What should the expectations be for Joe Flacco’s preseason debut with the Denver Broncos? What do we want to see from the veteran QB?
The Denver Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night in what is ‘officially’ week one of the NFL preseason for everyone else, but it’s the second preseason game already for the Broncos.
This game will mark the preseason debut of starting quarterback Joe Flacco, and pretty much no one in Broncos Country knows what a fair level of expectation is at this point.
Everyone’s expectations have been reset after four years of Peyton Manning followed by:
- Trevor Siemian
- Mark Sanchez
- Paxton Lynch
- Case Keenum
With so much poor quarterback play in recent years, what are we supposed to expect from Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP?
Personally, I think expectations should be high. Flacco was handed the starting job, and perhaps rightfully so. He has a ton of experience, is tested in the playoffs, and has a proven track record of playing well in the type of offense Rich Scangarello is calling.
Fair or not, here are a few expectations I have for Flacco in his preseason debut.
- No three-and-outs
- Take a shot (or two)
- Score
I don’t think those are unfair expectations. I want to see Flacco and the offense move the ball, and of course, you want to see your team score every time they have the ball, but they might play a series or two in this game. I don’t want them to stall out on the first drive they have and I don’t want to see them struggle to move the ball.
I realize they’re going to be working through some things and they’re still getting chemistry down, but at this point in the offseason program, Flacco should have a good enough grip on the offense to move the ball downfield in preseason action.
Ideally, the Broncos would march all the way down the field with a methodical drive and score a touchdown. That’s what I want to happen in Flacco’s debut. Wouldn’t that go a long way toward establishing some solid confidence from the fan base?
Not everyone gets to see the good things happening at training camp. Not everyone has faith in Flacco because he’s proven himself to be quite average in recent years.
Although it’s ‘just’ preseason action, Flacco has to prove to all of Broncos Country that he’s a guy we can put some stock into for this season. That seems like a lot to ask of a first preseason game, but you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.