Trev too humble to dress down
There was Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian on a jumbo screen at the stadium, 30 feet tall and immortal.
Now, if there’s one thing Siemian likes less than throwing an interception in the red zone, it might be talking about himself. But there he was, doing an interview on television with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt during halftime of “Monday Night Football.”
You should have seen how his teammates, mingling with fans during the Taste of Broncos event, reacted to seeing Siemian’s big, goofy face on the big TV, talking about Denver’s big victory over Dallas, as if their buddy Trev was Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or any other bigtime NFL quarterback.
“I was tripped out,” confessed Broncos safety Will Parks, delighted Siemian is getting national pub. “That boy’s working. You work and you get recognized. But here’s the thing: He’s so humble, you can’t even use it against him.”
With a 2-0 record and an offense averaging 33 points per game, the Broncos have
again become buzz-worthy throughout the league. Siemian, the self-described slappy who twice won a starting job meant for somebody else, has thrown six TD passes and his QB rating is a gaudy 106.9 (better than the rating of either Brady or Rodgers). He must be loving this life, right?
So I asked Siemian how a 25-year-old young man on a cusp of becoming a breakout star celebrates face time on ESPN with SVP. A big steak and a bigger cigar? Is that how Siemian rolls? Livin’ large?
“I wish,” Siemian said, “but it’s good to get some sleep on those off days.”
OK, let me get this straight: Siemian outplayed Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott and wrecked the Cowboys 42-17, then celebrated by putting on his pj’s and hitting the pillow early?
“During the week, your mind’s racing pretty good and you’re getting up early,” Siemian said. “I try to take advantage of sleep every chance I get.”
With the 250th pick in the 2015 NFL draft, Broncos executive John Elway got himself a slappy and a sleeper to play quarterback. Which, come to think about it, might explain why teammates love Siemian. And they do love Siemian.
Peyton Manning was The Sheriff. He was the law, with a big shiny star, sometimes more feared than adored in the locker room.
Siemian is Mr. Skittles. Sweet but not a wallflower. There’s this story of how Manning, a notorious walnut-cracker, tried to crack wise on a Broncos rookie in the QB room three seasons ago, and Siemian gave it right back to the NFL legend. But, more times than not, Siemian is as easy as Sunday morning with his teammates.
Some Broncomaniacs with very active imaginations like to imagine when Siemian grows up, he will be just like Brady, primarily based on the narrative Handsome Tom was also once an underrated Big Ten quarterback drafted late (199th overall, by New England in 2000).
In 16 professional starts, Siemian has won 10 times with a QB rating of 87.0. That’s not chopped liver. That’s Alex Smith, whose career QB rating is 86.0, while compiling a record of 81-56-1 with San Francisco and Kansas City.
Asked to describe his role in the 16-yard TD pass to running back C.J. Anderson that put the Broncos ahead to stay against Dallas, Siemian humbly said: “I gave it to 22 (Anderson’s jersey number) and let him figure it out.”
Siemian is the rare NFL quarterback that doesn’t believe the game — or the universe — revolves around him. Siemian has sold Denver’s playmakers he’s there to serve them, not vice versa.
“I want to get the ball to those guys and get out of the way,” Siemian said. “It’s not going to be me running around making plays. That’s not how we’re going to be really, really good. It’s going to be 10 (Emmanuel Sanders), 88 (Demaryius Thomas), 22 (Anderson) and 28 (Jamaal Charles), all those guys making explosive plays.”
And now you know why teammates have a man crush on Siemian.
Even when his face is 30 feet tall and immortal on a jumbo TV, Siemian acts as if he’s just a regular guy, lucky to be going to work every day in Broncos Country.