch looked like the fan favorite. With his passion for the game and his big, cheeky smile, it was easy for fans to overlook the last-minute interception he threw, and many fans were calling for Kubiak to name him the starter.
Realistically, it will be Sanchez or Siemian lining up under center on Sept. 8, and Sanchez is doing everything he can to be that person. When asked if he is disappointed that Siemian will start against the Rams, he said it’s out of his control.
“I just have to keep competing as well as I can,” Sanchez said. “I don’t quit. I’ll take this thing down to the wire if that’s what it takes, and that’s what it looks like, so let’s go.”
As for Siemian – the man of vanilla-quotes, socks and Birkenstocks, and a sore shoulder – he continues to take it one day at a time, and says being declared the starter in a week three preseason game doesn’t change his approach.
“I’ve tried since I got in the building to go through everything in my head as if I was starting, and I think that’s helped me get to this point,” Siemian said. “For me and for this team, it’s about getting one day better at a time. That’s been my approach the whole way through and I am going to stick to it.”
Siemian might downplay how much this game matters in the competition at quarterback, but it is the last chance for all three to prove they deserve the job. Kubiak will make the decision next week, and it will be heavily influenced by what he sees against Los Angeles.
All three quarterbacks will come out with guns blazing, but as the starter, it’s Simian’s job to lose and Sanchez or Lynch’s to win. If their words mean anything, each one believes he will have the job by the end of the night.
