Evans: Broncos-49ers: A tale of overconfidence
Aug 22, 2016, 5:17 PM | Updated: 5:22 pm
This will probably be for the best. After drumming the San Francisco 49ers in the first of two joint practices last Wednesday, the Denver Broncos let themselves get caught up in San Fran’s save face/machismo approach Thursday, which led to one of its least productive practices of training camp.
That carried over to Saturday’s preseason game, which saw the Broncos come out overconfident and dismissive of the 49ers, leading to a disappointing 31-24 loss.
The good news is the team and coaching staff should learn from that and guard against it in the games that count moving forward.
With that said, here are observations from the game:
1. Trevor Siemian is the right choice to start the season at quarterback. Mark Sanchez was brutally honest, and brutally correct, when he said he had squandered this opportunity. He has. Which is too bad, because I do believe he cares deeply about this and wants to be a team leader. And I do see big play potential in the way he throws the football. But, he just can’t shake the turnover bug.
Paxton Lynch? Sure the talent is obvious. So are the telltale signs of a mistake-prone rookie. Holding the ball too long. Slow decision making. Erratic accuracy. This Broncos team is built on making sure the defense is allowed to do their thing. Priority number one of the offense/quarterback is don’t do anything to get in the way of this defense. That means not making mistakes is the No. 1 goal of this offense.
Sanchez can make plays. Lynch can definitely make plays. They also can be mistake prone. Siemian is boring. He’s Captain Checkdown. He’s the Dealer of Dinks and Dunks. But, he has the look of a guy who can avoid mistakes (Saturday’s pick six notwithstanding).
2. The only concern of this defense is the rush. No Malik Jackson. No Vance Walker. Adam Gotsis got worked on Saturday night. Jared Crick got pushed around. I know this was supposed to be a worry last year, and it ended up not. But, something to watch for this year.
3. Ronnie Hillman/Kapri Bibbs. Same guy. Both third stringers. Flip a coin. Might as well go with the CSU guy out of homerism (Yay CSU!). (BTW, is anybody really excited about the start of the local college football season? Yawn.)
4. I am dismayed by the overall lack of sizzle at the tight end position. While I am encouraged by what Virgil Green is doing in the passing game (something I’ve been begging for the last couple of years), that is about it. There are too many ways for tight ends to be a headache for teams in today’s NFL, and I don’t see the Broncos joining the party.
5. I’m still worried about the Broncos offensive line. I am encouraged by what I’m hearing and seeing from Russell Okung. Max Garcia and Matt Paradis seem OK. I am concerned about the right side. No one has grabbed that right guard job, and Donald Stephenson is … meh. Plus, there appears to be very little in the way of depth along the line.
6. Did you see what appeared to be a look of disgust on Brandon McManus’ face after a made field goal? Something was bugging him. He hasn’t had a great camp, and trying to work with a new holder, punter Riley Dixon, hasn’t gone smoothly.
I know Dixon was drafted so the Broncos could cut Colquitt and his bloated salary, but you got to keep your kicker happy. And Colquitt is a proven big game punter — something this team will need if they plan on playing conservatively and playing the field position game to put the defense in the best possible situations.
