Packers writer identifies underrated storyline heading into first preseason game
The Cincinnati Bengals are Green Bay's preseason Week 1 opponent and as such, they're the first preseason opponent of the Jordan Love era in Green Bay.
Half of the fun of preseason NFL football is the storylines, and Bill Huber of Packer Central found one of the more underrated storylines of this week while watching joint practices between the Bengals and Green Bay Packers.
Joe Burrow is obviously the Bengals' starter, but Trevor Siemian is on Cincy's depth chart. Siemian, much like Love, was once asked to replace a Hall of Fame quarterback. The year after Peyton Manning led the Broncos to a Super Bowl win and retired, Siemian was supposed to be the guy who replaced him.
It didn't work out in Denver, obviously, but it afforded Siemian a unique perspective on what Love is going through in Green Bay years later. Interestingly enough, at least from how Siemian views it, he doesn't think Love will view it as the pressure cooker many fans and pundits seem to think it could be.
“I don’t think I thought about it too much, but it was easy for me. I wasn’t trying to be Peyton Manning; I had no shot at doing that. I was fortunate to be around some really good coaches and a good team. So, for me, it was easy. I wasn’t trying to be Peyton," Siemian said, per Huber. "I don’t care if you’re playing quarterback or long snapper. At a certain point, you’ve got to relish the competitive nature of the league."
It's worth noting that expectations at quarterback were similar in Denver as they are in Green Bay. After all, the Broncos are the franchise of John Elway.
With that said, there are some differences in Green Bay. Mainly the fact that there was a period of major "downtime" between Elway and Manning in Denver.
Love has the unenviable task of replacing future Hall of Famer Jordan Love, who replaced a certified Hall of Famer himself, Brett Favre.
The chances Green Bay has back-to-back-to-back MVP-level quarterbacks are slim to almost done, but it is cool to see that Siemian is hoping Love will be able to pull it off.
"I think he’s in a good spot, so I’m excited to watch him play," Siemian said of Love. "There’s going to be some bad reps sprinkled in and, hopefully, he learns and grows from them.”
More must-reads: