DENVER — This is getting ridiculous.
The Paxton Lynch experiment has played itself out. It’s over.
I understood when a rookie couldn’t win the job coming out of a spread system in a small conference. I was on board with the “three-year project” narrative for a while. I was guilty, at times, of trying to find positives, and even bought some of the hype after No. 12 had a solid week of practices in San Francisco last year, but enough is enough.
A three-year project should be nearing completion at this point, but the Paxton Lynch project isn’t even off of the ground yet, and Saturday night’s game was just another chapter in a book that just keeps getting worse.
Trading away Trevor “tailormade backup” Siemian was a head-scratcher at best, and the NFL schedule-makers did the Broncos absolutely no favors in trying to justify it. When Minnesota showed up first on the preseason schedule, at home, John Elway must have known what was coming. Heck, nobody knows what Trevor Siemian vs. Paxton Lynch looks like more than John, he’s had to watch it play out for two years right in his own backyard.
It’s pretty simple. The Broncos have the wrong backup.
There’s a saying in sports, “It’s hard to beat a team three times in a row.” Well, for the third time in a row, Team Trevor mopped the floor with Team Paxton.
Siemian: 11/17, 165 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 111.2 passer rating
Lynch: 6/11, 24 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 22.2 passer rating
Have you ever seen an extremely one-sided fight where somebody is just getting pummeled and you get sort or sick to your stomach? That’s how I felt watching what we can only hope is the last installment of Siemian V. Lynch, the only fight worse than Mayweather and McGregor.
“We didn’t really put a lot of drives together or move the ball, so I’m sad about that,” Lynch said after the game.
“Boooooooooooooo,” Broncos fans said during it.
The only solace this time for the Broncos is that the sparring match was a battle of backup quarterbacks. Although, some might say it was always a battle of backup quarterbacks.
Oh, and speaking of backup quarterbacks, the Broncos might actually have a promising one, but for some reason, he can’t even sniff a second-team rep in practice.
Just as he was in the Broncos’ only scrimmage of camp, Chad Kelly was the star of the show in the Broncos’ preseason opener. Albeit against mostly third-teamers, the second-year QB tossed for 177 yards and two touchdowns, bringing the Broncos back from a 27-14 deficit all the way into the lead at one point.
“Kelly! Kelly! Kelly!” The same fans that booed Lynch chanted as the man Vance Joseph once tabbed his “favorite quarterback in the draft” sliced and diced the Minnesota defense, fitting fastball after fastball into tight window after tight window.
A laser show.
Now, it is hard to evaluate a quarterback when he’s going up against the threes, but that’s kind of the point here, isn’t it?
After the game, I spoke with multiple player sources and each guy was thinking the same thing that you and I are—it’s time for Chad Kelly to get a chance with the second team.
“We know when a guy can play,” one player said. “We also know when a guy can’t.”
The other prevalent feeling was a not-so-secret secret NFL rule, the reps go where the money goes.
The funny thing is that the better Chad Kelly gets, the further he seemingly gets from earning the second-team nod.
First, it was a full-blown competition. Then, it was Kelly will “eventually” get second-team reps. Then it was Kelly “might” get second-team reps.
How about after Lynch laid another egg and Kelly lit it up?
“We’ll see,” Joseph said.
I think we’ve seen enough.
On a night in which four quarterbacks who the Broncos could’ve had as a backup battled between the lines at Mile High, somehow the worst one of the bunch—by far—was the second man on the field for the Orange & Blue.
This is getting ridiculous.
0 Comments (13 conversations)
Bronco Jimmy
Great article, thanks mate. I have a question for this that I’ll email to you guys.
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorThank YOU, Jimmy!
O'Doyle Rules
Great article as always Ryan. Ive been cheering for both QBs to do well as I bleed orange and blue. I want Paxton to do well but he has gone backward, sadly. Deer in the headlights, slow decision making, no field vision, zero leadership or moxy define him. Chad seems to have the fire and ownership of the position. What happens when they stick him with the 2’s and he struggles?
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorThank you!
ColeTrain
Get my man some reps! Great article, Ryan. I just wanna see Chad get a fair shot. We all know he’s better than Paxton.
