Every great NFL player always has one thing that follows him throughout his career, a great nickname. One name that should stand out in most Denver Broncos fans memory as of recent is “The Sheriff”. That would be the nickname of none other than Peyton Manning. Nicknames are earned by their style of play or crafted based on the player’s persona. Others just seem to fall into place due to circumstances beyond control. Denver Broncos current starting quarterback Drew Lock has sought out The Sheriff for some sage wisdom this offseason. It only seems fitting that Drew Lock should be referred to as “The Deputy” in Denver.
Denver Broncos: Deputy Drew Lock
Going into this coming season there is quite a bit of optimism around the quarterback position for once. It seems that John Elway has finally found his franchise quarterback in Drew Lock after his strong finish to last season. During his five-game stretch, Lock was able to complete 64% of his passes for 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns. Not bad for being thrown in at the end of a bad season but that wasn’t the most impressive part. It was the way that he commanded the offense once he took the field and just the pure confidence he exudes. His confidence in himself allows him to bring the best out in his teammates.
Throughout the media landscape, Drew Lock is getting critically underrated as an upcoming starter for the 2020 NFL season. Some believe that Elway is falling in love with the allure of upside after an uneven five-game stretch, as stated by Gregg Rosenthal. Most place Drew Lock around the bottom of the starting 32 NFL quarterbacks usually falling around 27. Although unlikely, some feel the Denver Broncos need to seek out another Free Agent quarterback.
Odds for what team Cam Newton will be on for Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season (BetOnline):
Chargers +200
Redskins +275
Broncos +350
Dolphins +600
Jaguars +700
Patriots +900
Raiders +1600
Steelers +2500
Bengals +4000 pic.twitter.com/lVaEgbo9eu— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) April 11, 2020
Deputy Drew
Nevertheless, Denver made it very clear that Lock was the starter going forward by releasing Joe Flacco and signing journeyman Jeff Driskel to back him up. If you took Drew Lock’s limited sample size and expanded it across a full 16 games his numbers would be on pace for 3,264 yards with 22 touchdowns to 10 picks. With his .800 winning percentage in the last five games, the Denver Broncos very well could have gone 9-7 this past season. Compared to his rookie counterparts Daniel Jones and Kyler Murray who posted winning percentages of .250 and .313.
Deputy Drew Lock is on his way to making himself a legend in his own right in Denver. In short time Drew Lock will be the new gunslinger in the West looking to take down the Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City Chiefs. To quote the great Wyatt Earp from the movie Tombstone:
From now on I see a red sash, I kill the man wearing it. So run you cur. And tell the other curs the law is coming. You tell ’em I’m coming! And Hell’s coming with me you hear! Hell’s coming with me!
Looking at you Kansas City…
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
