Drew Lock Describes the Moment Pat Shurmur's New Offense Finally 'Clicked' for Him

To Denver Broncos fans who this summer were not allowed to attend training camp at UC Health Training Center, the general buzz about QB Drew Lock was positive. Initially. That is, it was positive up until the Broncos' first stadium scrimmage two weeks ago.

Lock struggled mightily in that scrimmage at Empower Field at Mile High, though he didn't get much help from his supporting cast as the Broncos' receivers and tight ends came down with a case of the 'dropsies'. That scrimmage was on a Friday, and after a day off following, in which Lock surely studied the tape alongside his offensive coaches, all eyes were on whether the second-year QB would bounce back on Sunday.

That didn't happen, as Lock and company's struggles against Vic Fangio's defense continued. The ensuing week or so saw Lock battle back and by the time the Broncos held their second and last stadium scrimmage the night before final roster cut-downs, the young signal-caller was firing on all cylinders.

“I think it happened probably two days before that scrimmage," Lock said on Wednesday as the Broncos prepare to host the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. "There’s never really a moment in time—there’s just that one moment where it clicks, and you don’t understand why. I just felt going into that scrimmage that I knew where to go with the ball on every single play we were going to call. I just kind of re-found some confidence in myself. We came out, the guys around me made plays and we just clicked as an offense."

It was a welcome development for fans who'd begun to wrining their hands over Lock's sudden training camp slump. However, considering that he was asked to learn an entirely new offensive system by the team in his first full season as the starter, fans perhaps should have anticipated some inconsistencies in camp.

But as Lock said, suddenly, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's new scheme "clicked" and he was able to play freely and without thinking about where he was going with the ball. The more a QB has to think, the more that his brainpower is being consumed by trying to remember play designs, hot reads, and protections, the more it's going to slow down his play. Just like when your laptop gets overloaded and the RAM gets maxed out, everything is simply slower.

It's encouraging to hear from Lock himself that it all finally clicked for him and fell into place. His offensive coordinator would seem to agree.

On Friday, Coach Shurmur talked about the progress Lock has made within his scheme this summer and the one secret asset that might have helped microwave the QB's development, getting him ready to hit the ground running against NFL defenses starting on Monday.

“I think he’s made great progress," Shurmur said on Friday. "Running parallel with being young and being a second-year player was learning a new offense and getting used to a lot of new skill players. When you have three new receivers in there working that are rookies—and really, for the most part, only two with [WR KJ] Hamler being out—along with just getting used to how we operate. The good thing for us is our defense is challenging. To be challenged in practice settings is huge, especially with missing preseason games.”

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Going against elite-level defensive competition in training camp can either have a galvanizing effect on a young quarterback, or it can hinder his development. Just ask Trevor Siemian, who never seemed to benefit in the long run from going against the Broncos' vaunted defense in training camp. He was instead worn down to a nub confidence-wise and it came out in the wash on the field.

But if Shurmur's hunch is right and Lock has already gone through the refiner's fire in training camp, and emerged victorious, he will be better acclimated to the NFL-caliber opponents he'll face this fall. I'm inclined to take Shurmur's word for it, knowing Lock's history and character.

As a rookie last year, Lock went through a crucible as he assimilated to the NFL while having to compete against the best-laid designs of Fangio and Ed Donatell. After spraining his throwing thumb, Lock went on a 13-week exile where instead of shrinking away in bitter disappointment, he doubled his efforts (literally).

By the time Lock debuted in Week 13 with his first career start, it was evident that he wasn't the same player we saw in the Broncos' third preseason game four months prior when he injured his thumb against San Francisco. If he could take a quantum leap forward in that unique and highly-fraught situation, it's not a stretch to accept that he handled the adversity of his second training camp with aplomb.

Now, with Von Miller being lost for the season and the status of Lock's No. 1 target being up in the air for Week 1, it feels like the pressure is mounting. Are Lock's shoulders broad enough at this young age to carry the load? The answer depends on one's outlook.

“I can’t put an extra amount of pressure on myself," Lock said on Wednesday. "It really comes down to this whole team making one more play because Von isn’t there to make that play. Whether that’s me making a couple more plays or [WR] Courtland [Sutton] making a couple more plays, or [RBs] Melvin [Gordon] or Phil [Lindsay] or [TE] Noah [Fant]. It’s just going to come down to us playing at that ‘A’ level but playing at an ‘A+’ level. You just have to take it one step further.”

That's the encouraging thing about Lock's second year. He won't have to carry the load himself on offense. From Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon behind him, to Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Noah Fant, Lock has the supporting cast to improve the offense's shot at the law of averages.

If Lock gets off to a rocky start one game, but Lindsay, or Gordon, or Fant, or Sutton, or Jeudy, rockets out of the gates with an "A+" performance, it should result in a passing grade for the burgeoning Broncos' offense. At the end of the day, though, if Lock is who the Broncos believe he is, he will be the difference-maker more often than not.

After all, a franchise quarterback is supposed to be the tide that raises all ships. If Lock's wherewithal as a quarterback can float the offense's boat, the Broncos will be a force to be reckoned with.

"We ended up rolling and we all got on the same page at the same time," Lock said of the Broncos' final stadium scrimmage. "That’s what you look for in an offense. When you’re putting the game together, you want that from the defense as well at the same time. When you both mesh and get rolling on the same day, that’s when it turns out pretty good. I feel like that’s what we did. We just all got on the same page and got rolling.”

Only time will tell what awaits for Lock. For now, Broncos Country should take heart in knowing that Lock punctuated his training camp body of work with a bang and now enters the season-opener with a true sense of momentum, with NFL veteran coaches like Shurmur and QBs coach Mike Shula at his side and an arsenal teeming with weapons.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.