ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Gary Kubiak trusts Trevor Siemian has both the physical toughness and the mental tenacity to lead the Denver Broncos down the stretch.That much was clear this week when Siemian received a second cortisone shot in his ailing left shoulder along with a vote of confidence from his coach.Like a kid playing Whac-A-Mole at an arcade, Kubiak seemingly has spent the whole season hammering away at rumors of another quarterback controversy in Denver:-No, Paxton Lynch isnt going to be under center for the homestretch that includes two games against Kansas City, one against Oakland and another against rival New England.-No, Kubiak has never wavered on Siemian, who won the job as Peyton Mannings successor over trade acquisition Mark Sanchez and Lynch, the teams first-round draft pick.-Yes, he expects much, much more of his QB who has earned GM John Elways praise for going 7-2 as the starter.I want Trevor to play big. I dont want Trevor to play OK or good, Kubiak said.Elway said Tuesday hes pleased with the teams record and also expects the Broncos to go on another post-bye roll.I think we would take it if you said at Week 10 wed be 7-3 with whats happened, Elway said. We havent played our best football yet, which I think is the encouraging thing.But weve played hard week in and week out, and so Im excited about our possibilities and what we can do. I know that the schedule is a tough schedule from here on out, but thats what happens when you win the division. But were excited about it.We feel like we can get better on the offensive side. We have room for improvement there. Weve figured out ways to win. Thats what you have to do. Were excited about the last six.Siemian said he relishes the rising expectations.Kube expects a lot out of me. I expect a lot out myself truthfully, Siemian said.To do that, he knows he has to stay upright.Siemian took a beating in Denvers 25-23 win at New Orleans on Sunday when he was sacked six times, hit on 11 other drop-backs and tackled on three runs. Thats an agonizing total of 20 shots on that sore left shoulder thats bothered him since it was driven to the turf in Tampa on Oct. 2, forcing him to sit out the next six quarters.Hes beat up. He took a lot of shots, Kubiak said. Some of them he has to take responsibility for. We have to make sure that hes stepping up in the pocket.Aside from the dazzling defensive 2-point conversion that won it, the takeaway image from the Superdome was Siemian on his back, his arms outstretched toward the roof in celebration after getting hammered while throwing a touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas.The reason he does make a lot of plays is because he will sit in there and get hit right in the mouth and make a play. That is a great characteristic of a quarterback because you have to do that sometimes, Kubiak said.Kubiak then added this caveat: Siemian needs to protect himself better. This, even though five of the sacks and both of Siemians interceptions Sunday came on four-man rushes, meaning the Broncos had the blockers, but still couldnt protect the passer properly.Right now, sometimes his depth is bad in the shotgun, Kubiak said. Its something weve got to work on. When its good, hes stepping up. Sometimes hes drifting and getting hit when he shouldnt be getting hit.He gets on the road, gets loud, you get in the gun, you start getting away from the center a little too far and now all of a sudden youre back there hitting 11 yards. Were not going to protect you if youre doing that. Its just something that we have to improve with him.That was Kubiak defending his beleaguered lineman, something hes willing to do because hes as much assured in Siemians psychological doggedness as he is in his physical toughness.The bye week will provide the coaching staff the opportunity to reconfigure Siemians pocket of protection.Ty Sambrailo replaced an ineffective Donald Stephenson at right guard midway through the game Sunday, when the Broncos broke out of a prolonged funk and had zero three-and-outs in a dozen drives.Kubiak said Tuesday that Sambrailo deserves to play a lot more football.Like a seasoned veteran, Siemian placed plenty of the blame for his aches and pains on his battered shoulders.A lot of times Im holding the ball too long and I get what I deserve in that sense, Siemian said.He said this five-day furlough that begins Wednesday is all about letting his battered body heal.Yeah, a lot of rest, Siemian said. Wont be doing much bench press this week.Hell be doing the heavy lifting soon enough.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Will Harris Lions Jersey . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Barry Sanders Jersey . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. http://www.authenticnfllionslockroom.com/Youth-Kenny-Golladay-Elite-Jersey/ . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. T.J. Hockenson Jersey . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Jahlani Tavai Womens Jersey . