Thread: Peyton Manning Weighs in on Drew Lock, Broncos' QB Status: 'I'm Pulling for Drew'

On the heels of being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot, Peyton Manning is making the media rounds. In a chat with 9NEWS' Mike Klis, the NFL's only five-time MVP weighed in on Drew Lock and provided some context to the young quarterback's struggles last season.

“I’m a Bronco fan, I’m a Drew Lock fan," Manning told Klis. "Look, last year for anybody who had a new offensive coordinator and a younger quarterback it was going to be challenging."

Indeed, the Broncos were one of the teams hit hardest by the collateral effects of the pandemic because A.) they were exceedingly young on offense and B.) there was a new playbook to assimilate. Lock rolled with those punches and actually started off the 2020 campaign on solid footing, despite losing out on any OTAs and preseason reps.

rest - https://www.si.com/nfl/broncos/news/...s-qb-situation

A lot of people are pulling for Drew but we do need a backup plan in just in case.

I know I’ll catch hell for this but we should seriously consider using our top 10 pick to select or trade up for a QB. The league is dominated by great qb play. If you don’t have one you suck. Might as well spend them lottery balls like drunken sailors until we hit on one. But, you know, mediocrity is super cool too.

Originally Posted by atwater27

I know I’ll catch hell for this but we should seriously consider using our top 10 pick to select or trade up for a QB. The league is dominated by great qb play. If you don’t have one you suck. Might as well spend them lottery balls like drunken sailors until we hit on one. But, you know, mediocrity is super cool too.

If it’s Fields or Lawrence I’m with you ... it’s Jones or Wilson, **** that.

Stay put/trade back and take Lance, I could live with that.

Just can’t do it man you have to give lock one more year in his second year in the system to get a true reading on what we’re dealing with. Last year just wasn’t fair to expect consistent great play under the circumstances. Next year there will be no excuses with all the weapons we have coming into there 2nd or 3rd years man it can be very scary for the opposition! Literally all we need is a good draft and decent free agency and for Drew to take the next step

The thing is, I just don’t see a QB, other than Lawrence, who is gonna be any better than Lock in Shurmur’s system. Shurmur isn’t going to run some spread RPO gimmicky get my QB killed running the ball offense like other OC’s have done with guys like Jackson and Murray. Shurmur is going to coach his offense and expect the QB to be able to run it. Anybody think Fields or Lance will adapt well to Shurmur’s scheme? Yeah, me neither.

Oh and don’t get me started on Wilson. That dude is about as overrated as they come. He played exactly nobody and never really flashed elite skills. Watch the highlight reels and you’ll see they really aren’t highlights. 50% of the balls he throws aren’t NFL throws and most would be picked off at the NFL level. Coastal Carolina made him look pedestrian FFS. I think that dude is going to be the biggest QB bust in this draft.

Originally Posted by HORSEPOWER 56

The thing is, I just don’t see a QB, other than Lawrence, who is gonna be any better than Lock in Shurmur’s system. Shurmur isn’t going to run some spread RPO gimmicky get my QB killed running the ball offense like other OC’s have done with guys like Jackson and Murray. Shurmur is going to coach his offense and expect the QB to be able to run it. Anybody think Fields or Lance will adapt well to Shurmur’s scheme? Yeah, me neither.

Oh and don’t get me started on Wilson. That dude is about as overrated as they come. He played exactly nobody and never really flashed elite skills. Watch the highlight reels and you’ll see they really aren’t highlights. 50% of the balls he throws aren’t NFL throws and most would be picked off at the NFL level. Coastal Carolina made him look pedestrian FFS. I think that dude is going to be the biggest QB bust in this draft.

I'm with you. Picking in the top 10 I'd LOVE to come away with a QB, I just don't think there will be one worth the pick when it gets to us.

Trade anything and everything for Deshaun Watson. Would be nice to have a decent QB here once again for the first time in 5 years.

**** Shurmur, he’s not the type of OC that you bend to his will ... you’d end up with Case Keesum FFS.

I’m gun shy about giving any OC too much control of QB, they all want the “Coach on the field” that HAS TO RUN the paint-by-numbers version of their precious system. Look at Kubiak and PFM, there’s nothing more arrogant than forcing PFM to run your system.

