1. An opportunity for patience
One reason to be excited about the Drew Lock era in Denver?
It’s an opportunity for patience — for the fans.
That’s right, Broncos fans. The days of requiring instant gratification at the quarterback position, at least for the time being, are in the past. It’s time to put on your patient pants and settle in for some silver lining Sundays for a while.
The Broncos are partly at fault for the fandom’s borderline irrationally high expectations at the quarterback position. The Broncos have typically always had a high standard at the quarterback position and if you don’t come in and get the job done, you’re going to be replaced.
The most successful quarterbacks in this team’s recent history outside of John Elway were not drafted by the Broncos. Jake Plummer took the team to the AFC Championship game. Peyton Manning took them to two Super Bowls and won one.
The last quarterback drafted by the Broncos to lead the team to the playoffs as the primary starter? Tim Tebow in 2011.
Broncos Country has had very little patience at the QB position largely because the team has exemplified a lack of patience in a way. The Broncos always want to be in a position to compete and to win, and in order to do that, you don’t really have the time to break in a young quarterback and let him take his lumps.
It’s why we’ve seen John Elway go after guys like Manning, Colin Kaepernick, Case Keenum, Kirk Cousins, Joe Flacco, Tony Romo, and others. If you’ve proven you can play QB in the NFL, Elway believes he can put a team good enough around you to win.
Lately, the guys getting brought in have been awful, and the Broncos failed to bring in a number of players on that previous list who would have been much better options than what actually ended up happening.
It’s become abundantly clear that this Broncos team is rebuilding, but with a player like Joe Flacco at quarterback, why should the fans be patient during the rebuild? You’re sending a message by putting a veteran like Flacco out there like this team should be playing well and winning games.
That’s not happening. The same was true of Case Keenum in as the starter.
If you’re not developing a young quarterback, your offense had better be playing well, at least relatively speaking, ad the Broncos have been playing putrid offense for the better part of five years.
The carousel at quarterback has been the primary reason why.
With Lock at quarterback, fans can almost watch these next five games with the same approach and mentality as preseason games. The result of the game is inconsequential, although we’d love to see Lock play well enough to win.
What we want to see now are positive signs of progression from the rookie quarterback, and just enjoy watching him grow. Expectations can be comfortably re-set.
The Broncos are rebuilding with a young quarterback at the helm, and the outcome of the games is now secondary to the young nucleus showing signs of growth and progression.