Mile High Monday: Drew Lock has developed a knack for the big play
Aug 24, 2020, 6:35 AM
The Broncos training camp is rolling on at UC Health Training Center. The team is going through the ups-and-downs we normally see at camp each year. 2020 has been an unusual year, to say the least, but one thing remains constant in camp – things are going to look good and bad in the same day, but progress is what you want to see.
I like going through the news for the Broncos and the rest of the league during camp. During this time, you can get clues as to how teams are coming together. There are no preseason games, so we don’t see the players perform against other teams. We must sift through what’s going on in each camp for updates.
I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.
Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.
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60-Yard Checkdown
Drew Lock does a great job at testing a defense deep. He always has, even dating back to his days in college at Missouri. Lock wants to attack a defense and he is not timid as a passer. That’s something we’ve seen as a constant out at training camp. Lock is going deep as much as he possibly can.
Plays are designed to go deep, but sometimes there are plays that go off script. These plays are when a quarterback must continue to be aggressive. The best passers keep their eyes down field looking to make a play with their arm while moving around with their feet.
Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur knows that this is just a natural part of Lock’s game.
“There are times — and this is part of his nature — I call them the 60-yard check downs, where he can break out of the pocket and keep his eyes down field. He does a good job of keeping his eyes down field, which I think is part of being youthful. It’s him trying to continue to make plays. Sometimes your biggest plays come on scrambles because it’s not always perfect. I think he’s doing a good job there,” Shurmur said.
#Broncos OC Shurmur said @DrewLock23 "does a good job of keeping his eyes down field." It allows for the 60-yard checkdown. #Denver7
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) August 23, 2020
Lock has a big arm and this offense should feature that as much as possible – and when designed plays break down look for Lock to attack down the field.
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Cush Push
The Broncos got a value pick when they selected LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Cushenberry could have been a first-round pick had things fell a bit differently with the players in front of him. He certainly played like an elite-level prospect during his time playing center at LSU – especially last year when the Bayou Bengals won it all with Cushenberry as a key piece of their record-setting offense.
Cushenberry has been competing with Pat Morris and Austin Schlottman in camp for the starting center position. On Sunday, Cushenberry got all the first-team reps to himself – the first time that has happened in camp so far.
Broncos head coach Vic Fangio believes that Cushenberry’s experience from college is nothing but a good thing.
“It’s obviously an advantage for him personally that he’s played center most of his college career. He’s played at a good college. Obviously, they won the championship last year. He’s played it at a high level of competition in the SEC. You could say he’s more ready that some players are coming from certain programs,” Fangio said.
Fangio: "I think Cushenberry's doing fine."
Said he's excelling at making calls at the line of scrimmage, but there's still work to do.
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) August 19, 2020
The competition at center may continue this week but we are seeing signs that Cushenberry’s push to win the job is paying off.
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Rookie Injury Woes
The Broncos rookie class has a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. They had 10 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft and to my surprise, they kept all the picks and chose the players instead of using picks to move up and down the draft board. Denver is a young team, and there are a few of these rookies who are in line to play large roles in 2020.
Three key players from this rookie class are now dealing with injury situations as camp is two weeks in. Wide receiver K.J. Hamler has a hamstring injury that puts his Week 1 status in doubt. On Sunday, cornerback Michael Ojemudia suffered a quadriceps injury that could sideline him for a few practices. Also on Sunday, linebacker Justin Strnad sustained a wrist injury, but there is not timetable known for his return.
After practice on Sunday, Fangio provided as much of an update as he can on the two rookies hurt over the weekend.
“Ojemudia’s going to be out probably at least a week, maybe past that. We’ll see. Strnad hurt his wrist during practice. I don’t have an update on that yet,” Fangio said.
Strnad has wrist injury; Ojemudia out at least a week with quad. #9sports
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) August 23, 2020
When asked about Hamler’s status, Fangio said “He’s got a ways to go.”
We’ll see these rookies return to the field at varying times. The Broncos cannot afford to have these key rookies miss much time. Hamler could be the No. 3 receiver and a big part of the offense due to his speed. Ojemudia could one day be a starter on the outside opposite of A.J. Bouye, but has not looked yet ready on the practice field. Strnad was looking like a special teams player for the team after the draft, but the calf injury to Todd Davis last week thrust him into a potential starting role next to Alexander Johnson.
The team will be cautious with these rookies as they return from injury – but hopefully this talented trio can get back out there ASAP.
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Nerd Overload
This weekend was a nerd overload thanks to DC Fandome. It was a “Comic Con-like” event for fans of DC comics, TV shows and movies. We were able to get updates and new footage/trailers on upcoming projects like “Justice League: The Snyder Cut” on HBO Max, potential blockbuster “Wonder Woman 1984” and another potential $1 billion movie in “The Batman.”
Anyone who knows me knows that I love Batman. As a comic collector, I have Batman comics dating back to the 1940s. Even though I was unsure about the casting of actor Robert Pattinson as the new Batman, I’m always willing to wait and see what things look like on the big screen. Well, at Fandome we got to see the first trailer with Pattinsoin as the Caped Crusader and it was awesome!
This is what happens when you give a passionate #Batman fanboy the keys to the franchise. WB trusting Matt Reeves was brilliant. #TheBatman #DCFanDome pic.twitter.com/7zfQUQjLxu
— Jeremy Conrad (@ManaByte) August 23, 2020
What were your favorite highlights of Fandome? Hit me up on social media and let me know!
