Let’s hope it was just “coach speak.”
Because if everything Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said when he last met with the media is true, Denver could be in even more trouble than they’re already in.
And that’s a bleak outlook after last week’s stunning and embarrassing 21-0 to the Los Angeles Chargers.
When the Broncos’ leader took the podium Monday, he was asked the tough questions. And his answers were, to some inquiries, just fine.
He’s concerned about the protection his offensive line provides – just like we all are. He told kick returner Brendan Langley he must be smarter – just like we all hoped he would. And he ensured Broncos fans there’s no divide in the locker room between the offense and defense – just a little bit of reassuring news.
But a few things Joseph said about Trevor Siemian, and the offense in general, were flat out head-scratching. Does he really think these things? Or is he just another NFL head coach trying to get through an admittedly uncomfortable press conference?
Let’s digest.
“It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is if he’s not being protected or the run game is not effective,” Joseph said.
Hmm.
First off, and this isn’t exactly breaking news, a lot of quarterbacks don’t get protected. Some still make it work. Just look at what Carson Wentz did on “Monday Night Football” for the Eagles when he was under constant pressure from Washington defenders.
Wentz, who was hit six times and sacked three, made numerous highlight-reel plays, escaping in a Houdini-like manner on multiple occasions while throwing four touchdown passes and rushing eight times for 63 yards. The rest of the Eagles offense managed just 64 yards on the ground on 25 carries.
It’s just one example – and Wentz has proved to be far superior to Siemian – but for Joseph to suggest “it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is” if they’re not being protected is silly. Mere hours after that quote was uttered, Wentz blew up the theory.
And, by the way, Wentz’s starting left tackle and nine-time Pro Bowl selection Jason Peters blew out his ACL and MCL early in the third quarter of Monday night’s game. The second-year QB led his team to 17 more points after that.
Next!
“It’s not what I’ve seen from Trevor, it’s the entire unit… He hasn’t been perfect either and he can play better absolutely, but it’s not a Trevor problem. It’s a unit problem,” Joseph said.
Twice in a span of fewer than 40 words, Joseph wanted to make it clear the offensive struggles are not a “Trevor problem.”
How can it not be a Trevor problem when the Broncos were down 21-3 and 21-0 to the putrid Giants and mediocre Chargers in back-to-back fourth quarters, respectively? How can the quarterback possibly not be the No. 1 culprit for such anemic offensive output?
We constantly hear the position is the most important one in all of sports, yet apparently not important enough for Joseph to make a change, or assign any real blame. While the Broncos’ head coach did say Siemian could be better, he refused to assess any significant amount of the fault on his quarterback. If that’s just him protecting his guy, then (I guess) so be it, but are we really dumb enough to not think this is a Trevor problem?
In his last four games Siemian has two touchdowns, five interceptions and four total fumbles. His QB rating is 74.8, which puts him comfortably in the bottom quarter of NFL signal-callers. Denver has gone backwards in total points during that time, from 16 to 10 to 10 to 0. As Siemian has regressed the offense has regressed as well.
Which bring us to this.
“I’m not down on the play-calling, by no means. There are plays to be made on tape. What we’re doing offensively, I feel good about,” Joseph said.
*Inserting the popular GIF of Stephen Colbert spitting his coffee*
Joseph “feel[s] good” about the offense after the Broncos went fumble, punt, punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt, punt, punt, interception, turnover on downs on Sunday in Los Angeles? In front of what was essentially 25,000 Broncos fans in a soccer stadium?
Denver (which has had its bye) is 29th in the NFL with 108 lousy points. Throw out the Dallas game, which has to be chalked up as a mirage, and it’s 66 points in five games – or 13.2 points per contest. Even if the film tells Joseph the Broncos are close to executing offensively, the scoreboard suggests the exact opposite, with no sign of improvement coming soon.
Joseph is probably feeling the tremendous pressure he’s under.
He’s a first-year NFL head coach guiding an organization that hasn’t had a losing season since 2010, while working for one the of more demanding bosses in the league in John Elway.
That doesn’t mean he gets a free pass for making these head-scratching comments.
Let’s hope it was all just “coach speak,” – and not truly what Joseph is thinking – because with Kansas City, Philadelphia and New England looming, the Broncos could be 3-6 before you can blink.
