Drew Lock Is John Elway's New Favorite Quarterback. This Isn't Going
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Drew Lock is John Elway’s new favorite quarterback. This isn’t going to end well for Joe Flacco. By Mark Kiszla Denver Post April 28, 2019 John Elway can’t help himself, can he? The boss of the Broncos keeps falling in love with big, handsome quarterbacks that remind Elway of … himself. And with the 42nd pick in the NFL draft, Joe Flacco became yesterday’s news before he could throw a pass that counts for Denver. Yes, everybody is saying all the right things to quell any notion of a quarterback controversy. But after meeting Lock, I will guarantee you one thing: Nobody puts this baby in a corner. What you’re going to like most about Lock is a brashness that makes him cocksure he can match Patrick Mahomes throw for throw or talk smack with Philip Rivers without blinking. As a four-year starter at Missouri, Lock tossed 99 touchdown passes. But my favorite play of his college career involved him getting a drink of water. You know how football in the Southeastern Conference can be as crazy as a cult of pigskin worshipers? Well, back in 2016, during a road game at South Carolina, the Tigers tied the score 14-14 with a touchdown during the second quarter. In protest, a Gamecocks fan sitting in the student section hurled a water bottle on the field. Lock picked up the trash. And immediately took a drink. With gusto. Like it was a bottle of champagne. “That’s just the kind of guy I’ve been my whole life. I’ve kind of had a little chip on my shoulder. I like to have a little fun with it,” Lock said Saturday, when I asked him to recall that crazy scene. “We went in and scored … and South Carolina is one of the cooler places to play in the SEC. They threw a water bottle at one of my teammates, and for some reason something clicked in my head to go over there, pick it up and act like I was drinking it.” Was it water? Or perhaps a little moonshine carried into the stadium by a clever fan? “It was water. You might have seen a different reaction from me if it wasn’t water,” said Lock, laughing. “It was definitely water.” Fewer than 72 hours into his Broncos career, this city is already falling head over heels for Lock, the quarterback Elway made goo-goo eyes at for months prior to drafting him. “Drew will have time to sit and watch Joe, and take his time and learn and continue to get better,” Elway said. Well, I don’t doubt that’s the plan. But, in reality, I also doubt there will be a smooth transition from Flacco to Lock, who has too much swagger to sit quietly in a corner and patiently wait his turn to be the starter. Sooner or later, this is destined to be a fight. If memory serves, we’ve also been told Flacco, who celebrated his 34th birthday in January as an unwanted QB in Baltimore, is in the prime of his professional career. It sounded like wishful thinking when Elway first said it. Those words sound like absolute balderdash now. The only question is how much time will pass before Lock takes over as the team’s starting quarterback. Two years? No way, not if the Missouri kid can play. One year? Maybe, if the veteran savvy of Flacco allows Denver to be a legit playoff threat this season. Nine games? The NFL schedule-maker did the Broncos no favors in 2019, so it’s not out of the question their record is 4-5 or even 3-6 heading into the bye week in early November. If that’s the case, we all know how this crazy football town rolls. There will be a cacophony of Broncomaniac bells sounding the alarm for a quarterback change. Lock grew up as a Kansas City Chiefs fan. Please don’t hold that against him. The Broncos’ QB of the future would love nothing more than to beat a division rival when the Chiefs visit Denver on Dec. 15. “He can certainly play the villain,” said Andy Lock, the ballyhooed rookie’s father. Elway has told me in no uncertain terms he doesn’t sit in the general manager’s chair to be loved, because his lone responsibility is to win games. As a result, Elway might have even less patience with the quarterback of this team than even the most rabid fans do. Flacco lost his job to rookie Lamar Jackson in less than a year, during a season when Baltimore won the division title with a 10-6 record. My theory: If Lock isn’t as good as Jackson, he’s not good enough to be the Broncos’ long-term answer at quarterback. Analysis: John Elway “excited” about offseason