Denver Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco says he wasn’t brought to Denver to be a mentor to young draft pick Drew Lock in his latest media session.
The Denver Broncos didn’t trade for quarterback Joe Flacco to mentor young players, and he’s not going to champion that responsibility on his own, either.
This is the NFL. This is a dog-eat-dog industry and especially at the quarterback position where your job is rarely — if ever — safe.
Flacco is a former Super Bowl MVP who was just Wally Pipped in Baltimore by first-round pick Lamar Jackson after four years of average/below average play.
The Ravens moved on from the guy they once drafted in the first round and the guy who played one of the best postseasons you will ever see from a quarterback in 2012 en route to Super Bowl MVP honors.
It’s understandable, given what Flacco went through last year with the Ravens, that he’s not really all that interested in ‘mentoring’ Broncos second-round pick Drew Lock.
Flacco, in the nicest way possible, said he’s not in Denver to do that. He talked about the fact that he was brought in to win football games and to play the quarterback position the best he possibly can.
He spoke to the media after day one of Broncos OTAs on Monday and said that it’s offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello’s job to make sure Lock comes along as a player, not his. He said he hopes his greatest influence comes on the field.
"“Listen, I’ve got so many things to worry about. I’m trying to play good football…I’m not worried about developing guys or any of that. That is what it is. Like I said, I hope he does develop. I don’t look at that as my job. My job is to go win games for this football team.”Broncos QB Joe Flacco (quotes via live press conference stream)"
Flacco could have been blunt with reporters and just said ‘no’ but I like the way he phrased this.
This isn’t a bad quote or a negative quote, and it didn’t come across that way. Flacco isn’t taking Drew Lock under his wing and he’s absolutely right — developing Lock (or any young QB for that matter) is the job of an offensive coordinator.
If the Broncos wanted a player/coach, they could have saved a fourth-round draft pick and signed Josh McCown or someone like that. They traded for Flacco, and the expectation upon bringing in a guy like that is to win football games.
That’s Flacco’s primary concern. If Lock happens to out-play Flacco at some point, well that’s sort of the goal isn’t it?
Drew Lock has to learn how to be a pro on his own, and it seems he’s doing a fine job of that already.
As a four-year starter at Missouri, he’s not drinking through a fire hose by any means. He already comes across like a veteran whenever he gets in front of a microphone anyway.
I’ll take this time to remind us all — the Broncos are very fortunate that Drew Lock fell to the second round, and that they were able to move up to get him. He’s a stud.
Lock is going to take care of his work all his own. He doesn’t need Flacco to pull him aside and tell him all the tricks of the trade. If that happens, Flacco may get cut and miss out on $20 million this year.
Would you sacrifice $20 million so someone’s favorite team could have their quarterback of the future step in sooner rather than later?
I don’t think so.
I take no issue with what Flacco said, or the way he said it. In fact, the more I hear this guy talk, the more I like him. He’s all about business, and there’s something Drew Lock can learn and appreciate about that.
Everything is earned in the NFL. Flacco had to earn his lumps and then he had his job taken from him before he got a fresh start in Denver. Lock has talked before about how important the backup quarterback was to him at Missouri, and how he’s going to cherish being that same type of guy in the NFL for as long as he has to be.
That just means the longer he sits on the sideline the more he’s going to want to make every throw in practice, take advantage of every rep, and prove to the coaching staff week in and week out that he’s the man for the job.