Drew Lock Resolves to Keep Targeting Slumping WR Jerry Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy’s particularly bad day at the office on Sunday will live long in the collective memory of Broncos Country. Being credited with five drops is actually being kind to the Denver Broncos' rookie, as it was more like seven, with each one increasingly damaging as the game progressed.
The Broncos fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 19-16 but it was another the team should have won. Denver let it slip into the loss column and Jeudy is bound to feel the white-hot heat of criticism for his repeated gaffs.
QB Drew Lock knows that feeling all too well as he has frequently carried the brunt for the Broncos' failings. Lock showed considerable leadership skills for one so young by offering some heartfelt advice to his rookie receiver post-game.
“I told him your one of the most talented guys I’ve ever been around and you’re one of the most talented guys in this league,” Lock said. “You’re going to play for a really long time and you’re going to have days like this because of how good you are and how many chances you’re going to go and catch the ball, you have to let it go.”
Broncos Country is far less likely to let it go as once again a high-profile player failed to deliver on his abundant talents. While it’s far too early to brand Jeudy a draft bust, his 'feed me the ball' demands on social media can only set him up for a fall when he fails to deliver at the magnitude he did in L.A.
Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and Lock looked Jeudy's way a whopping 15 times on Sunday and the rookie was undoubtedly found wanting. That said, Lock was rock-solid in his determination to continue looking Jeudy's way despite his butterfingers.
Keeping him dialed into the offense is what Lock is focused on so that Jeudy's bruised confidence can be restored as quickly as possible.
“I’m going to keep giving him the ball and when the ball gets his way, just make the play—make the next one, it’s all about the next play,” Lock said. “He’s going to learn that, and he learned that tonight. I’m excited to see where he takes it from here and I know he’s going to be a great one for us.”
The only positive one can really draw from the Broncos' 10th defeat of the season, apart from a better spot in the draft, is how Lock's leadership is coming to the fore. He has displayed genuine compassion towards his teammates and that hand-up support was certainly not lost on the devastated Jeudy when he bravely faced the media post-game.
“Drew is a great teammate. He always says the right thing to keep his guys going and motivated,” Jeudy said. “That’s a big deal. After he told me that, I told myself just keep pushing, keep playing. Drops will happen—it happens to some of the best—I can’t just dwell on this. I’ve just got to find ways to fix it.”
Maintaining the big picture has proved increasingly difficult as the losses have mounted, but Lock’s emerging maturity and ability to hold the locker room together have rapidly become the single biggest positive for the future.
Jeudy’s prodigious talents will come through the momentary challenge that currently confronts him. And when the time comes, Jeudy is unlikely to forget how his QB closed ranks around him in his moment of crisis.
The first-round rookie needs to grow up rapidly, and most certainly drop the social media routine, so he can smash through the glass ceiling in the manner that his skills dictate he should. Lock is hanging tough with Jeudy, and in the process is showing his teammate what genuine leadership and loyalty look like.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
