There was one consistent question asked by sports journalists in Denver after Week 1 of the NFL season: “How do you spell Siemian?” I’m still not sure if I got it right?
One name I do know how to spell, however, is Paxton Lynch. The name itself sounds like the big, country-strong kid. He was always picked first on the playground. He dates the head cheerleader who drives the red convertible. He is class president, has a letterman jacket covered in patches and pins, and leads the pep rallies. Paxton Lynch is a leader, an athlete, a star.
The name Trevor Siemian, on the other hand, sounds like the kid who finished second place at the science fair. He probably lost to the kid who made the working volcano.
So now why isn’t Lynch the Broncos starting quarterback? That is a mystery better than most written by Agatha Christie.
Every day at Broncos practice, Gary Kubiak has to make a decision. Every day, he was to ask himself a question: Do I start Paxton Lynch yet? The answer, at least so far, has been no.
There is part of me that doesn’t want to write this article or even touch this subject. Kubiak, fresh off of a Super Bowl 50 championship, knows what he is doing and certainly knows more than I do about winning in the NFL. I imagine every week, the powers that be – offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp and Kubes – sit in a room and determine which quarterback gives the Broncos the best chance to win. The answer has not been the country-strong, first-round pick, but rather a former Northwestern Wildcat and the 250th pick in the 2015 draft. Given that the team is currently 4-0, their choice thus far has been right.
So put yourself in Lynch’s giant orange-and-blue cleats for just one moment. Every day you perform at work, show your boss that you have what it takes and do what he asks, but he still says that it’s not good enough yet. That’s pretty rough.
So what is it? What is Lynch doing wrong?
As stated before, Lynch was made to be a QB. His dad, a former college basketball player for Texas Wesleyan, coached Paxton through middle school; both he and Paxton’s mother, Stacie, could tell at an early age that their son was something special. Both parents made sacrifices to send Lynch to Trinity Christian Academy in Florida.
Lynch was coached and trained, and at 6-foot-7 and 240-plus pounds, he has a rocket for an arm. So why is he not the starting quarterback in Denver yet?
If you are Paxton Lynch, what are you doing wrong that Trevor Siemian is doing right? What do you keep doing that makes Kubiak shake his head and with a sigh say, “No, he is just not ready.” What behavior can you change? What knowledge can you gain? What can you do to be QB1 for the mighty Denver Broncos.
For now, only Gary Kubiak knows the answer to those questions. But I guarantee at some point this season, the answer to “Should Paxton Lynch start?” is going to be yes.
This is not the science fair. Second place in the NFL just isn’t good enough.
