Paxton Lynch Should Not Start A Single Game This Year [OPINION]
Paxton Lynch should not start a single game this year. I know some of you want to yell at your smart phone or computer right now, but hear me out. Saturday night, the Broncos played the San Francisco 49ers and lost 31-24. Luckily it is the preseason so wins and losses do not matter. What does matter is that Denver has a quarterback controversy on their hands, and many will argue that three men are trying to grab the starting job.
Let’s start with the veteran, Mark Sanchez, who is a former first round pick. Denver is the third team that Sanchez has played for in his 7-year career. Sanchez is also the only quarterback on the Broncos roster to ever start in a regular season game. Sanchez was traded to the Broncos in the off season this year.
Next we have the sophomore. Trevor Siemian was considered a stud in his college days playing for Northwestern until he tore his ACL his senior year. This caused his draft stock to fall and he was the last quarterback taken in the 2015 draft. Last year, Siemian flew under the radar as the third string QB behind future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler. In the off season Manning retired, and Osweiler chased the money to Houston leaving Siemian as the only remaining QB in Denver.
Finally, we get to Paxton Lynch, the star of the 2016 draft for Denver and the star of this article. Paxton just graduated from Memphis and was taken 26th overall by the Broncos. Now, naturally Broncos fans want to see what their new shiny toy can do. He is a gifted athlete with a big arm, great pocket presence, and every physical attribute you could want in a QB.
So why do I say he should not start a single game for the Broncos this year? One of the best examples of why he should not start were on the 49ers side of the field Saturday night. Colin Kaepernick was a rookie sensation taking his team to the NFC Championship game. His sophomore year was even better when he took his team to the Super Bowl. Today, he is 28 years old, in his prime, and his team is thinking of letting him go.
Why would a team let go of a guy like that? It’s because he already hit his peak. Young quarterbacks that are rushed in to the league tend to learn a handful of plays to start out and, are expected to learn the rest as they go. The problem is when they learn these plays they get complacent. Why learn something new when you’ve made the same three plays work for two years?
Currently one the best QB’s in the NFL is Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers rode the pine for 3 years learning under Hall of Famer Brett Favre. In that time he was given time to develop into the quarterback he is today. Now, I’m not saying we should sit Paxton for three years. However I do think we need to let either Sanchez or Siemian have this year. Paxton has never played in a pro-style offense. In practice, he still gets lost and struggles to understand the full playbook.
If you are a true Broncos fan then you need to do Lynch a favor and let him develop. He’s not ready and that is okay, since he is a great talent! Let’s let him become a great quarterback by giving him time.
Please, I am begging you-- the first time Sanchez or Siemian turn the ball over, do not immediately start chanting Lynch.
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