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Broncos Mailbag: Vance's Way with Quarterbacks not named Sloter

A quickie Broncos mailbag to sum up their fourth quarter comeback for a 24-17 win against the Bears in preseason game No. 1 at Chicago.

Jan 12, 2017; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph speaks during a press conference at UCHealth Training Center.

A quickie Broncos mailbag to sum up their fourth quarter comeback for a 24-17 win against the Bears in preseason game No. 1 at Chicago.

Thanks for taking our questions! Mine is a question/observation. People in the media are praising Vance Joseph for being an honest guy but I also see that his blunt and negative comments on the QBs are being taken out context by the media and souring the fan base towards these two young QBs that are still finding their rhythm in the NFL. I don’t think the QBs need a safe space in the media or anything but is it really a good idea for the coach to rile up the fan base into a quarterback frenzy before these guys even have a chance to prove themselves? Seems like a rookie coaching mistake to me and a liability and not an asset to the team. Thoughts?

Dave Mullen, Denver

Dave—Anything in moderation is good. If Joseph expressed disappointment in his quarterbacks every two weeks or so, that would not sit well. But Bronco fans are smart people. They want the truth.

It was good Joseph delivered an honest assessment following practice Sunday, July 30.

“Did I like what I saw?'' Joseph said. "Not really. Both guys had issues today. I didn’t like what I saw today. Honest. They both struggled.’’

Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch were not good that day. Lynch threw a pick six to Bradley Roby near the start of practice; Siemian finished it with an interception to Lorenzo Doss. And there were too many errant throws in between.

Berm fans left disappointed in the Broncos’ quarterback fortunes. You can’t always coddle. Common guys, that wasn’t good enough.

However, I do agree, Dave, a head coach probably shouldn’t make a habit of knocking a player in press conferences as the NFL welcomes in the “Trophy Kid” generation.

Bill Parcells was probably the last head coach who didn’t mind challenging a player in public. But Parcells mostly won. It’s been 11 years since he last coached and he probably couldn’t get away with such blunt criticism today.

I think they should give Kyle Sloter a chance. They've (John Elway and Vance Joseph) have it in their heads that those other two will get the job done???????? They haven't done it yet.

Jim Pourchot, Montello, Wisconsin

Jim—You’re not alone. But they are giving Sloter a chance. He’s an undrafted rookie from a small school (Northern Colorado) who only because of Chad Kelly’s injuries has been getting third-team reps during practice.

And Sloter was given a great chance when he was allowed to play the fourth quarter in the first preseason game against Chicago. He was able to play without the pressure of a starting quarterback competition.

Sloter played well. Very well. He deserves a chance to play the fourth quarter again against San Francisco next week. If he plays well against the 49ers, Sloter will deserve a chance to play the second half in preseason game No. 4 against Arizona.

Rams/Nuggets/Avalanche boss Stan Kroenke would love Sloter. Because he can see.

A player should not be judged on fourth quarter in one preseason game alone. But that’s what Sloter was given and he dominated. I want to see him again.

I know the 'new' O-line talks a lot of smack and acts mean. However, if you take away Henderson's last-minute 41 yarder against the powerhouse Bears' 3rd team defense, they generated 65 yards on 25 rushing plays, for an average of 2.5 per play. And the offense had the meager total of 14 first downs. To the casual observer, this offense looked as unproductive as last year's.

Oh well, it's the first preseason game and anything can happen. Like Jacksonville beating the Patriots in New England.

Dennis DeJulio, Aurora

Dennis—We’ve got to see what the Broncos’ offensive line can do when Walt Anderson’s crew isn’t officiating.

The early trend from the first-team offensive line is the Broncos are going to be a right-handed running team. Ron Leary and Menelik Watson were impressive run blockers.

The second-team offensive line struggled in run blocking.

Some adjustments were made in the first practice after the Bears game, specifically veteran Allen Barbre taking some first-team reps ahead of Max Garcia at left guard. These next two weeks will determine whether Garcia can hold off Barbre’s challenge.

Overall, the Broncos’ front will run-block better this year. Pass protection, though, needs some work.

I don’t know about other viewers but hearing Trevor & Paxton uttered in every other sentence by the reporters is definitely over-doing it in my humble opinion. (Downright irritating).

What I have heard in almost every report for months is that Paxton is going to be “IT” come hell or high water. Why? He had last year and this year’s training camp to live up to whoever’s expectations but I don’t think he has.

Trevor is the better quarterback but that doesn’t seem to matter in “somebody’s” opinion. To be fair to both of them they should have gotten 2 pre-season games each before any discussion about “starting” should’ve been brought up. Instead, we have been subject to one-side speculation for months. Totally unfair to Trevor as I am sure he knows if he sneezes wrong Paxton will get the job because somebody wants him to have it.

Then, in yesterday’s game in comes Kyle. What a refreshing burst of offense! I copied this from your report on 9news.

In The Great Quarterback Competition, Trevor Siemian completed 6 of 7 passes for 51 yards. He generated 3 points in three possessions. Paxton Lynch was 6 of 9 for 42 yards with no points in four possessions. Lynch also scrambled four times for 11 yards. Sloter was 5 of 6 for 94 yards with a touchdown

Can Sloter get some love? Perhaps, on the practice squad he can if he makes it that far. Sloter has done nothing but complete passes during his rare, third-team reps in the offseason and training camp and he stepped it up when the lights were on Thursday night.

Please explain, “on the practice squad if he makes it that far.’’ It seems to me he has been very good in training as well as last nights’ game and they won’t give him a chance to beat out Paxton. I thought politics was in Washington but I have learned in my old age that it’s everywhere.

Sorry about the book but I would like some answers about the glaring unfairness of this situation.

Starr Bybee, Littleton

Starr—Remember when you were tired of all those reports on Peyton Manning? I’m guessing you were, anyway. Those repetitive Manning stories are regrettably gone.

The narrative on the Broncos’ ongoing quarterback competition from January until the third day of training camp had been: Siemian is adequate but Lynch has a first-round skill set and therefore has a chance to be better. In the past 2 1/2 weeks, the general tone has been: Trevor is Trevor and Lynch needs more time.

And, yes, Kyle Sloter came in at the perfect time. Siemian and Lynch had 3 points in 3 quarterbacks. Sloter generated 14 points in two drives.

Thanks for reading the 9News.com sports page. As for ‘’practice squad if he gets that far,’’ this refers to Sloter would first have to clear waivers. My guess is the Broncos would love to have him on their practice squad at least until Kelly gets healthy enough to run the scout team. Given Sloter’s out-of-nowhere situation, though, we must wait to see how he looks against the 49ers before determining where he’ll wind up come September 1.

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