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The Denver Broncos have two problems. First, the injury virus won’t stop harassing this team, and second, the Broncos attack has an identity crisis.
More precisely, in whose image is this offense created? That of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur or quarterback Drew Lock?
Although they now have five full games together, Shurmur and Lock don’t seem to be on the same page. It’s either a classic square hole / round hole case, or maybe it’s a young quarterback finding his way into the NFL and banging his head along the way.
As someone with a finger on the Broncos Country pulse every day, the most common refrain I hear on social media and in the comments section here at Mile High Huddle is that Lock’s failure to cast should be put at the feet of Shurmur’s room -call.
On Sunday, Mile High SportsTJ Carpenter started a tweet that summed up perfectly how the Lock-Shurmur situation appears to those who try to line up or the tail of the gang.
“The way these games are going, I feel like the first half is what the Broncos are planning to do, and the second half is what Drew Lock wants to do. Just guesswork. , but this appears be what is happening. Maybe let Drew Lock be Drew Lock, and run the offense he loves, ”Carpenter tweeted.
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It could be a guess. But I am writing this article as “right on!” Digital! because I thought the same thing and Carpenter articulated the question perfectly. I point my cap at him.
I don’t think it goes too far to say that whatever 15-18 player scenario Shurmur sets up is not at odds with Lock’s skills, or at least what Lock naturally gravitates towards. . When chips run out and the Broncos run out of time, Shurmur has had no choice but to rush the attack, spread out the opponent and let Lock play instinctive football in the back- court.
This may not be a recipe for lasting success – and I’m open to the possibility because Lock isn’t Peyton Manning – but there has to be a lesson Shurmur can take from his quarterback’s prolific performances- quarter in the fourth quarter of the last two weeks. Watch how explosive Lock has been when the chips have run out of steam lately.
Devil’s advocate would take here to say that Lock’s decisive fourth-quarter performance should come as no surprise, given the three-point lead the opponent has groomed, which helped avoid defenses and covers. flexible below. Honestly, that can’t be refuted, although in the case of the Week 8 Chargers, they weren’t as loose defensively as the Falcons on Sunday in terms of traditional prevention strategy.
Because these surges have come to waste time, it’s harder to extrapolate or jump to far-reaching conclusions with absolute confidence. However, there are a few things the Broncos can take away from Lock’s switch flip in the last frame of these last two games.
1. Tempo helps lock in rhythm
Undeniably, playing at a quick pace and not snuggling, at times, helped Lock find his rhythm. Better late than never, right? Yes, but there are some schematic changes Shurmur can make to get that beat out of Lock earlier in the game.
2. Removing the script loosens the lock
Many NFL quarterbacks take comfort in the scripted portion of each week’s game plan, which is typically the first 15-18 games. Not all signal callers like the script, and not all QBs are meant for it.
Lock looked too repressed and stuck in his own head early in games. Maybe the script has something to do with it.
Conclusion
The sooner Shurmur can unlock his young QB to play freely and be himself on the grass, as a player, the sooner the Broncos will be able to start coming up on the board in these games and scoring touchdowns, not field goals. ground. Think about the pressure that would take off from Vic Fangio’s defense.
From the outside, looking inside, things are not always what they seem. But Carpenter’s tweet, combined with the gang and the proliferation of the #FreeLock hashtag in the Broncos Country zeitgeist, sums up what appears to be the bur stuck under this team’s saddle.
On Monday, Fangio gave his support to Shurmur and said he was convinced the besieged coordinator would turn the ship around soon, while protecting that Lock and his young supporting cast just need more reps together – both of practice and variety in the game.
While I’m sure there is some truth to Fangio’s second claim, the bottom line is that Shurmur is running out of time to figure out how to maximize Lock’s skills while this team still has a chance to play meaningful football. As Carpenter sums it up, Shurmur would be wise to do without what Coach wants do and sum up this offense to what Lock himself loves and is most comfortable to run.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
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