ENGLEWOOD | Case Keenum has a simple answer for the reason why none of his passes were intercepted in November after throwing picks in each of his first eight games as the Denver Broncos’ new quarterback.
“I’m throwing it to our guys, not throwing it to the other team,” Keenum said. “Who knew?”
It’s actually more than just Keenum being more careful with the football.
“I just think he’s getting comfortable with the system,” receiver Emmanuel Sanders said.
Denver’s makeshift offensive line, featuring two tackles playing guard and a guard at center, deserves some credit. So does offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, who’s navigated through a revolving door at tight end, the loss of leader Demaryius Thomas and youthful errors at receiver to refine his play calls for Keenum.
Left tackle Garett Bolles has settled into his role as Keenum’s blindside protector and rookie running back Phillip Lindsay’s remarkable season has helped highlight the play-action passes that Keenum favors.
It took a lot longer for Keenum to adjust to his new role, new team and new offense than the Broncos (5-6) hoped.
He threw three interceptions in his Denver debut and then strung together seven more games with an interception, a worrisome stat given that he had just seven interceptions in leading the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC championship game last year after Sam Bradford got hurt.
Keenum said he’s “just being smarter with the ball. It’s something I do. That’s why early on in the season I was frustrated. It’s tough. That’s something I pride myself on as a quarterback, giving our team a chance to win and not being the reason that we aren’t winning. Turnovers in this league is probably the biggest stat that really matters.”
The Broncos, who will play on the road against the Bengals (5-6) next, allowed a whopping 1,006 yards the last two weeks but they ended six-game winning streaks by the Chargers and Steelers because they collected seven takeaways and had zero turnovers.
While Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. and Shelby Harris were getting all the accolades for their interceptions, Keenum was quietly taking care of the football.
Ball security, Keenum said, is “something I think about every day. Every decision I make, I know the ball is the most important thing on the field. I’ve got it in my hands every play, so I know every decision I make is that important.
“That’s why I grind, that’s why I work, and we’ve gotten better across the board — offensive line, running backs and receivers,” Keenum said. “We’re all on the same page, getting better, working each week and communicating. We feel better with the offense and it’s just a lot of different things, a lot of factors.”
Keenum said the learning curve at quarterback in the NFL is infinite.
“Do I feel a lot better than I did at training camp? Heck, yeah,” Keenum said. “I think we’re light years ahead of where we were then. But at the same time, I still feel like we have a long way to go.”
