Is Watching Broncos Rookie QB Drew Lock Throw the Football As Painful As Passing a Kidney Stone? by Mark Kiszla the Denver Post August 2, 2019
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Kiszla: Is watching Broncos rookie QB Drew Lock throw the football as painful as passing a kidney stone? By Mark Kiszla The Denver Post August 2, 2019 Watching Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock throw a football against NFL competition might not be as painful as passing a kidney stone. But it’s close. Yes, Lock might take over as the team’s starting quarterback one of these years. But that year won’t be 2019, unless veteran Joe Flacco gets hurt. Is Lock the QB of the future in Denver? It’s way too early to say no. But he’s nowhere near ready to effectively operate a pro offense right now. While a game that doesn’t count in the standings can never provide anything more than an incomplete grade, what was revealed about Lock in the Hall of Fame game reinforced what Denver coaches have already seen on the practice field. “I was hoping for more, but not surprised,” said Broncos coach Vic Fangio, evaluating Lock after a 14-10 Denver victory against Atlanta. “He’s still got a lot of work to do. I thought his accuracy wasn’t clean all the time, along with his reads. But it’s to be expected. We’ve got four more (preseason) games. We’ve got to get him ready, more ready than he is right now.” At age 22, the rookie quarterback from Missouri is a project, not a wunderkind. The Broncos have not found their Patrick Mahomes. After waiting 60 years to become a head coach at any level, nothing was going to stop Fangio from leading the Broncos onto the field. Battling a kidney stone that refused to pass, Fangio got out of a hospital bed to do it. It’s as close to the agony of childbirth a man can experience. So sympathy to Fangio. But his stubborn refusal to take a sick day only adds to the shot-and-a-beer aura of Uncle Vic. The reasons Lock fell out of the first round in this year’s draft are becoming more obvious. As a quarterback, he is so raw it frequently hurts to watch. OK, it’s not kidney stone painful. But it’s painful enough for any Broncomaniac to grab a beer out of the fridge for medicinal purposes. After entering the Denver huddle early in the second quarter, Lock stood in the pocket on third down, needing a manageable 7 yards to move the sticks. He looked to the left flat, his eyes fooling nobody on the Atlanta defense, and aimed a pass in the direction of teammate Steven Dunbar Jr. Instead of throwing a strike, Lock’s throw was an interception waiting to happen, and a turnover was avoided only because Falcons cornerback Jordan Miller dropped the ball. Lock took a delay of game penalty following an Atlanta timeout. He scrambled at any hint of trouble, which was a reminder of Paxton Lynch none of us needed. His every move suggested a dancer too busy thinking about the steps to get out of his own way to let the rhythm flow. Against the Falcons, he never sniffed anything close to a scoring drive. Way back in 2016, when knuckleheads like me held out hope Lynch might be somebody in this league, his first preseason action produced this stat line: Six completions in seven attempts, for 74 yards and three sacks. In his pro debut, these were Lock’s results: seven completions in 11 attempts, for 34 yards and two sacks. In a small sample size, his QB rating was 68.0, a failing grade, for those of you keeping score at home. Now is this a fair comparison? Maybe not, as the offensive line in front of him was shaky, at best. But it’s another indicator Lock has much work to do before he can be considered a solid NFL backup, much less a legitimate threat to supplant Flacco as the starter. Bottom line: The Broncos better hope John Elway is correct, and Flacco really is a QB in his prime. Broncos score early, late to defeat Atlanta in preseason opener By Ryan O’Halloran The Denver Post August 2, 2019 Overthrows and penalties. Muffed punts and missed blocks. Dropped passes and more penalties. The expectations for an NFL preseason opener are never high … and the Broncos and Atlanta Falcons showed why in Thursday night’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. The Broncos scored first and last, winning 14-10 before 20,802 fans. On fourth down from the Falcons’ 15, Brett Rypien’s pass into the end zone was deflected but caught by receiver Juwann Winfree with 1:26 remaining to secure the win. “That was really Juwann making a play and me trying to let