Are We Sure Drew Lock Sucks?
The impatience the NFL fans and media has with the quarterback position drives me up a damn wall. It has become maybe the single most annoying thing about football. We have somehow decided overnight quarterbacks must thrive right away or they can’t play despite the fact that history really has never been that way. This begs the question; are we sure Drew Lock really sucks? I wouldn’t be so sure.
These are undeniable facts. You cannot deny them.
- Peyton Manning threw 23 interceptions in his fourth NFL season.
- Troy Aikman had an 11-18 TD to INT ratio in his second NFL season.
- Drew Brees went 2-9 while completing 57% of his throws in his third season.
Overnight we have decided that these quarterbacks today must thrive overnight or they suck. See the names above? All of whom will or are inducted in the Hall of Fame. This doesn’t happen overnight despite whatever the common football fan wants to believe.
This brings us to Drew Lock. Look, I wouldn’t consider myself a president of the Drew Lock fan club but it’s also really unfair to say the guy cannot play. Lock was a four year starter at Missouri in the SEC with incredible arm talent. It would be accurate to say that Lock doesn’t know how to play the position yet. Not that he doesn’t have the ability to play the position.
Of course, we’re also talking about a guy that’s had six different offensive coordinators in six years. Lock hasn’t been coached properly. Lock makes bone headed decisions. Some of it’s on him. Some of it’s on Lock not being put in a position to succeed.
It would be fair to say Lock has struggled thus far during his young career, but that’s to be expected. For those who will stan the Broncos quarterback, there are reasons to still believe in him.
A year ago, I was called a fool for continuing to praise Josh Allen. Look at how that turned out? Trey was right. You were wrong again.
Now, I was and am still way higher on Josh Allen. I don’t even want to compare the two because Allen’s pure tools are almost unmatched across the league. However, Allen and Lock’s numbers through their first two years in the league aren’t that far apart.
Allen: 28 starts, 57%, 30 touchdowns, 21 interceptions
Lock: 18 starts, 59.1%, 23 touchdowns, 18 interceptions
The numbers aren’t too far off. In fact, if you compare Allen’s rookie season to Lock’s year two, the numbers are scary similar. Again, I had Allen ranked much higher as a prospect from Wyoming. However, I had Lock as a wildcard in his draft class with the upside to become a reliable starter. I still think that’s probably true.
Year three is make or break for Drew Lock. NOW is the time to come through. If Lock stinks again, sure… go off. You can gladly say the guy sucks. Right now? It feels a bit premature. Especially given the fact that he’s not surrounded by world class coaching.