additions. Has it been enough? By Ryan O’Halloran Denver Post April 28, 2019 Hours after firing coach Vance Joseph on Dec. 30, Broncos general manager John Elway stood in the team’s auditorium and put the entire organization on notice. “We’re all going to look ourselves in the mirror and figure out how we can all get better,” Elway said. On Saturday night, following a four-month stretch that included the hiring of coach Vic Fangio and several new assistants, trading for quarterback Joe Flacco, signing a trio of prominent free agents and drafting six players, Elway was asked to take stock of the Broncos’ much needed reset. “Sitting here today, we feel much better than last season and the additions we’ve made not only (with) players, but Vic and his staff — it’s a good spot to be in,” Elway said after the Broncos closed the draft by selecting Oregon linebacker Justin Hollins and Colorado receiver Juwann Winfree. “If we would say before the draft, we would come out with these six players, we would be overjoyed with that.” Should a Broncos fan base that dissects every Elway move be overjoyed or, to use new tight end Noah Fant’s favorite phrase, “super-stoked,” about the upcoming season? With the major player acquisition period of the offseason complete, should the Broncos be expected to climb back into AFC West contention? Has Elway given Fangio enough talent to avoid the major losing streaks (three of at least four games) that ruined Joseph? Perhaps. But the fact that would have been our answer before the draft is semi-concerning. The 10,000-foot view of the Broncos’ draft produces a tepid response. Six picks and maybe two starters for Week 1 at Oakland: Fant (round 1) and right guard Dalton Risner (round 2). It is a class who may be better in 2021 than in 2019. Fant should be a no-doubt starter, and he’s here to catch passes first and block second. Risner should be a no-questions-asked starter, even after moving from right tackle. The other draft picks are wait-and-mostly-see. If quarterback Drew Lock (second round) starts this year, it’s because Flacco is injured or the season is in the toilet. Defensive end Dre’Mont Jones (third round) will get a chance to be a base-down back-up and sub-package interior pass rusher. And success for linebacker Justin Hollins (fifth round) and receiver Juwann Winfree (sixth round) will be making the team. But the micro view is required in any NFL team-building analysis. Account for the coaching staff. Figure in for free agency. And make educated-if-not-rash-judgments on the draft picks. An autopsy reveals two trouble spots that haven’t been addressed, either because the talent available wasn’t enticing or the Broncos don’t think there is a problem. Inside linebacker: The Broncos did not draft a true 3-4 inside linebacker, preferably one who can run with tight ends down the field. Hollins will work at both spots this summer to see where he fits. It sure feels like Fangio will use six-defensive back personnel as his main sub-package, meaning only one inside linebacker will be on the field. It was a good weekend to be Todd Davis, who is the leading candidate for that role. Fangio will deploy a fourth cornerback or third safety to cover the tight end. Third safety work is good news for Will Parks, Jamal Carter and maybe even Su’a Cravens. Cornerback: The Broncos also passed on taking one. “We’re in pretty good shape there,” Elway said. Really? Kareem Jackson could end up at safety more than cornerback, Bryce Callahan is solid covering the slot receiver but has an extensive injury history and there is the Chris Harris Saga, which turned into a debacle last Tuesday with his pay-me-or-trade-me ultimatum. Dodging a question about whether he was disappointed by Harris’ request, Elway said: “Now that the draft is over, we’ll make contact. We’ll touch base to see where they are. There was no contact with Chris or about Chris (Saturday). We’ll see what happens.” We know where Harris is — he said he wants $15 million per year. The Broncos aren’t in that neighborhood … or that zip code. This has been a heavy-offense offseason for the Broncos. Flacco. Fant. Risner. Right tackle Ja’Wuan James. Fangio likely endorsed the plan since the Broncos need a figurative B12 shot on offense. For three years, they’ve been unproductive and uninteresting. Fangio has been around the NFL block for 32 years and knows that to really play great defense, a team needs the lead.