Broncos preseason: You can’t squander what you don’t have
Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian didn’t squander their chances on Saturday. Squander means they have what’s needed, but didn’t use those tools.
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The truth is, Sanchez played the way he always has. He’s good 75% of the time. He knows the playbook, has a nice arm, can scramble and is willing to take chances.
What he lacks is between the ears. It seems he believes he’s better than he is and becomes a cavalier with the football. This leads to turnovers. When disaster strikes, it’s not because Sanchez was playing cautious. It’s because he’s out there playing full out.
Plenty of good quarterbacks fit in this category. Sanchez isn’t a dink-and-dunk, methodical kind of guy. Some may put him in the gunslinger category. The difference is how and when the good ones fail. Plus, what they do next. When Rothesberger throws a pick, he shrugs it off.
When Sanchez fumbles, throws an interception even when it’s not his fault, or his receivers make several drops, he doesn’t move on. It may be he wants to do well so badly, he analyzes what went wrong until it’s all he sees.
Whatever reason it is, he doesn’t move forward. This is apparent because he seldom limits his troubles to one incident. He doesn’t tend to only make one mistake and then get better. If it’s the team that as a unit is misfiring, he isn’t gathering them up and pushing them up.
This last part, we saw with Brock Osweiler. Many will say during the San Diego game that he didn’t play poorly. This is true, but he allowed his unit to become negative and he himself did the same. Yelling at your coaches isn’t helping your unit become better or forget the last play and move on.
Last season, when Philadelphia played Tampa Bay, we saw a Chargers type situation only it was Mark melting down. How your quarterback goes, is how your team goes. It’s not the job of your wide receiver or running back to be the cheerleader or teacher in the huddle, so when the leader melts down, there’s no getting the unit back.
Moving on to Siemian. Because of all of the above, many want him to be the starter. They see he has the playbook down, has a good arm, is mobile and can make some really nice throws.
The first drive, when everything went right, had many polishing his crown. Then he made a rookie mistake. Knowing the playbook doesn’t make you a vet. Getting playing time, does. After last night, he has about 3/4 of a preseason game experience. That’s a rookie.
That pick six isn’t a big deal. It’s a good learning tool and a preseason game for a rookie is a good place to build off them.
What happened next is where Siemian didn’t squander his opportunity, but showed us what he’s made of. To show us if he has the IT factor. If he had IT, that interception would have been a oops, let me store that away for now and learn from it. Sorry guys, I let you down, I’ll do better next time.
Despite his conservative play, designed by Gary Kubiak, he still erred. The following drives after the pick was more conservatice plays that gave him the opportunity to recover. He didn’t.
He may see it as a squandered chance to be the starter, but it wasn’t. He can’t squander what he doesn’t have. I’m glad it happened. It gave us a chance to see how he thinks.
We know and expect rookies to mess up. Michael Jordan once said he failed over and over and that’s why he succeeded. He also said if you run into a wall, you find a way around it. MJ became the greatest of all time because of that mindset.
Trevor had the 1’s, experienced guys who know what failure is and have dealt with it. He had them to use and lean on. He didn’t. He let his mistake fester in his head and effect his play. That let his team down.
He either lost confidence in himself or he cared more about being the starter rather than playing like one. The starter, the leader, isn’t worried about losing his job, he’s focused on moving his team down the field and getting points. On winning. Any way he can. That’s how starters are made. He isn’t working towards the job, he’s working towards the goal of winning.
Whether it was lost confidence or caring more about himself than his teammates, it shows he’s not the guy. He may have lost his chance not because of an interception, but what he did after. It’s that simple.
The only thing last night didn’t show us, is how Paxton Lynch would do after an interception. The clock wound down after his (that wouldn’t have happened with a starting receiver). Too bad it didn’t happen earlier. My guess is he wouldn’t have folded based on his attitude in earlier drives.
When his receivers made drops, his offensive line looked like high school kids and at times it looked like he was the only one playing, he didn’t give up. He came back after each failed drive with motivation and determination. He played with grit.
You could see, feel and hear the difference in the crowd and the team when he played. He was water in a dessert. Even Gary Kubiak smiled after looking like he was standing barefoot on a bed of nails. He was commanding. Even John Lynch was giddy with glee.
It is true he had less to lose because he wasn’t auditioning for the week one starter spot; however, one important trait that separates the guys with IT from the guys without IT, is US. You’re not worried about how your play effects yourself, you’re worried about how your play effects your teammates.
How can you make them better? How can you help them win? Each play is a chance to drag your team to the goal line. You’ll put them on your back and crawl if you have to. That’s your focus. Get to the goal line. Not, oops, I made a mistake and I might lose my starting spot.
When it appears you’re sacked and out you pop, legs pumping, looking for a receiver, looking for the yardage needed for a fist down, that’s grit. That’s a, I refuse to fail, this team needs me, mindset.
Jimmy McGinty said his team lacked heart. That heart was his quarterback. This team found its heart last night and it played with the threes. He didn’t squander his chance, he built off of it because he played with fire, passion, determination and a will to win. That’s our future. That’s our guy. Go Broncos!
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