Will the Denver Broncos continue with Drew Lock as a full-back in 2021? This is undoubtedly the main issue on the minds of all Broncos Country as the team heads to Week 17 to face the Las Vegas Raiders.
While GM John Elway is expected to answer that question definitively at his annual end-of-season press conference next Monday, some fans believe he hinted at Lock’s question, perhaps inadvertently, when he sat down with the team website for your weekly Elway Access exposure.
“Drew showed some flashes. Obviously, he has been very inconsistent, but [he] showed some flashes, “said Elway to Phil Milani.” We still have high hopes for Drew who, with a good off-season, a lot of hard work in this off-season, a lot of cinema study, that he can come back and be a very good defender in this league. “
Elway believes that the Broncos have a lot of talent. The problem? Inexperience. But that was a gap that these young Broncos may have filled in the war of attrition that was the 2020 season.
“You look at the list, there are a lot of young and good football players that we believe in,” said Elway.
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Elway was encouraged by Lock’s heroism at the end of the game at different points this season. Lock brought the Broncos back from a 21-point handicap in the second half to beat the Chargers in Week 8, and nearly doubled the feat the following week in Atlanta, but he was just shy.
Last week, in LA, Lock led a comeback to tie the Chargers with less than four minutes to go. If Vic Fangio’s defense stops, Lock will have another legitimate chance to drop to a winning basket. Instead, the Broncos took Justin Herbert down and killed the clock while doing what turned out to be the decisive field goal.
Lock recovered the ball, but there were 40 seconds to go and no time limit. After Jerry Jeudy missed his fifth pass of the day on a penny through the left seam that would put the Broncos in Charger territory with about half that time to finish, all Lock could do was throw a mary hail from the midfield as the final gun sounded. That was chosen by Mike Williams, who had already become open hands.
Still, despite Lock having made a stupid interception in the red zone in possession of the starting ball, he blinked again late, doing his part to put the Broncos in a position to win or at least send the game into overtime. These flashes, despite the ups and downs, are what continue to plague Elway, giving the QB-turned-GM Hall of Fame hope that Lock can turn the corner.
“That’s the part of him that you see – quarterback, that’s his responsibility, to win football games,” said Elway of Lock’s heroism at the end of the game. “We saw Drew do it a few times this year. He did it against the Chargers earlier in the year, when we were able to beat them 31-30 at Mile High. He has that ability and I think that’s a good sign for Drew and the fact that he is a good confidence builder for the rest of the team to know that while the game is over, we have a chance to win it. It doesn’t matter how much time is left. “
The final official question about whether Lock will have a last chance to be the guy will not be answered until Monday, at the very least. But I’m inclined to agree with the fans who interpreted Elway’s comments to the team’s website on Thursday as a kind of Freudian slip, revealing GM’s true position on Lock for 2021.
This does not mean that the Broncos will not change the position of the QB this off-season. I could see Denver hiring a real fail-safe veteran to enter and, on the one hand, Lock’s mentor, while being good enough to keep his feet on fire competitively.
For the time being, the Broncos expect a victory on Sunday against the Raiders to end the season. Even if it means falling a little into the 2021 draft order. After all, we’re talking about Elway and the hated Raiders. That victory may just be the boost that the Broncos could use to put them off-season with a modest boost.
“I think so,” said Elway. “We always try to play more consistently and to be smarter with football, not to turn the ball and give us the chance to win. I think this is our hope every week, is that we are consistent, play to our potential and put a complete game, in fact, against a good football team too … But it would be good to end our year with a good and solid football game and come out with a victory that would send us into the off season with a better taste in the mouth. “
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.