The last time the Panthers faced the Broncos, they at least knew they were playing Peyton Manning, even if he wasn’t Peyton Manning any longer.
This time, they don’t really know who Trevor Siemian is, and that worries them.
Via Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said the lack of familiarity with the new Broncos quarterback is a concern, a week away from their regular season opener.
“I’ll equate it to a baseball analogy where you get a first-time pitcher who’s always going to have more success early because people really don’t know his stuff as well,” McDermott said. “Whereas if you get him on tape and there’s more eyes on him, scouting reports, so on and so forth, then you get a little bit more familiar with him.”
That’s not just a function of the Panthers talking up an opponent. They’ve already realized the Broncos can beat them without much of a contribution from the quarterback. Manning was just 13-of-23 for 141 yards and an interception in last year’s Super Bowl, so Siemian doesn’t have a high bar to clear.
So when it’s time to study, they have three games of preseason tape to judge, which isn’t always the most reliable indicator.
“That’s the hard part, too,” McDermott said. “You’d love to have about three or four games in the regular season and say, ‘OK, we’ve got him in game five.’”
Instead, they have to plan for trends in Denver’s overall gameplan, which is simple but effective. But lest you feel too sorry for them, recall they get to open the season against Siemian’s Broncos, Blaine Gabbert’s 49ers and whoever-replaces-Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings, so they need to get used to the struggles of unknowns and backups.