Stokley: ‘No more excuses’ for Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch
Jan 16, 2017, 12:00 AM | Updated: 8:57 am
In what The Fan’s Football Insider Cecil Lammey called a “power move,” Denver Broncos general manager John Elway not only tapped Mike McCoy as offensive coordinator but convinced Bill Musgrave to come on as the team’s quarterbacks coach.
McCoy, recently relieved of his duties as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers, was Denver’s offensive coordinator from 2009 to 2012.
In that time, McCoy coached Peyton Manning to an NFL Comeback Player of the year honor in 2012, while being the architect of a Tim Tebow-led offense that netted nearly 1,200 yards rushing and a playoff win in 2010.
Last season as Oakland’s offensive coordinator, Musgrave coached the Raiders to the No. 6 offense in the NFL, with quarterback Derek Carr among the MVP conversation for most of the year.
Musgrave also led the Raiders to the biggest offensive improvement in the NFL in yards per game (91.1) and scoring (10.2 points per game) in his two seasons calling plays.
So behind two worthy offensive minds, “C.J. and Stokley” co-host Brandon Stokley said quarterback Paxton Lynch has “no more excuses and no more explanations” if he doesn’t figure it out.
“It’s a tough transition from college to the NFL in the quarterback position, every position. How do you learn how to be a pro? Can you be a pro? And he didn’t know that last year. But that’s not his fault,” Stokley said. “That’s hard for any college player coming into the NFL. It took me a while to learn how to be a pro, but I figured it out. Can he figure it out? That’s the big question.”
Guest hosting with Stokley on Friday, Lammey agreed in regards to Lynch, saying the move to hire Musgrave and McCoy “put it all on his shoulders.”
“There are no more excuses for Paxton Lynch. He’s got to get it done now. He’s got to beat Trevor Siemian out this year, whether it’s at the start of the season or the middle of the season, whatever,” Lammey said. “You’ve got to show that you’re the first-round pick.”
But Lammey contends that, despite his struggles in his rookie campaign last season, Lynch is not a bust.
“The Broncos are doing their best to put a staff around him that will help him in that journey,” Lammey said.
In three games last season, including two starts in relief of the injured Siemian, Lynch threw for 497 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception with a 59.0 completion percentage.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.