Drew Lock has the right attitude after a bad scrimmage

Drew Lock had the right attitude after the offense’s bad scrimmage on Saturday.

The Denver Broncos’ offense didn’t fare well against Vic Fangio’s defense when the team had a scrimmage at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday. If the fans had been able to attend the practice, the offense might have heard some boos raining down, but quarterback Drew Lock stressed the importance of what the offense needs to take away from an experience like that.

Lock and the Broncos’ offense are young. There are times when you see highlight-reel plays and dream about how many 40-point games this team could possibly have, and then there are times when the reality of the lack of reps throughout the offseason combined with the team’s youth just overcome their natural talent.

Lock has worked tirelessly to improve his fundamentals since he got to Denver, and he obviously spent the majority of last season on IR, working his way back onto the field with virtual reality, rehab, and off-the-field studying.

This year, he’s learning on the job in offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s offense.

Vic Fangio isn’t going to take it easy on the offense in camp. He’s going to send live bullets and make the offense make adjustments.

Lock, as any competitor would be after a frustrating day of practice, isn’t going to waste any time sulking.

"“I feel like you do find a quarterback that’s not upset and hurt to the core after a practice where you kind of get your butt kicked, then you’ve got the wrong guy leading your team. Of course, right now I’m upset. I would have rather played a lot better, but it’s a learning moment for me. That’s where you have to go after the fact, after you get out the ‘Wow, that was bad,’ upset, beating yourself up. You can do that for probably a half hour after the game. Obviously, the emotions are running high. I’m going to do that probably for the next 10 more minutes. Then I’m going to let it go. I’m going to figure out what I did wrong, watch my feet. I’m going to watch the plays. I’m going to watch what the defense did, see if they brought something different today. I’m going to just really try and correct myself over the next days until we get out there Monday.”Drew Lock (via Broncos PR)"

Lock’s recollection of every rep called out during practice is impressive, especially the ones where he makes mistakes.

Hearing Lock say he’s ‘hurt to the core’ after a bad practice is the right attitude, but it’s also great that he’s not going to let a bad practice linger.

Quarterbacks in the NFL have to have a short memory in some respects. If you are constantly dwelling on mistakes, you can develop a learned fear of making them again.

The fear of making mistakes is not the same as a deliberate action to avoid making them.

That’s why when Lock talks about how he’s going to correct himself, it shows what John Elway and others have mentioned as a big reason why this young quarterback can have success in the NFL. Elway mentioned early on in the offseason that the game didn’t appear too big for Lock, and mental fortitude is part of what he’s alluding to there.

Can you go out on the field in a tough situation and make mistakes and not repeat them?

Fangio has noted throughout camp that he thinks Lock is doing a good job of not making the same mistake twice, which is obviously one big thing coaches look for at every position group.

For Lock, intangibles are crucial. It’s one thing to throw an interception, but another thing completely to be sulking on the sideline over it, and bring that to the field your next time out.

Lock’s mental toughness shows he has the ability to bounce back, and as a competitor, he wants the ball in those situations to prove he can come back from a bad decision.

That’s the right attitude for any player, but it’s especially critical for the quarterback.