Coach mulls change at quarterback
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is either going to simplify his offense for Trevor Siemian or send him to the bench in favor of Brock Osweiler.
Joseph complained that Siemian made “three horrific decisions” on “three horrible interceptions” in the Broncos’ 29-19 loss at Kansas City on Monday night, wasting another dominant defensive effort and negating any gains made by the offense.
So, Joseph huddled Tuesday with general manager John Elway, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and QB coach Bill Musgrave to decide who will be under center when the Broncos (3-4) visit NFL-leading Philadelphia (7-1) this weekend.
“When your football team is putting in max effort and your defense is playing good football, it’s unfair to your team if you’re not discussing that position,” Joseph said.
Former first-round pick Paxton Lynch isn’t in the mix, Joseph said, because he’s only practiced a handful of times in the two months since he sprained his throwing shoulder in the preseason after Siemian beat him out for the second straight summer.
The Broncos re-signed Osweiler after Lynch got hurt. Peyton Manning’s former backup flopped last year in Houston and was released this summer by the Browns, who are still paying 95 percent of his $16 million salary.
Joseph is trying to salvage a season that’s slipping away. For all their troubles, the Broncos are only one game back in the AFC wild-card race and their schedule gets much easier after facing the Eagles and Patriots (6-2) the next two weeks.
Siemian has thrown just two TDs and eight interceptions during a 1-4 slide in which Denver is averaging just 12 points a game and was shut out for the first time since 1992.
The ineptitude is starting to lead to grumbling among defensive players just as it did last season when a late slide ended Denver’s five-year playoff run.
Denver’s dominant defense is playing even better than the unit that led the Broncos to the Super Bowl 50 title two years ago. It’s No. 1 in the NFL, second-best against the run and sixth-best against the pass.
Joseph, who was hired in part to restore locker room harmony, has been adamant that no one’s pointing fingers, but cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said after the latest game there’s definitely some friction.
“There’s high tension. We’re not winning,” Harris said. “We’re not taking care of the football. We’re giving the games away.”
Denver’s defense played exceptionally well Monday night. The Broncos held rookie sensation Kareem Hunt, the league’s rushing leader, to 46 yards on 22 carries. They even managed to force a pair of turnovers against a team that hadn’t turned it over since its first offensive play of the season.
Yet, Denver’s klutzy offense and spotty special teams play cost them again. In addition to his three interceptions, Siemian was sacked three times, giving him 25 for the season. He’s on pace for 57 sacks this season — should he manage to stay in the lineup.
At the root of Siemian’s poor play, Joseph said, are a combination of him learning a new system and pressing. So, simplifying things for him might be the way to go.
Siemian has been hit so much that he’s not setting his feet properly on throws, feeling pressure even when it’s not there.
Although 17 of Siemian’s 19 sacks during this slump have come with Denver in threereceiver sets where there’s no help for his struggling tackles, Joseph defended McCoy, who last week left Allen Barbre to block Joey Bosa mostly by himself in his first game at right tackle since 2009.
“I’ve said all along we can coach and play better. So, Mike understands that. And Mike every day voices that he can help Trevor more,” Joseph said.
“But the bottom line: players play and coaches coach. There are no perfect calls. You can try to make perfect calls for him but he has to play his way out of bad plays and not make them worse.
“That’s his job as the quarterback.”
One he might not have much longer.