Broncos' QBs Coach/Pass Game Coordinator Klint Kubiak Praises Drew Lock's 'Arm Strength & Athleticism'
A couple of weeks ago, Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett hired former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak — son of former Super Bowl 50-winning head coach Gary Kubiak — as the team's new passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Well-versed in the new West Coast offensive scheme that Hackett wants to bring to town, the younger Kubiak should be a seamless fit for a coaching position that hasn’t exactly yielded the best results over the past five seasons.
The Broncos have been looking for a new face of the franchise at the quarterback position ever since Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset in 2016. Denver has spun the QB carousel faster than any three teams in that time span and has had a handful of QB coaches along the way. Nobody seemed to be the right fit
After a three-year stint as the QBs coach and offensive coordinator in Minnesota where he oversaw the production of one Kirk Cousins — a guy who threw 33 touchdown passes last season — Kubiak has a new challenge staring him directly in the face: trying to develop Drew Lock into a quality starter at the position.
And it’s one that Kubiak is looking forward to. For the first time, the Broncos' new QBs coach went on record about the team's enigmatic fourth-year signal-caller in a sit-down with Alexis Perry on the team website.
“Obviously, Drew Lock has a lot of talent, so I know he's been in and out of the lineup. But I think just from evaluating him from the draft, I really like the tools that he had to work with,” Kubiak told Perry.
Intrigued, Perry dug a little deeper on the Lock subject, triggering a little more context from Kubiak.
“Again, it’s early. I haven't gotten to watch everything like I would like to. But I evaluated Drew very hard coming out of the draft," Kubiak said, "and it’s really hard to find guys that have that type of arm strength combined with that athleticism, so he is really blessed in that regard. I look forward to getting to know him more and getting to work with him and us getting to build our relationship.”
Part of that relationship goes into the film room, where Kubiak will be able to get his hands on a player that has struggled to develop over his first three years as a professional. Through two different offensive schemes, a pandemic, as well as a pair of QB coaches, Lock hasn’t taken the next step in terms of being a viable everyday starter who can win consistently.
Lock has shown intense flashes of brilliance at times, but there have also been several bumps along the road as well. Some footwork concerns still exist, as well as decision-making and accuracy issues that plague his tape at times.
This is where Kubiak steps in, hopefully applying the three key philosophical lessons learned from the last Broncos QB coach to win a World Championship.
“There are three things that I was taught by Gregg Knapp, the QBs coach here not long ago,” Kubiak said. “Decision-making, timing, and accuracy are the three things you really focus on with those quarterbacks. You always try to develop those things every day in the film room. But, you know a lot of it is God-given. These guys have played a lot of football over their entire career and you try to identify through the draft who has those traits and continue to develop them.”
Kubiak’s extensive look into the tools that Lock possessed coming out of Missouri three years ago really impressed him. Even though the Broncos are hot on the trail of an elite veteran like Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, there is still a possibility that Lock — with Kubiak’s tutelage and a scheme that can accentuate his skill-set — could potentially develop into a viable starting quarterback.
Having been around the Broncos, the quarterback position, and football in general for a large portion of his life, Kubiak offers a great offensive mindset and valuable knowledge for the team as it continues to search for its next franchise QB. Even after accepting a demotion from his former gig back in Minnesota, Kubiak is excited to work with Hackett in what seems to be the best fit for his career at this stage.
“Well, obviously I'm familiar with the area here and familiar with the organization,” Kubiak said. “But the main thing was the opportunity to work with Nathaniel Hackett, and George Paton, two guys I have a lot of respect for. Just to be on a staff with an offensive head coach with a great offensive mind, I felt like I can continue to grow in my career and help with the quarterbacks.”
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