Perfect Tweet Encapsulates the Mystifying Lock-Shurmur Struggle from Outside Looking in
The Denver Broncos have two problems. One, the injury bug won't cease its harassment of this team, and two, the Broncos' offense has an identity crisis.
Specifically, in whose image is this offense created? That of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur or quarterback Drew Lock?
Despite now having five full games together, Shurmur and Lock can't seem to get on the same page. It's either a classic case of square-peg/round-hole, or, it's maybe a young quarterback finding his way in the NFL and bumping his head along the way.
As someone with a finger on the pulse of Broncos Country each and every day, the most common refrain I hear on social media and in the comment section here at Mile High Huddle is that Lock's failure to launch should be laid at the feet of Shurmur's play-calling.
On Sunday, Mile High Sports' T.J. Carpenter fired off a tweet that perfectly encapsulated how the Lock-Shurmur situation appears to those on the outside trying to make heads or tails of the tape.
"The way these games go, I feel like the first half is what the Broncos' planned to do, and the second half is what Drew Lock wants to do. Just conjecture, but that appears to be what's happening. Maybe just let Drew Lock be Drew Lock, and run the offense he likes," Carpenter tweeted.
It might be conjecture. But I'm writing this article as a digital 'right on!' because I've been thinking the same thing and Carpenter articulated the issue perfectly. I tip my cap to him.
I don't think it's going too far out on a limb to say that whatever 15-to-18-play script Shurmur is scheming up, it's not jiving with Lock's skill-set, or at the very least, with what Lock naturally gravitates toward. When the chips are down and the Broncos are running out of time, Shurmur has had no choice but to hurry-up the offense, spread out the opponent, and let Lock play instinctual, backyard football.
It might not be a recipe for sustained success — and I'm open to that possibility because Lock is not Peyton Manning — but there has to be a lesson Shurmur can extract from his QB's prolific fourth-quarter performances of the past two weeks. Take a look at just how explosive Lock has been when the chips are down of late.
The devil's advocate take here would be to say that Lock's watershed fourth-quarter performances should come as no surprise, considering the three-score leads the opponent has nursed, leading to prevent defenses and soft coverages underneath. Honestly, that can't be refuted, though in the case of the Chargers in Week 8, they weren't nearly as loose defensively as the Falcons were on Sunday in terms of traditional prevent strategy.
Because these surges have come in garbage time, it's harder to extrapolate or jump to any far-reaching conclusions with absolute confidence. However, there are a few things the Broncos can take away from Lock's flipping of the switch in the final frame of these last two games.
1. Tempo Helps Lock Get Into a Rhythm
Undeniably, playing up-tempo and going no-huddle, at times, has helped Lock find his groove. Better late than never, right? Yes, but there are schematic changes Shurmur can make to coax that rhythm out of Lock earlier in the game.
2. Removing the Script Loosens Lock Up
Many NFL quarterbacks take comfort in the scripted portion of each week's game-plan, which usually accounts for the first 15-to-18 plays. Not every signal-caller loves the script, and not every QB is meant for it.
Lock has seemed too pent up and stuck in his own head early on in games. Maybe the script has something to do with that.
Bottom Line
The quicker Shurmur can unlock his young QB to play freely and be himself out on the grass, as a player, the sooner the Broncos can start getting on the board in these games and score touchdowns, not field goals. Think of the pressure that would take off of Vic Fangio's defense.
On the outside looking in, things aren't always the way they seem. But Carpenter's tweet, combined with the tape and the proliferation of the hashtag #FreeLock within Broncos Country's zeitgeist, sums up what appears to be the bur stuck under this team's saddle.
On Monday, Fangio threw his support behind Shurmur and professed his confidence that the beleaguered coordinator will get the ship turned around soon, while also hedging that Lock and his young supporting cast just need more reps together — both of the practice and in-game variety.
While I'm sure there's some truth to Fangio's second assertion, the bottom line is, Shurmur is running out of time to figure out how to maximize Lock's skill-set while this team still has a chance to play meaningful football. As Carpenter sums up, Shurmur would be wise to dispense with what the coach wants to do and boil down this offense to what Lock himself likes and is most comfortable running.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