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Lauren Jackson and Seattle had never gotten a chance to say goodbye to each other.When Jackson last walked off the KeyArena court four years ago, her tying 3-pointer had just helped the Seattle Storm beat the Minnesota Lynx in overtime in Game 2 of their playoff series. At that point, Seattle fans were hoping to see Jackson the following week in the Western Conference finals. Alas, the Storm lost the deciding Game 3 in Minnesota when Jackson missed at the buzzer, and a series of injuries prevented her from returning to the WNBA -- or to Seattle.In March, Jackson announced her retirement, concluding one of the most impressive careers in womens basketball history. And on Friday night, after beating the Washington Mystics 80-51, the Storm finally got a chance to honor Jackson for the WNBA portion of that career spent entirely in Seattle. In an emotional ceremony at turns funny and poignant, Jacksons No. 15 jersey became the first retired by the Storm.I think its great for everybody to have a chance to say goodbye to Lauren, said Seattle head coach Jenny Boucek, an assistant coach for the Storm through much of Jacksons career. I know thats something that weve all wanted to do since we knew that she wasnt going to be able to come back and play.Jackson hadnt so much as been in Seattle since 2012, though it didnt seem that long to her.Its funny, she said. It feels like I havent been gone at all. It doesnt feel like its been four years. It doesnt even feel like a couple days. It just feels like Ive been here the whole time and I havent. I have to keep reminding myself that its been awhile.She got one such reminder before the game, when a young fan Jackson remembered attending games during her playing days came up to get a photo -- and is now a teenager.Four years also had passed since Jackson had seen Sue Bird, her teammate from her second season through the end of her career who developed into one of her closest friends. Because they figured theyd see each other soon, Bird and Jackson couldnt even specifically recall saying goodbye the last time they were together.From the moment Bird greeted Jackson at Sea-Tac International Airport on Wednesday, however, the two picked up right where they left off -- recalling the memories they shared over 11 years together, on and off the court.Shes been staying in my house, so weve been able to hang out, which has been good, Bird said before the game. In some ways, you do start to think back, and of course were reminiscing and thinking about nights out, games, you name it. But at the same time, its as if we didnt miss a beat. We picked up right wwhere we left off.dddddddddddd Havent gotten emotional just yet, but I kind of foresee that happening.Bird was right. While a group of dignitaries including Boucek, former Storm president and CEO Karen Bryant and co-owner Lisa Brummel paid tribute to Jacksons greatness as a performer, her legendary competitiveness on the court and her kindness off it, it was Bird who stole the show with a lengthy speech that ran the emotional gamut.At times, Bird roasted her friend, joking about the rite of passage that Storm teammates experienced of getting yelled at by Jackson for not passing her the ball, and noting that Jackson famously mistook Bird for teammate Adia Barnes during her first training camp. But Bird turned serious in the end, lamenting the fact that Jackson was watching from the sideline while she was putting up 12 points and seven assists Friday playing with a new generation of Storm No. 1 picks (Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart).There are definitely days, said Bird, unsuccessfully fighting back tears, where I miss you and I wish you could still be doing this with me.I really do wish she was still playing with me, Bird told media afterward.I wish I was still playing, too, Jackson quietly rejoined.That fact was the bittersweet backdrop to Fridays ceremony. At 35 -- seven months younger than Bird -- Jackson should still be going strong. Her combination of size and shooting ability figured to allow her to remain effective deep into her 30s -- but Jacksons body broke down before she got the chance.I think the closure in itself is a sad thing, she said. At least I got to come back.Jackson also got the opportunity to say thank you to the organization and fans in a brief speech before her jersey was unveiled in the KeyArena rafters, joining the two championship banners from 2004 and 2010 she helped hang.And ultimately, Friday night was more about what Jackson accomplished during her 12 years with the Storm -- the two titles, three MVP awards, seven All-WNBA First Team selections and a spot on the recent WNBA 20@20 list of the greatest players in the leagues two decades of existence -- than what more her injuries prevented her from achieving.Predictably, Bird summed it up best.How things had to end hurts me, she said. I know it hurts you and it hurts me as well. I just want you to know that what you did here, what you did for me, what you did for all these people ... I know it didnt end the way you wanted, but dont let that change all that you did here. ' ' '