Broncos Notebook: What we've learned about Case Keenum

Something we’ve wanted to do a bit more of, now that we are in this premium format, is simply sharing some thoughts or feelings we have on the team or a player.

It may not be enough to warrant a full-fledged story or column, but it’s something that, hopefully, you guys will find interesting. With the community feel that we have around here these days, it seems natural to just let this stuff flow.

Without further ado, here are a few thoughts on Case Keenum that have been on my mind lately:

Calmer, cooler and more collected

Guys, when I tell you this guy was calm, cool and collected on Friday, I mean he made Trevor Siemian seem high strung.

These introductory press conferences usually have a very buttoned-up nature to them, but Keenum’s couldn’t have been any more opposite. He was bouncing around talking to media members, cracking jokes on the radio and TV and just looking extremely comfortable all around. You can see why he’s so unbothered by the idea of the Broncos drafting a quarterback at No. 5 and why people say the moment won’t be too big for him.

For some reason, the whole time I just kept thinking about Gary Kubiak’s quote at his final press conference as a head coach, something along the lines of, “I came in this league wearing jeans, I’m going out wearing jeans.” Keenum seems like a real in-and-out-wearing-jeans guy. It’s no wonder at all that he a Kubes have such a great relationship, the pair of Texas QBs remind me of each other.

Text I got from a Broncos WR

“I’m hyped AF about Case.”

If you don’t know what “AF” means… Google it.

Nice to see a little bit of excitement in the building over Keenum coming in the fold.

Family man

This was pointed out by Zac on Twitter, but whenever Case talked about anything regarding his career, the move to Denver, plans for the future, etc., he always used “we” instead of “I,” with the second half of “we” being his wife.

At the very least, that’s a smart man.

If you watched the “Hard Knocks” with the Rams a couple years back, though, you’d see that Case and Kim Keenum really are a team. On the show, Kim was famous for quizzing Case on the playbook to get him ready during training camp.

Zac and I actually had a nice conversation with Kim on Friday. It sounds like they really imagine Denver being a destination rather than just another stop on their journey.

(Side note: I was curious to find out how invasive the Hard Knocks thing really was and she said she really didn’t mind it much.)

Dimes, dimes everywhere

Maybe it’s because I’ve been deprived of watching good quarterback play for two years in Denver, but when I briefly turned on the tape to get a better idea of the quarterback Keenum is, I was blown away by the number of perfect balls he threw.

No, he’s not a perfect QB by any means, but Keenum really opened things up for the Vikings offense last season by just hitting the occasional big throw, something the Broncos’ offense has been missing dearly the last two years.

When the strength of your team is the defense, much like it has been for Broncos the last couple years (and the Vikings last year), that big-time throw can often be all you need.

Some misconceptions floating around

I’ve seen many people talking about how Keenum was a product of great protection in Minnesota, and he won’t get that here. False.

Keenum’s line was actually the beneficiary of Keenum making them look better as he posted the best passer rating in the entire NFL outside of the pocket. He certainly wasn’t standing clean in the pocket.

Sidenote: Watch the footwork on this throw.

And, finally, Brock Osweiler is not a member of the Broncos anymore, he is a free agent.

Well, that’s what’s on my mind, what’s on yours? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments.