Elway on Drew Lock's Conduct in Wake of his Consequential Mask-Wearing Indiscretion: 'He's Done a Nice Job'
Since the NFL's momentous decision to handle the mask-wearing indiscretions of Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles in a punitive way, the Denver Broncos have been trying to put the embarrassing episode behind them.
Lock released a statement on Sunday as the Broncos prepared to take on the New Orleans Saints without an available quarterback and has since addressed the issue from the virtual podium after he was approved to return to the building upon negative tests for COVID-19. Lock took ownership of the faux pas, which was unbelievably consequential for the Broncos as a team thanks to the NFL's overzealous handling of it, and vowed to be better.
Even Lock's mom got in on the discussion, publicly lambasting the NFL for its "shame'-ful response in which her son and the Broncos were ham-handedly used as a tool to scare the other 31 teams straight on COVID-19 protocols. Head coach Vic Fangio, immediately following Sunday's 31-3 loss to the Saints, made clear his "disappointment" in Lock and his fellow QBs and has since issued a fine to the trio of signal-callers.
We've even heard from team President and CEO Joe Ellis on the subject who was loath to "point the finger" and mostly complimented the Broncos' players and coaches for accepting Week 12's challenge and doing the best they could in an impossible situation. What about GM John Elway, though?
For the first time since the proverbial excrement hit the fan, Elway addressed the issue and Lock's overall handling of the aftermath.
“I think that he’s done a nice job in the way that he’s answered all the questions," Elway told Phil Milani of the team site. "And obviously, there’s probably nobody more disappointed about it than him, as well as all the quarterbacks. They realize the situation that they didn’t handle [it] right, and it cost not only them but it cost our football team, too, so I think that’s punishment enough for those guys. They realize that and hopefully we can put that behind us and come out and play better this week.”
The 2020 season has produced more questions about Lock than answers and after last week's firestorm, there are many in the media and fanbase who now doubt the second-year QB's wherewithal to fulfill the team's hope of becoming the future franchise guy. Elway, however, has stood adamantly behind Lock through this roller-coaster season and said last week (just before the mask-wearing incident) that he's "excited" about the quarterback.
"Obviously, when you’re going through it as a young quarterback, you’re going to see a lot of different things, a lot of different looks," Elway said. "Defensive coordinators know when they’ve got a young quarterback and try to confuse them. So I think he’s done a heck of a job going through that. Every snap he takes this year, he’s going to continue to get better. It’s just going to help him in the future.”
With five games left to go, pressure is mounting on Lock to produce better results. One of the collateral tragedies of Week 12's drama was that he had built up some real momentum by knocking off the red-hot Miami Dolphins the game prior, producing easily his most consistent performance of the season.
In the face of this adversity, it won't be easy for Lock to get that momentum back, especially in having to face off against his nemesis at Arrowhead Stadium. Starting this week vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, Elway wants to see Lock — and the team — play more consistently and produce a full 60-minute game.
“I think we’re all hoping that we can continue to try to play better than we are," Elway said this week. "I think that’s the key thing is—play a little more consistent... To be able to try to put a full four quarters together this week would be great.”
It won't be easy. But the time of Lock taking one step forward and two steps back, while still being afforded the benefit of the doubt, might be over. The NFL, after all, is a production-based business and at some point, a young quarterback — if he's going to stick — has to produce the requisite results.
Consistency is the name of the game for the Broncos, at least in Elway's estimation, as the front office evaluates what it has heading into 2021 — both at the personnel and coaching level. A shocking upset win over the Chiefs, and snapping their bitter Division foe's 10-game winning streak over them, would have miraculous effects on the Broncos' confidence as a team.
Lock was drafted to compete with and beat the Chiefs. He hasn't even sniffed either expectation. But if he could pull off the improbable, after a week like the one he had last, I can only imagine the shot in the arm he'd get as a QB to punctuate this season down the stretch with a positive, confidence-inducing statement to the front office, media, and fanbase.
“I think anytime you can go in and compete and if you get out of there with a win against a team like that, all it would do is bolster our confidence and be a good win for our young team," Elway said of the Chiefs.
Don't hold your breath. But then again, it is the NFL. Stranger things have happened.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
