Column: Rosenfels on how Siemian is becoming a bona fide NFL quarterback
Sage Rosenfels is a former 12-year NFL quarterback who writes, does radio, and podcasts about the NFL and college football.
NFL head coaches have to make difficult decisions on a daily basis.
They must manage every player and coach on his team who have a wide variety of egos and talents. Every word he speaks to the press is dissected and over-analyzed. On game day, the parity of the league means that almost every game is decided by a touchdown or less. This reality places an enormous amount of importance on when to call timeouts, when to take chances, and when to go for it.
"Sunday Night Football" gave us one of the best games of the year and Gary Kubiak had to make several tough decisions in that ballgame. The final one, attempting to kick a 62-yard field goal with a minute left, was one of his most difficult decisions of the year. Had he punted, there would have been a good chance that his team would have ended up with a tie. So "Kubes" did what he has done for most of his career, he put the game in his players’ hands.
I was lucky enough to play for Kubiak for three seasons in Houston. He was everything I wanted in a head coach. One of the main qualities I loved about playing for him was his belief in the competitive spirit of the athlete. He expected his players to prepare and play like mature professionals.
"Just be a pro" was one of his most often used phrases.
Kubiak didn’t threaten players with extra hard padded practices after bad performances. He didn’t have hundreds of team rules to keep guys in line like some other coaches I played for. Instead, he empowered the players to take responsibility for their own destiny and act like a pro on a day to day basis. His job was to put every player and coach in position to have success. At the end of the day, he believed it was the guys on the field who win games.
Having said this, I had no doubt while watching this Sunday night's instant classic that Kubiak would put the game in his players' hands once again.
He did, and it didn’t work out well.
It was a tough call, as a half win may be the deciding factor in his team making the playoffs. Though the result he hoped for didn’t work, I like that he made the decision to allow his players the opportunity to determine the fate of the game for themselves.
Kubiak is learning he will have another big decision to make for the Denver Broncos in the coming months.
His quarterback, Trevor Siemian played phenomenal in the team’s biggest game of the year to date. As the season has progressed, Kubiak has put more and more on Siemian’s plate. The second year quarterback started the year as one of the biggest question marks in the NFL. As we enter December, Siemian is becoming one of Denver’s best weapons and is the key to them making the playoffs this season. Initially, most Broncos fans hoped Siemian kept the team afloat by managing games until first round draft pick Paxton Lynch could take over. Though the team has already invested in Lynch, Siemian’s play will force Kubiak and Elway to decide whether to invest in their starting quarterback as well.
As I’ve analyzed Siemian throughout the year, his role as the Broncos’ starting quarterback has changed dramatically.
At first, nobody thought he’d even be in the mix to lead the Broncos. Most thought that it was Mark Sanchez’s job with Lynch waiting in the wings.
After outplaying Sanchez to become the opening day starter, Siemian took on the role as game manager. The year prior, Siemian watched both Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler win games, and then the Super Bowl. That team relied on their defense while staying away from the big mistake on offense. The Broncos were so impressive on defense that their quarterback’s style of play was already chosen for them.
Manage the game and don’t screw it up.
Siemian did a solid job of playing this style of football the first half of the season. He limited his mistakes and took chances only when needed. As the year has progressed, the Broncos have needed more from Siemian and he has responded. Last night, the Broncos signal-caller showed his entire repertoire in front of a national audience. Though he doesn’t have the arm of Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr, he showed last night that he does have the ability to make plays and lead an NFL offense.
Time and time again, on key downs, Siemian made accurate throws from the pocket. When the designed play broke down, he showed his athleticism by escaping the pocket, buying time, and making a great decision and throw.
Other than having only an average NFL arm, Siemian checks off the majority of the boxes needed to be a solid NFL quarterback. He is very accurate as he throws one of the purest spirals in the game. As someone who played for Kubiak, its easy for me to see Siemian has full command of the offense. He is tough and can take plenty of hits.
Lastly, he is finally feeling comfortable enough to take the next step and make plays out of the pocket.
This is a very important piece of quarterback development.
As most young players focus on executing plays exactly the way the OC has designed them, it takes courage to create plays when execution is no longer an option. Siemian was clutch during off-timing throws on Sunday night. He is no longer just a game manager, but has added playmaker to his skill set.
The AFC West is arguably the best division in the NFL. The Broncos will need Siemian to play as well every week if they want to get into the playoffs. This team isn’t good enough to rely on everyone BUT the QB to win, like they did in 2015.
For me, December is the most exciting month in the NFL as the majority of teams still have a shot to get in the tourney.
For the Broncos, their chances rely on Trevor Siemian.
If he plays as well the next five weeks as he did Sunday night, Denver won’t just be in the playoffs, they will be a team nobody wants to play. If this occurs, Kubiak, as I said, will have another tough decision to make this spring.
Derek Carr
Carr has been playing at a high level all season. If he played for a franchise which has had more success during the last decade, he’d be one of the front runners for MVP. Instead, he will just be one of the many names mentioned. If he plays this well next year, he may bring home the award. The NFL is a "prove it" league and Carr may need to do it twice in order to be the league’s MVP.
Dak Prescott
He was running the read option and spread offense at Mississippi State this time last year. What he has done through 11 games is the best story of the 2016 NFL season. It does help to play behind that offensive line too!
Alex Smith
I hate the phrase "game manager." There are a lot of ways to win football games and I could care less how you do it. This isn't gymnastics where you are graded on style. Winning is all that matters in the NFL and Smith continues to do just that. He seems to be more of a "game winner" than manager.
Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota
These two will forever be linked. Both will have multiple playoff appearances over their long NFL careers. Tampa Bay and Tennessee both made the right choice on draft day almost two years ago.