The last thing any NFL coach wants is chaos at quarterback. For six consecutive months, from a sad November afternoon when booing chased an injured Peyton Manning to the Denver bench, Gary Kubiak has faced the same critical question nearly every single day: Who’s the starting quarterback for the Broncos?

Through it all, Kubiak has been the master of the chaos.

So I had to ask: What has allowed him to be so comfortable during the constant uncertainty at quarterback?

“Who said I was comfortable?” Kubiak joked.

Yes, it’s easier to laugh when the gemstones are being set in Super Bowl rings and an invitation to the White House to celebrate the NFL champs is in the mail.

But here’s something important that deserves to be underscored: Kubiak is the calm at the center of a quarterback controversy, where the names have changed to Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian, but the uncertainty at the most important position on the field remains the same for Denver.

In spring practices, Kubiak is doing something that would not be unusual on a college campus but is rarely seen on NFL practice fields: The coach is giving equal snaps and equal opportunity to the veteran Sanchez, top draft pick Lynch and darkhorse Siemian to win the starting job.

“The only way they can establish themselves and take a team over is if we somehow give them the opportunity to do that,” Kubiak said. “As a coach, if you go making decisions before they ever step on the field and don’t give them an equal opportunity to prove themselves — I don’t believe in that.”

There’s a method to Kubiak’s madness, and there’s more at work here than the crazy notion of an NFL coach actually meaning it when he says a position as crucial as quarterback really is an open competition.

By rotating Sanchez, Lynch and Siemian, he is allowing members of the Broncos’ defense to decide which quarterback is best. Yes, the ultimate choice belongs to Kubiak. But, in some measure, he also has turned this quarterback competition into a reality show, with cornerback Aqib Talib and all the other big personalities on Denver’s for-the-ages defense serving as judges.

Ball don’t lie. Who is the real deal on the field? Players know. They see it, sense it and accept it, often quicker than coaches and front-office executives who review video of practice.

In naming a starting quarterback for the season opener in September against Carolina, this is one aspect of Kubiak’s decision that should not be overlooked. The coach must sell his choice for starting quarterback to a locker room whose standard of excellence and dare-me feistiness is defined by Von Miller, Chris Harris, DeMarcus Ware and the other defenders who led Denver to a championship.

The disparity between defensive excellence and offensive ineptitude on the Broncos of last season would have torn apart many NFL locker rooms with finger-pointing. What held it together? The steady hand of Kubiak, the respect Manning commanded despite his shaky play and the willingness of defenders such as Harris to accept a punt by the offense as a good play. That stubborn commitment to team unity through adversity might be the most underrated aspect of the Broncos’ run to the Super Bowl.

“Our team never panicked,” said Kubiak, giving his players full credit. Unlike some NFL coaches, Kubiak does not give the impression he invented the game.

But the coach’s handling of a messy quarterback situation last season earned trust certain to serve him well with his players as the search for a new QB shakes out. “They know that we’ll get that worked out and the right guy will be in the huddle with them,” Kubiak said.

For six months, Kubiak has been through quarterback hell. He watched the living legend of Manning slowly disintegrate in front of his eyes. Kubiak pumped up Brock Osweiler, then benched him as the playoffs began and watched the heir apparent at quarterback bolt for Houston in free agency.

Kubiak’s list of chores is long. He must create confidence in Sanchez, whose NFL career has been defined by a butt fumble. He must nurture the learning curve of Lynch, who is talented but raw. He must sell the unconventional wisdom that Siemian really might give Denver the best chance to beat Cam Newton in the season opener.

From now until September, Broncos Country will voice strong opinions on whether Sanchez, Lynch or Siemian should start. The coach who ultimately must make the decision, however, will block out all the noise. Kubiak is the quarterback-whisperer.

Who’s the starting quarterback for the Broncos?

To find the correct answer, Kubiak is letting the NFL’s best defense tell him.

Smart man.