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When you've already replaced a legend such as Peyton Manning, replacing Sam Darnold does not look so intimidating. That may be why Trevor Siemian seemed so chilly to make his first start Monday night against the Brown at MetLife Stadium.
"Just do my job," said Siemian about his expectations. "Perform a clean operation and place the ball in the end zone. It's pretty simple.
The truth is that nothing has been simple lately – neither for Siemian nor for the Jets. In one week, they reduced their lead to 16-0 and lost wide receiver Quincy Enunwa for the season due to a neck injury, sent their half walk to the Veon Bell for an MRI on his shoulder and diagnosed Darnold. with mononucleosis.
That made Siemian the first quarter, a role he had held in 2016 when he was the first quarter of the Broncos after Manning's retirement. In 2017, Siemian was on the bench, in part because of an injury, and was traded to Minnesota, where he spent the entire 2018 season looking aside for Kirk Cousins' replacement.
Still, he is 13-11 out of 24 career starts and has a proven arm, having amassed 5,686 yards and 30 touchdowns. These numbers are not bad, especially for someone who was the last of the seven-quarter pick in the 2015 draft as a 250th overall pick. He signed a one-year contract with the Jets for $ 2 million, as a replacement for Darnold, but he now has a chance to start his career.
"No player wants to bounce and play for more teams," Siemian said. "But on the plus side, you can see different players, good players, good coaches and what makes them so good. We are all a combination of our experiences. We'll see what works and go from there. "
Siemian has always shown enough potential to attract the coach's attention. Gary Kubiak, coach of the Broncos era, said this in 2015: "There is just something about how he played, his footwork, his release. I liked the way he approached things. "
It was Jets coach, Adam Gase, on Thursday: "After Peyton's departure, I saw him playing a lot and in my head I kept saying," Wow, this guy is really launching a beautiful ball. He pulls it out and comes out clean. 'The more I watched the movie and when we started to evaluate it, the more I really liked it.'
It's always Darnold's team, and every time he's strong enough to come back as a starter, he'll do it. But Siemian has the opportunity to remind the NFL that he is a rare product: a reliable quarterback who can play in this league. Who knows how good a beginner might be for next year? He will be 28 in December and has a lot of football in front of him.
"I played, so I think in a sense I was there and I did it a bit," Siemian said. "It's been a long time, but I really want to compete and be with the guys, and I'm excited to play this week."
Gase should not have to change books with Siemian at the helm. His mobility could be a weapon. The offense seems more impacted by the loss of Bell, who is likely to play after an MRI on his shoulder is out. But even this prospect does not seem to shake Siemian.
"We have so many talented players that I will support," he said. "Jamison [Crowder], Robby [Anderson]Ryan [Griffin] and everyone on the front has a ton of experience. I'm lucky in that sense. I can support these guys and my job is pretty simple. "
If only it was so simple.
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