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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. —** Paxton Lynch is disappointed, but he isn't discouraged.
It would be easy to let his resolve slip after Head Coach Vance Joseph announced that Trevor Siemian would be the starting quarterback, but Lynch doesn't plan to take a step back in the way he prepares or trains.
"I gave everything I had to go out there and win the job," Lynch said, "but at the end of the day, the coaches made a decision and now I'm at the point where I'm at. I've just got to prepare and be ready, because a lot of guys in this league are always one play away from getting in."
Even though he didn't come out the victor, Lynch can still hold his head high knowing the effort he put into the competition and the progress he saw in himself in the process.
"I'm very happy with how I handled myself through this whole process and how I'm progressing as a player," Lynch said. "I'm making the right strides, I'm heading in the right direction, so I'm very excited about that. I'm going to keep working to be the best player I can be, and whenever my number's called, I'm going to be ready to play."
One other thing Lynch wanted to make clear Monday was that the competition, though fierce, did not leave him with any hard feelings toward Siemian.
"In this business, obviously you're competing against each other for a job, but at the end of the day, y'all see each other more than you see anybody else so you spend time with these coaches, you spend time with these players more than you spend time with your own family, your own friends," Lynch said. "I think it's important to have a relationship with them not just on the football field but outside of it. I want it to be known that I'm here to help Trevor and help everybody else in doing what we need to do to win ball games."
With the conclusion of the competition, Lynch is turning to the future — both immediate and long term.
"I'm going to take every rep that I get, obviously, and value it even more at this point," Lynch said. "I just really want to continue to get better and not sit around and pout and be upset about this, because that's not going to make anything better. So I just want to come in day in and day out and just continue to get better."