KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Maybe it comes with time. Locker room cachet isn't born overnight.
The next step in Trevor Siemian becoming the Broncos quarterback of the future _ because, like it or not, that's the direction this train is rolling _ is the inspiration step.
Can Siemian inspire his offense to go above and beyond when it matters most? That, along with staying healthy, a worrisome bugaboo for Siemian going back to his college days at Northwestern, is the question that must be answered before the Broncos make official what the defensive side of the locker room already believes.
"You see that throw?" safety T.J. Ward said about Siemian after a recent game.
"Trev's tough, man," cornerback Aqib Talib said.
"Trevor has been incredible," Von Miller said.
The Broncos play at Kansas City on Christmas Day. Makes sense. It was inside Arrowhead Stadium that quarterback Peyton Manning showed over and over again what it means to inspire an offense. It's easy to remember Bradley Roby's fumble return for a touchdown that last season gave the Broncos a Week 2 victory. But it was Manning, in the twilight of a Hall of Fame career, with his quarterbacking skills on their last leg, who orchestrated a late-game comeback that ultimately was rewarded with the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC playoffs. The Broncos had no rushing game, a QB in his last rodeo, 2:27 on the clock and 80 yards to travel for a tying score. Manning spun three completions to Demaryius Thomas and a wicked touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders in a two-minute drill for the ages.
Can Siemian inspire teammates to make the play that turns a forgettable performance into a memorable triumph? In the loss at Tennessee, Siemian zipped a sure touchdown to wide receiver Bennie Fowler in the end zone. Fowler dropped it. In the loss to the Patriots, Siemian floated a long gain into Thomas' hands. He dropped it.
Whether it was fear for their own job security or a belief they would win no matter what, Manning's teammates made the plays that counted. Siemian's simply haven't.
"He's shown us he's got a great knack to handle a lot of pressure," quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp said.
As long as Talib, Ward, Miller and Chris Harris Jr. are commandeering the Broncos' locker room, this will never be Siemian's team. And it doesn't need to be.
But it must be his offense. Who would be your MVP on a Broncos offense that has stumbled through one of its worst seasons in franchise history? Theirs would be Siemian, whose 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio, in his first season as a starter, is comparable to or superior than those of NFL veterans Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco and Carson Palmer.
But would his huddle run through a blitzing linebacker for the QB? Time will tell.
"He can be great. He gets better and better every week," Thomas told me recently in the Broncos locker room. "He hasn't been the healthiest guy this season, but he's been able to put out good football when he's hurt. He can take us the distance."
I asked DT: Do you believe Siemian has the chops to be Denver's long-term answer at quarterback?
"I do, I do," Thomas said.
What, for example, was the difference between the first half at Tennessee, when the Broncos had more punts than first downs, and the second-half comeback attempt?
"Trevor had time to throw it," Thomas said.
I have no idea what the Siemian haters are watching. Perhaps there's snow on their satellite dish or an ambitious, gutsy squirrel has gnawed off the wiring to their cable box.
Count the Broncos' defense among the believers. You may have noticed by now their defense dishes out compliments as often as it allows touchdowns. Denver's defenders love them some them. See, it's not just me saying Siemian has the inside track on starting at quarterback for the Broncos when they open the 2017 season. It's the 'D,' the side of the locker room responsible for keeping the Broncos in the playoff hunt when the team's play thus far suggests an early offseason is for the best.
"I'll roll with Trev, man," Talib said.
Siemian isn't perfect. The QB competition between him and Paxton Lynch next August will shape the franchise for years to come. But Siemian has shown the smarts, arm strength and toughness that someday will hang Alex Smith money from the family Christmas tree. Smith, whose $68 million contract has the Chiefs by the chestnuts, didn't throw for 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns until his sixth season in the NFL. Siemian did so in his second.
The Broncos erupted in frustration after the Patriots game. But the personality rift that pits offense vs. defense wasn't the story of this season. This was: When there isn't a clear-cut leader on the offense, a first-year Broncos lineman like Russell Okung feels obligated to speak for the rest of the group. More than one player told me if it had been Siemian who stepped forward, no one on the defense would have objected. Likewise, Talib never shoves Jordan Norwood after a muffed punt if Manning had been standing a few yards away. The Broncos 'O' has no voice or identity. While the defense treats each day like its pre-gaming for a New Year's Eve party, the offense is too busy texting and tweeting all by its lonesome.
Can Ol' Trev become the source of inspiration the offense so sorely needs?
That will determine whether the Broncos' future is Trevor Forever or Never Trevor.
