So, without further ado, my first edition of MircoScout, will focus on QB Trevor Siemian. Last season was his first as a full-time starter after not seeing the field-- with the exception of a kneel-- at all during his rookie season. He took over the reins after Peyton Manning retired, winning a three-way battle between him, Mark Sanchez, and Paxton Lynch for the starting position.
He finished the season 8-6 as a starter, throwing for 3,401 yards, 18 touchdowns, 10 picks, completing 59.5% of passes, and a QB rating of 84.6. As I alluded to in my last blog, considering the situation he was thrust into, I thought he played well for the most part. Is he far from a finished product? Yes. Was he frustrating at times? Yes.
Nonetheless, I thought he proved that he can play the QB position, and play it well in this league. I'll admit, in a Facebook post shortly after the season ended, I commented out of frustration that he's a quality back up, but not a starter. Cooler head prevailing, I honestly didn't see anything that moved me to say Denver needs to try someone else at quarterback.
It's a great divide on Siemian in the Broncos community. Some feel the same way I do, and believes his play was sufficient, and want to see what he can do going forward, while others feel differently, and want the Broncos to look elsewhere. With that aside, here's my analytical breakdown of Trevor Siemian, judging from last season.
Pros:
- Intangibles- One of the things that immediately stood out to me was his unflappability. The situation, no matter how critical, didn't seem too big for him. He didn't panic or freak out. I saw games where he bounced back strongly, played even better after he made a mistake. I saw a play during the season opener against the Carolina Panthers where the protection broke down and he side-stepped a jumping defensive lineman who obstructed his passing lane and delivered a side arm throw to Demaryius Thomas, whereas the average young QB probably would've panicked. He seems to have a Joe Montana-like calmness about him. Having a QB with that kind of poise is paramount, and it goes a long way.
- Accuracy- He had good timing and accuracy with his throws most of time-- there were some instances where he threw past his target, and he had me wondering who the f**k he was throwing to. Other than that, his mechanics and delivery was quick and smooth. The intermediate passing game was his strength.
- Leadership- His ability to lead goes under the radar due to his expressionless, laid-back demeanor, but his teammates lauded his confidence and ability to command the huddle.
- Durability- Some would argue that he needs to get stronger, but I actually think he showed great durability last season. A prime example was the game against the New Orleans Saints, where he took a major beating, but hung in there, and kept the team in the game. In general, I believe every player's goal is to get stronger, but he's more durable than acredited.
Cons:
- Red Zone Efficiency- He had a habit of turning the ball over in the red zone at times, particularly in the beginning, and I stated that if the problem wasn't fixed immediately, it would come back to bite them later, and it did in a game against the New England Patriots-- of all teams-- who's known for exploiting young, inexperienced quarterbacks.
- Holds the Ball Too Long- Although he's no Russell Wilson, he has adequate mobility and has the ability to maneuver out of harm's way-- as described above in intangibles-- or scramble and make plays with his feet. However, he had moments where he held the ball too long, and that was another cause of him constantly getting drilled in the pocket aside from the piss-poor blocking of the offensive line.
- Predictable- This ties into the red zone (in)efficiency. The passes that were intercepted came from him trying make the same throws, and the defense was all over it. Two instances that come to mind was against the Saints and the Patriots. Although the play calling was just as much to blame, this is an area that he needs to fix immediately. Constant red zone turnovers will find him on the bench-- I'm sure to the joy of some Broncos fans who want Lynch out there anyway-- and out of the league quickly.
- Settles for Short Throws/Long Ball- It has been said that back when he attended Northwestern, during practices, he was known as "Checkdown Trevor," and I saw where he would fall in love with the short-intermediate throws, when there were better throws available. Although he made some great plays throwing deep, I believe his deep ball could be better. I wonder if it's a confidence thing with throwing deep, and perhaps that ties into his infatuation with settling for short/intermediate throws.
Overall
My verdict on Trevor Siemian is that he has high ceiling. He's not going to blow you away with his play, but he's very fundamentally sound, which for me speaks volumes at that position. To me, a dangerously, fundamentally sound player (e.g. Tim Duncan, Larry Bird) is more dangerous than a flashy, freakish athlete. I believe he showed great poise and played well, for the most part. I know I'll receive some flak from Raiders fans, and perhaps some criticism from some Broncos fans, but from what I've seen so far, he reminds me of Rich Gannon with a slightly stronger arm.
He took a lot of blame for the Broncos falling short of the postseason, but the reasons why Denver didn't advance last season goes beyond the growing pains of a young quarterback. I believe he will make leaps from last season, and I'm interested to see how he operates in a flexible, yet more aggressive offense that's being installed.
With a new coaching regime in place, he finds himself once again in an open competition for QB spot with Paxton Lynch, but I believe it's Siemian's job to lose. If he strengthens his strengths, and fix his weaknesses, he has a great future ahead of him-- and so does the Broncos.
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