ENGLEWOOD, Colo. _ Who is the QB to be?
"It is open, guys, 50-50. We've got these two young guys that's got bright futures. It's going to go down to the wire, I hope," Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said. "Right now it's a new system that's going into place here with Mike McCoy. It's a fair, open competition. The best guys will play."
Perhaps the Broncos should pass on Christian McCaffrey and draft a hybrid: Paxton Siemian, the 6-foot-7 Northwestern grad who pitches Skittles as expertly as he grows facial hair.
"There's no time to waste," Joseph said in a getting-to-know-you news conference Monday.
OK, then. Let's get down to the nitty gritty: The Broncos need some serious help on offense.
"Juice," as Joseph calls it.
The quarterback conundrum is just the start of it. Who on this offense scares the Raiders and Chiefs? Demaryius Thomas is a shaken Coke can. He can blow up at any time. Emmanuel Sanders, unless it's the final game with only his health on the line, can go big. After that ... Denver's offensive fridge has only bottled water.
Somewhere along the way, the Broncos offense got boring. It was out of necessity as much as choice; the line cratered, allowing open season to smack the quarterback, and game-breakers here are as rare as Colorado natives. Who are other recent Broncos who busted the big one? Trindon Holliday against the Ravens? Omar Bolden against the Colts? C.J. Anderson when he's healthy?
"I think overall with our offense we want to add more juice there, whether it's a receiver or a running back," Joseph said. "Every good offense needs a guy who can take the ball from the LOS (line of scrimmage) and go the distance with it. That's important to have, that aspect on offense _ running back, receiver, wherever it comes from."
That sound you hear is a new coach who's now watched the film from "Titans 13, Broncos 10," "Patriots 16, Broncos 3" and "Chargers 21, Broncos 13." Too many times, Denver's "O" was football Nyquil.
"Definitely having more juice on offense is a must, in my opinion," he said.
Believe Joseph when he says quarterback will be an open competition between Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Believe me, or not, when I say Siemian will win the starting job.
Mike McCoy's job as offensive coordinator will be the toughest on the block. Unless the Broncos slide up in the draft for McCaffrey, stay put at No. 20 and get lucky with Washington speedster John Ross, or take a risky leap on Day 2 with Oklahoma tailback Joe Mixon, McCoy is assigned to build a Ferrari with Hyundai parts.
Sports aren't so complicated. You want dudes the other team doesn't want to deal with. The Broncos need more dudes the other team doesn't want to deal with.
On the first day of the offseason workout program, the first day he could meet with his new team, Joseph sounded and looked more like a man in his element. No surprise there; the locker room is where Joseph is most comfortable and his presence there is why he was pegged to succeed Gary Kubiak.
The defense is packed with enough robust personalities to fill several captain's chairs. Between Von Miller, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and T.J. Ward, the question is when, not if, somebody steps up and speaks out. I asked Joseph: What do you seek in leaders on offense?
"You want guys that are tough, engaged and love to win. Defensively, that secondary _ all four guys are always fully engaged, very competitive, tough guys," he said. "That's what you want on offense: guys who hate to lose, who every day come to work to win. That's important. From that perspective, offensively, we've got some guys who could fit that role, but I want more."
A coach who lobbies in public for the front office to find his type of players? Hey, I dig it.
But the exchange that told the most about Joseph's M.O. _ relative to quarterbacks, at least _ arrived when he was asked about Dak Prescott, the quarterback who slipped to the fourth round before helping the Dallas Cowboys to a 13-3 record and No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.
"I wouldn't say everyone missed on him. He went to a good football team. He went to the perfect team for a young quarterback _ big-time running back, with an experienced, dominant O-line," Joseph said. "It wasn't a miss on that. He went to the perfect football team. That plays a role for quarterbacks."
It would with the Broncos' quarterback candidates, too.
