Renck: Sanchez should be ‘worried’ with Siemian start vs. 49ers

Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, in a move expected by many, announced Thursday that second-year quarterback Trevor Siemian will start Saturday’s preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.

And that should worry veteran gunslinger Mark Sanchez, Denver 7 Broncos Insider Troy Renck told 104.3 The Fan’s Sandy Clough following the announcement.

“(Sanchez) thinks he’s in good position,” Renck, who sat down with the quarterback Wednesday, said. “If I’m Sanchez, though, probably I’d be a little worried because now the other guy has the pole position and has a chance to really make a statement going into what is clearly going to be the dress rehearsal game, Game 3.”

Renck said he believes both Siemian and Sanchez were “pretty even” in the team’s first preseason game against the Chicago Bears, and the veteran’s first drive was “really impressive.” But Sanchez took a hit with his one interception.

“It’s the turnovers that have hurt Mark Sanchez,” Sanchez said. “If you take out his interception against the Bears, you’re like, ‘Why isn’t he clearly in the lead?’ But he just can’t seem to pull away, and that interception was an indication of that.”

Sanchez’s experience (7 years) may give him the edge all things being equal, Renck said, but if it comes down to who the players want, it may be a close race.

“When I ask players who I trust that are out there in the arena, so to speak, it’s 50-50 on who they want to be their quarterback,” Renck said. “And so that tells me (Siemian) is showing something that we don’t always see, whether it’s composure in the huddle, at the line of scrimmage. He’s doing something they’re clearly reacting too, because no one has come up to me and said, ‘You know what, he’s not ready.’”

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