Denver Broncos: Panthers are scared of Trevor Siemian
With just one week until the regular season opener, the Carolina Panthers are concerned they may have a 0-1 start due to being unfamiliar with Denver Broncos newly-named starting quarterback Trevor Siemian.
The NFL 2016 regular season is set to kick off on September 8 with a Super Bowl 50 rematch of Denver versus Carolina. Even though the Broncos beat the Panthers 24-10, at least they were aware of the strengths of then-starting quarterback Peyton Manning.
Now, Manning is retired, and there has been plenty of starting quarterback competition (drama?) in Denver this offseason. In March, Denver acquired quarterback Mark Sanchez in a trade with Philadelphia, absorbing his $4.5 million dollar contract. The Broncos followed that roster move by drafting University of Memphis hopeful Paxton Lynch with their first-round pick.
Neither Sanchez nor Lynch will line up at the line of scrimmage for Denver for the regular season opener. Second-year signal-caller Trevor Siemian has officially landed the starting job for the Broncos. Head Coach Gary Kubiak stated (via ESPN’s Jeff Legwold) he’d seen enough to make his decision, and Siemian is their guy due to his calm demeanor on the field and how he takes control of the team.
"“I’m impressed. I think he’s very calm,” Kubiak said. “I can tell by the way he handles the team in the huddle, he’s got control of what’s going on. Gets a bad break on the ‘go’ ball and comes right back and goes down the field. I think what I see is a guy getting better."
With just a week left before they face the Carolina, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott is concerned about how successful they’ll be versus a guy they know very little about. With only three games of 2016 preseason footage to study everything Siemian does, it’s unlikely the Panthers defense can be prepared in a way they’re accustomed to.
Siemian won’t have to perform at an elite caliber to give Carolina a challenge either. In their championship matchup last season, Manning was just 13-of-23 for 141 yards with an interception to boot. With offensive weapons like Devontae Booker, C.J. Anderson, Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, Siemian’s main goal is to just get the ball in the hands of the elite playmakers around him.
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That doesn’t lessen the concerns of Sean McDermott though. It takes an average of 20 games of footage to truly and effective game plan for a quarterback and learn how to overcome his strengths and exploit his weaknesses.
"“I’ll equate it to a baseball analogy where you get a first-time pitcher who’s always going to have more success early because people really don’t know his stuff as well,” McDermott said to Black and Blue Review (via Bill Roth). “Whereas if you get him on tape and there’s more eyes on him, scouting reports, so on and so forth, then you get a little bit more familiar with him.”"
With the long-awaited return of the NFL regular season, it’s sure to start off in spectacular fashion with the esoteric Trevor Siemian ready to put on a show for critics at Sports Authority field on September 8. If Carolina wants even a chance at staying relevant this season, they’ll have to bring the heat against the elite defense and the power-packed offense of the Denver Broncos.