Drew Lock's Two-Month Exile in Missouri Might Help Broncos' QB Springboard into 2020
Drew Lock is back in the Mile High City. After spending the better part of the last two months sequestered at his parents' house outside of Kansas City, Lock recently returned to Denver.
The storylines early in the year spoke of Lock seeking out Peyton Manning for advice on the best way to attack the offseason. Nutrition, workout habits, weight-lifting pointers, how and when to organize throwing sessions with his receivers — these were the topics the five-time NFL MVP dished on to Lock.
But with the viral lockdown that began at about the same time as colleges around the country traditionally hold their pro days, Lock was forced to table what he gleaned from Manning. Fast forward to today, and Lock has already begun working out with teammates and throwing with Broncos receivers.
With the Broncos' Phase One of their Offseason Training Progam being executed remotely via virtual online meeting platforms, Lock is doing what he can to make up for the lost time and opportunity to get reps on the field with his receivers. Adding to the obstacle Lock has faced is the reality that he's having to learn his second NFL offense in as many years.
Pat Shurmur's scheme might be considered quarterback-friendly, but it still requires a learning curve. A quarterback's NFL experience might help mitigate the peaks and valleys of that learning curve and with Lock entering Year 2, that's what OTAs and mini-camp were supposed to help him navigate.
The flipside to that is that the isolation of quarantine, if maximized wisely, offered up Lock, and all the offensive players, the ability to assimilate the playbook and play-calls with next-to-zero distractions. Only time will tell how well the young signal-caller used his time sequestered to learn but we'll know quite quickly once the 2020 season rolls around how comfortable he is at the line calling out plays and reading the field.
If his rookie track record is any indicator, odds are, Lock took the chance to focus on the playbook uninterrupted with gusto. After all, he went from a relative deer in the headlights during the first three preseason games last year to an 11-week exile on injured reserve.
And by the time he emerged back into daylight to take over starting duties in Week 13, Lock looked like a different quarterback. From a command and poise perspective, it was night and day.
Lock had clearly used the time away on IR to his advantage which helped him springboard forward once he got the green light to play down the stretch. The rest, as they say, is history.
While I wouldn't go so far as to call the quarantine a blessing in disguise at this point, I didn't think that Lock's time on IR last year was much of a boon, until I saw him out on the grid-iron among the live bullets. We'll know soon enough whether the same will hold true with this year's version of exile for Lock.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
