As the Broncos lose more, shaves less. Is he trying to go incognito, in the hope his ineptitude won’t be recognized in our football-crazy town? Word of advice: Quarterbacks with unkempt beards and bad statistics don’t last long in Denver.
Anybody else think Keenum is Kyle Orton with a nicer personality?
After four straight losses, apountry is on his case. The ugly booing Keenum has heard in his home stadium is framed by chants for Chad “Swag” Kelly to replace him in the huddle.
If linebacker vows the Broncos are going to kick Arizona’s butt, I’m apt to take the Vonster’s word on it. But as long as we’re making guarantees, I will promise you this: Beating the Cardinals and the NFL’s lamest offense is a must-win for Keenum.
Heaven forbid Keenum loses to rookie quarterback , taken out of UCLA at No. 10 in the first round, five slots after Denver selected edge rusher . If the Broncos gave Keenum $25 million guaranteed to get beat by Rosen, general manager is going to catch holy heck in Colorado.
I’m beginning to wonder how much urgency Elway has to fire , even if the team’s losing streak reaches five or six games, because the boss can use his beleaguered coach as a human shield as angry fans point fingers of blame and fire away with criticism. If the losing doesn’t stop soon, apountry will demand somebody’s head.
Better be careful, Mr. Keenum. Fans are itching for a scapegoat to roast.
After Joseph declared “the city’s on fire” with ire about the local NFL team’s struggles, I asked Keenum if he was feeling the heat.
In response to the question, Keenum looked me in the eye, paused and considered his options, in much the same manner he tends to hold the football a tick too long in the pocket before throwing.
“Obviously, there’s a bad taste and a bad feeling when you lose a game, let alone four,” Keenum said. “But I’m not dwelling on it, thatap in the past. There’s nothing I can do about it. A lot of people can talk about it, and I’m going to choose not to. I’m going to move forward, because we can do something about this Thursday (against) the .”
Despite what his league-worst eight interceptions might suggest, Keenum tends to be careful to a fault. He’s smart enough to avoid fights impossible to win. Unlike Orton, he won’t let disgruntled fans rattle him. Keenum, however, has no swag. After watching him get outplayed by and Patrick Mahomes, isn’t it fair to ask if the Broncos are still stuck with the fourth-best quarterback in the AFC West?
Anyone who analyzed his previous six seasons rather than get fixated on one miracle throw in Minnesota knows Keenum is a decidedly average NFL signal-caller. Maybe the comparison to another pedestrian pro QB that got run out of Denver is more than apples and Ortons.
While holding down a job in the league from 2005-14, Orton started 82 games. His record was 42-40. He completed 59.5 percent of his passes, threw 101 touchdowns and 69 interceptions, for a quarterback rating of 81.2. Stir it together, and you have something as unremarkable as butterscotch pudding.
Since fighting his way on the roster as an undrafted free agent in 2012, Keenum has started 44 NFL games. His record is 22-22. He has completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 53 touchdowns and 35 interceptions, for a quarterback rating of 85.1. He is the same QB from next door as most of the signal-callers that Elway has fallen in love as a general manager, from to .
And thatap a real problem in Denver, where fans have been spoiled by watching championships won on the field by Elway and , whose talent and personalities were bigger than the Rocky Mountains.
When Elway signed Keenum as a free agent back in March, he insisted: “We got our guy, the guy that was our target.”
Well, there’s certainly a bright orange bull’s-eye painted on Keenum’s jersey now.
And I’m pretty certain Elway’s guy was actually , the quarterback from Southern Cal that the nabbed No. 3 overall in the April, when the Broncos were unable to trade up in the draft.
Keenum has already lost to Darnold in 2018.
If he can’t beat Rosen, Keenum might as well grow a neck beard and wait for the chants to run him out of Denver.