him go up and make one,” Rypien said. “It’s a play we look for our best 1-on-1 matchup and he did a great job.” BOX SCORE: Falcons 10, Broncos 7 Coach Vic Fangio was on the sideline for the duration despite a visit earlier in the day to a Cleveland hospital because of a kidney stone. Fangio said not coaching, “was never in question, really. There was a 20- or 40-minute time period where I didn’t know if I would make it (to the game).” Only six Broncos who are projected Week 1 starters played: Tight end Jeff Heuerman (into the second quarter), nose tackle Shelby Harris, defensive end Adam Gotsis and three offensive linemen — center Connor McGovern, left guard Dalton Risner and left tackle Garett Bolles. The lineup should look a lot different next Thursday in Seattle when the starters play multiple possessions. The Broncos will have Friday and Saturday off before three consecutive days of practice. As expected, there will be much to work on. Brendan Langley fumbled away a punt when he charged up-field to make the catch. The second-unit offensive line allowed several pressures by not picking up Atlanta’s stunt looks. And rookie quarterback Drew Lock underwhelmed after entering the game in the second quarter (7 of 11 for 34 yards). The positives included Risner getting his first exposure to NFL action. Rookie running back Devontae Jackson showed good burst on offense and kick returns. DeMarcus Walker, fighting for a roster spot, had a first-half sack. And Fangio came through on his early-week guarantee and challenged a defensive pass interference call against the Broncos (the call stood). Kevin Hogan started and played the first three series. The Broncos started three-and-out and began the second possession at their 49-yard line thanks to a 16-yard punt return by Kelvin McKnight. The drive started with a drop by tight end Noah Fant (he later had a penalty). But Fant caught a seven- yard pass to convert a third-and-5. On the next play, Fred Brown caught Hogan’s pass for 15 yards. A defensive penalty on the Falcons turned a third-and-goal from the 7 into a first-and-goal from the 3 and running back Khalfani Muhammad capped the possession with a rushing touchdown. Hogan departed late in the first quarter, completing 5 of 8 passes for 37 yards. Not great, but probably efficient enough to enter next week as the backup quarterback leader. Lock’s first series was a three-and-out — he slightly overshot Fant down the right sideline on second down. His second series was aided by a third-down penalty on the Falcons when they hit Lock as he was sliding. On the next play, Lock looked comfortable on a bootleg to the right before throwing 12 yards to receiver Nick Williams. But the drive stalled when Lock was sacked on consecutive plays (total loss of 15 yards). Lock’s third drive — the final one of the first half — was stalled by a delay of game (usually inexcusable) coming out of a timeout (completely inexcusable). The Falcons tied it at 7 with an eight-play, 61-yard drive. Quarterback Kurt Benkert scrambled for 17 yards to convert a second-and-10. Benkert then had completions of 27, 17 and 16 yards in a span of four plays. He capped the march with a one-yard touchdown throw to wide open running back Brian Hill in the left flat. The Broncos were outgained 137-89 in the first half. The Falcons took a 10-7 lead on Giorgio Tavecchio’s 27-yard field goal with 4:30 left in the third quarter. With 5:21 left, Atlanta quarterback Matt Schaub’s pass was intercepted by Trey Johnson at the Falcons’ 38. Schaub started and was back on the field because of Benkert’s toe injury. The Broncos converted a fourth-and-10 via Falcons pass interference penalty (14 yards). Two plays later, Muhammad turned a short pass into an 11-yard gain (to the Atlanta 11). The Rypien-to-Winfree touchdown came a play after McKnight’s fourth-down conversion catch was negated by penalty. Broncos head coach Vic Fangio coaches Thursday after being treated for kidney stone By Ryan O’Halloran and Kyle Fredrickson The Denver Post August 2, 2019 A kidney stone couldn’t keep Vic Fangio from making his head-coaching debut in his 33rd NFL season. Fangio, 60, was taken to a Cleveland hospital on Thursday morning by a Broncos team physician. Shortly before 5 p.m. Eastern time, the Broncos announced that Fangio would coach in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Atlanta Falcons. The Broncos’ team buses arrived at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium via police escort in two waves.