Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Drew Lock Credits his 10-Week Exile on IR as a 'Blessing in Disguise'
On Monday, Denver Broncos GM John Elway’s end-of-season press conference offered up little in the way of surprises. Thankfully, we learned that some much-needed continuity will be provided with head coach Vic Fangio staying on for year two, along with his three coordinators.
The Broncos will also benefit from the quarterback position finally serving as a source of hope rather than desperation heading into the offseason. Elway was coy when it came to the QB topic, but make no mistake, Drew Lock is now undoubtedly the Broncos starter for next season.
“I don’t see any options right now," Elway said. "Obviously, he finished and did a heck of a job and won four out of five games and played well, but he still has a long way to go. He has a lot of work to do. We’re excited about where Drew is. [I] don’t like to show our hand, but I think it’s unrealistic to say that we’re going a different direction.”
By stringing together some late-season wins, Lock has re-energized the whole Broncos organization but it only tells us part of his story so far. Many young prospects enter the NFL with an outstanding natural skill-set that sets them up for success.
However, to make it at the next level requires a different level of humble dedication that often proves beyond the grasp of the younger and perhaps more selfish individuals entering the league.
In the case of the Broncos' new QB sensation, it was an injury layoff that gave him the edge and vital time to develop the mental attributes that are required to be a productive starting QB in the NFL. Lock revealed how he felt about his 10-week exile on injured reserve. It was a blessing in disguise.
"I thought I fought through enough stuff at Missouri that I was going to be ready to get into the NFL, and sure enough, I had one more little hitch in the road where I had to bounce back mentally, keep ready and figure out the game of football at this level from an Xs and Os standpoint at my own pace when I was on IR," Lock said on Sunday. "Sure enough, [my] number got called, I felt I was mentally and physically ready and I wouldn’t have been without being able to be on that IR, which ended up being a blessing in disguise for my journey here as a quarterback in the NFL.”
Bringing Lock along more slowly drew some heavy criticism earlier in the season when the Broncos were struggling and hurting at QB. What Lock did manage to prove throughout the extended process was that he had the necessary self-motivation and application to learn his craft while he was sidelined, which eventually paid heavy dividends.
In addition to remaining upbeat by focusing his mind on his studies, the QB broke things up into smaller, more manageable pieces of information. Sometimes rookies can be overloaded with so much minutia that it swamps them. But Lock was keen to do things his own way and on his own time, which has benefitted both him and the Broncos.
“When I was in the VR room, I got to think about certain things that I wanted to think about instead of ‘okay, they are going to play this coverage on this down’,” Lock said. “I could create my own plan and go ahead instead of having to worry about all those big-picture other things.”
Attention to detail and preparation, when added to natural talent, has seen Lock get off to a winning NFL start. Another offseason of further dedication to expanding his knowledge, perhaps even under the guidance of Peyton Manning, it could result in the sky being the limit for the Broncos' young QB of the future.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
