Denver Broncos: Garett Bolles figured it out, so can Drew Lock
Garett Bolles figured it out for the Denver Broncos, so can Drew Lock.
Currently sitting at 4-7, the 2020 Denver Broncos seem to be on their way to another losing season, which would mark the fourth in a row dating back to 2017.
However, over the last couple of years, we have seen many young players on the Denver Broncos show flashes of potential greatness, and even though they are a combined 11-15 since the start of Vic Fangio’s tenure, I am immensely excited for the future, on both sides of the ball, but more so the offense, as I want to specifically focus on quarterback Drew Lock and left tackle Garett “Pro” Bolles.
Yes, I am excited about the future of the Denver Broncos’ offense. Call me crazy, but I believe there is loads of evidence to support this claim.
I could spend the next 700 words talking about how Jerry Jeudy is already breaking opposing DB’s ankles, how Tim Patrick is a true WR1, or how the Broncos have the best backfield in the NFL, but I’m not going to do that. Instead, I want to focus on a less-sexy position and relate it to our young, promising quarterback.
Garett Bolles figured it out, and so can Drew Lock.
When Lock took over at the tail end of 2019, Broncos fans collectively got excited, and for good reason. In Lock’s five starts in 2019, the team went 4-1 and only gave up 5 sacks, which would pace the offensive line at 16 for an entire season, which would surely be fewest in the league.
Seeing Lock lead the team to four wins was refreshing, but it was largely due to the fact that he had time to throw, especially when Garett Bolles turned into a brick wall. Throughout his career, Bolles often went through a handful of games where he looked special, then seemingly crashed back to Earth and looked like a bust, but not this year.
In fact, PFF has graded Garett Bolles as the best overall left tackle in the NFL. And this is no coincidence. I firmly believe that the emergence of Bolles, who has surely played well enough to earn his new contract, is largely due to offensive line coach-mastermind-genius Mike Munchak.
Munchak joined the Denver Broncos in 2019 after they hired Vic Fangio to be their head coach. Since then, the offensive line has been in his hands, and we have seen steady improvement from this unit since his arrival. Bolles has taken the biggest leap and has cemented himself as a top-tier left tackle.
Even though I was a dedicated Bolles hater, I am glad that I’ve been proven wrong, at least in 2020. I believe that a large part of Bolles’ success is not only due to Munchak, but also due to having the same coach two years in a row. Developing chemistry and continuity with fellow players and coaching is not just a talking point, but a proven idea in the NFL, and most other professional sports.
This idea obviously worked for Bolles, and it is why I believe the team should afford quarterback Drew Lock and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur another year.
The offense has not looked pretty most of the season, but we have seen sparks of greatness, and this should be expected with a new offensive coordinator, developing quarterback, and overall youngest offense in the league. How would firing Pat Shurmur and getting rid of Drew Lock help this team develop?
If this does in fact happen, we will be in another situation where we face uncertainties at the quarterback position and have to fill the offensive coordinator position yet again. I ultimately think that firing Rich Scangarello was a mistake, and wish he was still the offensive coordinator, but firing Shurmur after a rocky year will further hurt the Broncos’ chances at becoming relevant again.
Just look at the developments of Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Jared Goff, and Derek Carr. They are all franchise quarterbacks who at one point struggled in the NFL, and each QB has been in the same or very similar offensive system for multiple years now. Their front offices afforded them time to develop in a system, kept them in that system for multiple years, and are now reaping the benefits of their decision.
If the Broncos want to be competitive again, they should take this approach with Drew Lock and Pat Shurmur.