QB Drew Lock Reveals What Changed in Locker Room When Broncos Inserted him as Starter
By Week 9, once quarterback Joe Flacco suffered a season-ending neck injury, the Denver Broncos' brass knew it was only a matter of time before they'd have to start the clock on the Drew Lock era.
Brandon Allen admirably held down the fort for three weeks while Lock was activated to the practice field but the spark the journeyman backup QB gave the Broncos lasted all of six quarters. Following Denver's 20-3 trouncing at the hands of the Buffalo Bills, the team was once again crestfallen. It seemed nothing could forestall that pervasive 'here we go again' mentality from completely coloring the rest of the season.
Enter Lock.
The rookie entered the equation at home vs. the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13 and from that point forward, the Broncos' energy shifted palpably. Lock provided a spark, no doubt, but the question would be — how long would it last?
With the exception of Week 15's step backward at Arrowhead Stadium, the Lock effect lasted through the balance of the season. The Broncos would go 4-1 with the rookie at the helm while Lock himself would set both franchise and NFL rookie records.
So what changed for the Broncos when Lock entered the equation? In an end-of-season sit-down with Phil Milani of Broncos TV, Lock tried to put his finger on the impetus for the team's momentous shift.
“You know, I think I’m a young guy," Lock said. "I always have this kind of fire behind me. A little bit of swag, a little bit of fun to where if we were down in the dumps, losing a little bit there, and it was my job to bring some excitement back, bring some fire, bring some swagger—just enjoying the game of football that we’ve all worked so hard to get to this point, then so be it. I’m glad I got to be that guy for this team. With my style of leadership and who I am, that’s not going to change any time soon, so I’m excited to see that keep taking off.”
It was really cool and gratifying to fans to see Lock elevate a team that had been "down in the dumps" for going on four years. That's what a franchise-caliber QB is supposed to do. That quintessential QB is supposed to be the tide that raises all ships.
What's even cooler is that Lock had to bide his time before finally getting his opportunity, which made it all the sweeter. However, he didn't waste time twiddling his thumbs during his 10-week exile on injured reserve.
Instead, the rookie second-round QB attacked the playbook and maximized the team's virtual reality training program as a tool to help shorten his learning curve. By the time he hit the starting lineup, he was significantly farther down the developmental curve than almost anyone expected him to be, including the team brass.
That sprained thumb he suffered in the Broncos' third preseason game turned out to be a blessing in disguise, not only because it gave Lock the time he needed to slow the game down and acclimate to the pro way of life, but also because it allowed the Broncos to get a big enough sample size of Flacco at quarterback to realize without a doubt that he wasn't the man for the job.
Don't underestimate that development. The Broncos could still be wasting time and spinning their wheels with Flacco had the Football Fates not intervened.
Lock has been christened as the guy heading into 2020 by GM John Elway. Suffice to say, the kid is looking forward to continuing in the role he carved out down the stretch, without having to genuflect to a more tenured quarterback.
"I think I’ve said it before to where I’m excited to be able to be coming into a locker room in the offseason, being able to be the guy and not have to tip-toe around the locker room because I wasn’t the guy when I first got here," Lock told Broncos TV. "Being able to show everybody who I really am is really exciting for me. I’m looking forward to being able to get back here with all the guys and just let them feel my energy, let them feel my work ethic and hopefully once they feel that, we’ll get off to a hot start and just keep rolling.”
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
