ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- For any NFL quarterback, the alpha of athletic alphas, there seems to be two sides to master.

There’s simply having the job, being the guy out front, the face of criticism or praise, the one who must carry expectations, hopes and then answer for the results. And there’s doing the job, the actual Xs and Os, making the right decisions in real time against defenses constructed to try to make you fail.

And in his first year as the guy who followed Peyton Manning into the Broncos’ huddle, Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian has shown he has what it takes to have the job, that combination of unshakable confidence, level head and late-game chops to be the quarterback for a team constructed by a Hall of Fame quarterback and coached by a former NFL quarterback. Siemian has had moments when he looks to be everything an NFL starter needs to be and he’s had moments when he has felt the sting of the growing pains.

But one of the biggest things the Broncos like about Siemian is he has shown the mental toughness to be the quarterback for a team with plenty of expectations, with a fan base with plenty of expectations, and be the quarterback who works for two former quarterbacks in John Elway and Gary Kubiak.

And that’s no small matter, especially because, as former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer has said, "Being a quarterback is hard in the league, being the Denver Broncos' quarterback, man, you can’t really get ready for that until you do it." Not that Siemian would let those thoughts creep too far into his day.

“I don’t really worry about those kinds of things,” Siemian said. “I feel like we’ve got a lot to do each week and I’m just trying to get better.”

The Broncos like the mental toughness Trevor Siemian has shown this season and see room for improvement on other aspects of his development. Eric Bakke/AP Photo

And then there’s doing the job. To that end, Kubiak and his staff sent each of the team’s players into this week’s bye with a specific set of directives. Each player was given, in a series of meetings Tuesday, a specific breakdown of his work over the season’s first 10 weeks, the good and the not so good.

That included Siemian, whose directive from Kubiak included that Siemian needed “to play big” the rest of the way and that Kubiak wants Siemian “to be great fast.”

“We tried to present to the players [Tuesday] -- ‘Here are some things that you do well and here are some things that we don’t do well. As coaches, we have to improve it and you have to improve it.’ They’re walking out of here on their break knowing where they stand.”

The Broncos are 7-2 in Siemian’s starts. He missed one start because of a left shoulder injury. He has one 300-yard passing game and has shown plenty of late-game chops. The Broncos lead the league with 116 points in fourth quarter of games and are one of just two teams with a winning record to have topped 80 points.

And before his left shoulder injury in Week 4, Siemian showed his potential, completing just over 67 percent of his passes with six touchdown passes in 14 quarters. However, while the Broncos understand what the injury has meant, they are not happy with a recent cluster of turnovers, including a lost fumble and three interceptions in the last two games, and have tried to determine what are simply mistakes and what might be a result of the injury.

“Things just not seeing them right or feeling a little pressure and getting the ball out a little early, it’s different every time,” Siemian said. “No doubt have to take care of the ball. ... I’ve coughed it up last two weeks, so you can’t do that.”

Along with his composure overall, Kubiak likes Siemian’s willingness to hang in to make a play -- he called it “great” -- but it’s also clear Siemian’s play has suffered at times with the left shoulder injury he suffered in Week 4 and some of the hits he has taken on the shoulder since. Still, Kubiak has gone as far as to say that “even when you’re getting hit, you’re still in charge of the football.”

“I think a lot of it is on me,” Siemian said. “A lot of times I’m holding the ball for too long. I get what I deserve in that sense, but it’s a team deal and a team effort. It’s an 11-man operation."

“I want Trevor to play at the highest level he can possibly play at down the stretch because that’s important for our team,” Kubiak said. “ ... It’s time to be at your best. That’s what we’re trying to get to.”