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorThank you! It’s not some crazy leap to give a guy a chance with the second team. Needs to happen this week.
Jack Double Magnum
Do you think they’re so hesitant to give Kelly some 2nd team reps because that would essentially put the final nail in the coffin for Lynch? That’s literally the only thing that could possibly make sense at this point IMO. Also, Lynch’s goatee is horrendous. That’s the only time his name will be in the same sentence as GOAT.
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorMaybe. That’s definitely an idea that’s floating around but I don’t understand that at all. They guy can’t play.
Noreik
He needs to be off the team. I don’t care how much it costs how much ‘dead cap space’ blah blah blah. There is absolutely NO WAY that Lynch can be trusted playing a single snap at the NFL level so, therefore, he’s dead cap money already.
But worse than that, he’s taking reps away from Kelly and ruining the reps for the 2nd string because Lynch is useless and ruins the opportunity to evaluate other players.
Cut him Monday and move on, looking to sign a veteran later on in training camp when one comes available. This will actually be better for Paxton to end the mental torture he must be going through as he must know he just doesn’t have it and he needs to move on with his life too: maybe try some CFL – even he should be able to out-perform Manziel’s first performance!
JackS
Couldn’t agree more! Give Kelly a chance to prove himself.
Also, how bitter is Broncos country about Sloter?
ziggity187
Smart decision to get rid of trevor. Now they need to get rid of Paxton for real. Sometimes you need to just bite the bullet. And I know its preseason, but giving up 42 points is inexcusable. VJ needs to be on the hot seat.
George in Limbo
I’d be willing to give Paxton another chance, but he has to shave that stupid goatee.
Burrito Chad
I’d rather have dead cap than dead weight. Cut the dude. It’s done.
MontanaBroncos
Amen. Time for the pirate to walk the plank!
EvanS
Ridiculousness!! Lynch has progressively been worse each season. The Chelly even beat him at scrambling.
Ron Mexico
No one here will argue Lynch is better than Kelly. It doesn’t matter how bad he is, Lynch will be the backup. Elway will not admit how badly he missed.
Dags
Even beyond the actual QB play, in which Kelly clearly outperformed Lynch, there is something else that was very apparent. Chad Kelly took control of the offense out there. He commanded the huddle and had an obvious swagger out there that the players around him responded to. When Lynch was on the field, the players around him were clearly frustrated and displayed little faith in their “captain”.
In an earlier comment, I said that it would start to get to the point where the situation reflects more poorly on Elway and the Broncos for continuing on with the Lynch fiasco, rather than busting early on a first round pick. When the BOOOOOOOS echoed throughout the stadium Sunday night, I’m pretty sure we reached that point.
GregJDetter
Very well said, Ryan. I understand John’s ego may play a role, but there’s something bigger than his ego: his hatred for losing. Knowing a sometimes leaky o-line is protecting his new QB, the Duke has to know we’ll likely see the backup at some point this season. And if he was trying to protect Kyle Sloter from the embarrassment of playing against real NFL players, who is going to protect Paxton? He’s laughable! I have been a diehard fan for over 30 years and I really don’t think I can remember worse quarterback play for this team than Lynch.
I’m not one of those people who thinks that Kelly is incredible because he shredded third team guys, but there is no way anyone who knows anything can justify Lynch over Kelly at this point. Lynch’s experience is nice to have in a backup, but his only experience is crapping the bed.
And whoever said the comment about Paxton’s dumb goatee was dead on. I’m not willing to give him another shot, but that ridiculous cheese should come off his face at once.
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorThanks, Greg. Definitely some odd decisions being made.
phogan3033
I love this article.
May I point out that Brian Griese really knows how to appeal to his audience. I always liked Brian on College Saturday and thought he did a great job calling the Broncos game. At times he sounded like he was really pulling for Lynch to show the wold something, but he still did a good job pointing out that Lynch decided to drop his eyes and take off running too soon, just as there was a TE coming open across the field. Plays like that clearly point out Lynch’s lack of progression. Hate to bang on the kid but it’s painfully obvious at this point.
Thanks, Ryan! Look forward to the next article.