No, if Fields doesn’t fit Shurmur then the problem is Shurmur.

I don't get why people don't see Lock is not the guy. They make every excuse for him while ignoring Herbert just showed he IS a franchise guy.

I wouldn't be taking Manning's endorsement as any kind of positive thing either. He personally vouched for Adam Gase as well.

Originally Posted by Tbolt

I don't get why people don't see Lock is not the guy. They make every excuse for him while ignoring Herbert just showed he IS a franchise guy.

I wouldn't be taking Manning's endorsement as any kind of positive thing either. He personally vouched for Adam Gase as well.

This is my thing. The excuse for him last year was "well he had a new OC and no offseason". This was also true for Burrow and Herbert and they both looked like stars last year. Then the rebuttal to that was "yeah but they were both top 10 picks so they were supposed to be that good". To which I'd say "so we're ok with Lock not being that good just because he was picked later? So why are we cool with just handing him the keys to the franchise?"

I'm still not 100% out on Lock, I'd like to see him get a shot with a whole offseason of continuity with the same OC and getting Sutton back, I'm just not holding my breath it's going to be that much better this year.

I just don't think you can downplay the fact we had one of (if not the) youngest offenses last year, on top of a new OC. Lock also did not have a veteran QB to mentor him, as did Herbert.

If he doesn't do it this coming season, than bye, Felicia!

Originally Posted by Tbolt

I don't get why people don't see Lock is not the guy. They make every excuse for him while ignoring Herbert just showed he IS a franchise guy.

I wouldn't be taking Manning's endorsement as any kind of positive thing either. He personally vouched for Adam Gase as well.

Herbert had a healthy Keenan Allen and didn't have a shoulder injury to come back from on his throwing arm. Lock had Tim Patrick and some rookies that cant catch a football while coming back from a shoulder injury to his throwing arm. comparing the 2 is like comparing apples and oranges....

Originally Posted by BroncoWave

This is my thing. The excuse for him last year was "well he had a new OC and no offseason". This was also true for Burrow and Herbert and they both looked like stars last year. Then the rebuttal to that was "yeah but they were both top 10 picks so they were supposed to be that good". To which I'd say "so we're ok with Lock not being that good just because he was picked later? So why are we cool with just handing him the keys to the franchise?"

I'm still not 100% out on Lock, I'd like to see him get a shot with a whole offseason of continuity with the same OC and getting Sutton back, I'm just not holding my breath it's going to be that much better this year.

There some credence to what you said, for me I'm more inclined to believe Lock's struggles last year were because of losing Sutton and his own injuries. I mean when Tim Patrick is your top WR for the year your QB isn't the only problem.....But hey Jerry ran some pretty routes last year to....

Also I don't think Lock should be handed the keys yet. I think he should realize he has some things to work on and he needs to come back and show it and compete. Everything about Lock is that he is blocking out the noise and working hard for next year that's god to hear. Give the guy his shot and if he fails you rebuild. 3 years and some continuity is what you should give rookies who show promise IMO.

Originally Posted by BroncoJoe

I just don't think you can downplay the fact we had one of (if not the) youngest offenses last year, on top of a new OC. Lock also did not have a veteran QB to mentor him, as did Herbert.

If he doesn't do it this coming season, than bye, Felicia!

What exactly did Burrow have? All I see is excuses for Lock, guy has the biggest fan club I have ever seen. So you really think Tyrod was spending time on the side mentoring Herbert? GMAFB with that one. He got in week 2 and they couldn't take him off the field. He was supposed to be raw too.

They may have no choice but to go with Lock, but I don't see that ever amounting to anything. He can hang in the league as an A+ backup, but he is not a franchise guy. Other teams figure out that their Deshone Kizer's and Josh Rosens just don't have it much quicker and move the heck on, but we gotta give everyone multiple seasons so we can be sure that what we are seeing is really it before we address it.

ETA: Elevation, you are in Italy? I am in Vicenza.