Trevor Siemian didn’t just start his first NFL game on Thursday night; he started his first NFL game for the defending NFL champs, while replacing arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history on primetime against the reigning NFC kings.
That’s some pressure.
The weight of the world, the weight of Broncos Country, was on Siemian’s shoulders, and he hardly stumbled. That’s a feat in and of itself.
Will he be expected to do more, to be better, down the line? Sure. But for right now, he’s exceeding all possible expectations for a second-year, seventh-round selection.
Gary Kubiak agrees.
Kubiak on what he saw from Siemian
“I think we had nine possessions and Trevor put us in position six times to score points. That’s a hell of a defense that we played. The thing that I think I’m most impressed with right now, just watching him operate the group the first time out, first start in the NFL. We didn’t have to waste a timeout, we didn’t get a call—you know what I mean? He handled the operation really good. The guys were confident in him handling the huddle and also doing it from 10 points down against a group like that. I think his poise was a big step in the right direction. We have a lot of things that we have to clean up and those types of things, but I think it was a nice first step.”
Kubiak on Siemian’s confidence
“It wasn’t so much as build confidence as show confidence is the way I answered the question. They do some things defensively where you better get rid of the ball quick and then we couldn’t hold it, so we tried to start the game getting rid of the ball quick, doing some things. We tried to boot one time, they were holding for our boots which helped us run the ball. Just trying to get the ball in some people’s hands, trying to get him off to a good start and I think we did that, but trying to stay balanced at the same time.”
Kubiak on the help that came from the offensive line
“I’m encouraged, that’s the biggest thing. I told them today, I’m encouraged of what we can be. I was very encouraged by our tackle play. I thought [OL] Michael Schofield getting his first start at guard—which he earned—played well. [C] Matt [Paradis] ran the group. We faced a lot of fronts, a lot of different looks and Matt really handled the group really well so I think it’s encouraging with the direction we’re heading and possibly getting [T] Ty [Sambrailo] back this week to become a part of that.”
Kubiak on Siemian using his feet when plays break down
“He had two first downs with his feet. I don’t think the game was too big for him. I think he was very composed in what he was doing. He had a good grasp, coverage-wise of what they were trying to do to him. He has a knack. I think we went down twice. I think we had two sacks and one of them was his, exclusively his, there at the end of the game. He does have a knack for moving and keeping his eyes down the field, which is something that’s hard to teach.”
