Coach Fangio Provides Update on Broncos' QB Drew Lock's Offseason
In the wake of Drew Lock’s successful 4-1 rookie audition for the Denver Broncos, the brass moved onto an important offseason with high hopes that he was indeed 'the guy' to solve the team's issues behind center.
Lock took it upon himself to initiate plans to hold inspired throwing sessions with his young group of receivers — as inspired and directed by Peyton Manning. Lock has at multiple points during this offseason had hours-long brain-storming sessions with the NFL's only five-time MVP.
Subsequently, the considerable fall-out and restrictions stemming from the viral outbreak wracking the country have meant a wholesale stall on such planned events for the Broncos' new franchise leader. Even head coach Vic Fangio has been limited to phone calls to check in on how Lock is handling the lockdown.
“He’s doing well," Fangio said on Wednesday in a Skype chat via the team site. "He’s finding a way to throw the ball some and get his workouts in."
Just like the majority of people at the moment, Lock finds himself stuck and waiting things out — at his parents’ home near Kansas City. He had planned to originally split his offseason time between the gym facilities in Denver, owned by Broncos' Strength and Conditioning Coach Loren Landow, with stretches spent back in Kansas city, where he had organized to workout with trusted friend and personal trainer Austin Pace.
Across the country, NFL players are struggling to find gym facilities in the wake of the league mandating all team headquarters be closed until April 8. What has become clear is that the Broncos simply have to trust that their players can find ways around the restrictions with individual precautions and responsibilities firmly in mind.
As it relates to the team's new QB, Coach Fangio awaits the return of Lock once the virus restrictions are eased.
“We’re anxious to get him back in here," Fangio said. "We know it won’t be any time soon."
In the current atmosphere of the unknown, it’s difficult to remain upbeat, but it’s almost a necessity to stress the positive side of things in order to get through the current crisis. For Fangio and the Broncos, the desire to get Lock back in the building to continue his development, for now at least, has to be tempered with cooler heads and a large amount of patience.
What is more difficult to disguise is just how high Fangio and the whole Broncos organization are on their 23-year-old signal-caller one year removed from calling his name at pick 42 in the draft.
“We’re fired up to have Drew,” Fangio said.
Starkly, it all serves to mark a massive contrast to how successive head coaches have felt since Manning hung up his cleats. Fangio’s recent conversations with Lock will have settled his nerves greatly, encouraging him that his future franchise poster boy is keeping warm in the bullpen during the league-wide shutdown.
When the lights do eventually get turned back on after the unusual offseason of unprecedented trials and tribulations, it could prove to be yet another valuable life experience for Lock, who recently had a message of optimism and gratitude for health-care workers the world over.
It will be of the utmost importance for Denver to hit the ground running when it can get back into its own facilities. That’s when the coaches can really get dive into the grind with Lock and his teammates, thus making up for any lost time.
In the meantime, it seems that Fangio is confident that Lock is understanding his responsibilities and ticking over his powerful arm while he awaits his return to organized team activities, not simply gorging on Netflix series like the rest of us are at the moment.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
