Drew Lock Shares Perfect Advice from Backup QB Brett Rypien: 'Let The Big Plays Come'
"Coach Brett Rypien" is an inevitable future title for the current Denver Broncos backup quarterback.
Rypien, the nephew of former Washington QB Mark Rypien, entered the NFL as the classic Boise State product known for his smarts and leadership capabilities. He's the cerebral type (similar to Trevor Siemian) who dissects defenses with his mind, not his arm, qualities that make him an ideal No. 2 at the professional level.
And an even better boon to Broncos starter Drew Lock. Rypien is the check to Lock's balance, the brains to the brawn, the voice of reason in an echo chamber of emotion.
You might have noticed a different Lock in Sunday's win over Carolina — a poised passer who took what the defense gave him to patiently set up the deep shots — but you never would have guessed it was a direct byproduct of Rypien's expert mentorship.
"It was just about me coming in and doing my job. Knowing that if I just play my game and let it come to me, then the big ones will come," Lock told reporters after the game. "'Ryp' tells it to me every single week. He goes, 'Hey, you're a special player. But do your job here these first couple quarters, maybe in the third quarter the big play needs to be there and you're good enough to make the big play. Make it when it's there. Check these balls down if it's not there. If it eats you up or you know it's going to be a close one, if you try to press something, get it down.' Shula and Shurmur were obviously stressing that to me throughout the week and we worked on it in practice. In my opinion, it's just me starting to feel things and seeing it and knowing where to get the ball when it's just not perfect."
In arguably his best game to date, Lock went 21-of-27 (77.7%) for 280 yards, a career-high four touchdowns, and zero interceptions, logging a near-perfect QB rating of 149.5. He completed throws to eight different receivers, including four apiece to tight ends Troy Fumagalli and Nick Vannett and three to running back Melvin Gordon.
There was no hero ball to be found as Lock eschewed tight-window and double-coverage attempts for high-percentage completions. Denver tallied 365 total yards and 23 first downs on 58 plays, with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur balancing air and land strikes.
The short chain-movers enabled Lock's two long, highlight-reel scores to rookie WR K.J. Hamler, who hit pay dirt from 37 and 49 yards, toasting Panthers cornerback Rasul Douglas in the process.
Lock credited Shurmur and QB coach Mike Shula for devising a game plan that exploited Carolina's deficiencies. But underlying the Week 14 hit was a ghostwriter whose attribution is just as noteworthy.
"You've got to be honest. Me and him have grown a relationship over this almost-two-years now at the end of this year. We became close very quickly and it's just developed into a relationship where he feels like he can tell me anything and I can tell him anything," Lock said of his "bottom-line honest" relationship with Rypien. "Whether that's my bone-head thought process and he gets to fix it, or it's that my thought process is a little different and he ends up agreeing with me sometimes. It's been an awesome development of a relationship. I owe a lot to that guy and him keeping me in a nice mental state. Especially of others at home. Mental state is a tough thing to fight, and being able to talk to friends back home, talk to my buddies (inaudible). Even the coaches, even Coach Shula, I just appreciate everyone and all the work that's been put into me and everyone going to bat for me this week."
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