Andy Reid shares “the beautiful thing” about Drew Lock

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Drew Lock isn’t a stranger to Andy Reid. And not just since the Broncos’ starting quarterback entered the NFL and AFC West in 2019.

Reid’s familiarity with the Lock family actually began with Andy Lock, Drew’s father, before the Broncos’ quarterback was even born.

“His dad actually played for me at the University of Missouri, so I’ve known about [Drew] for a while,” Reid said, talking about when he was Andy Lock’s offensive line coach at Mizzou in 1989.

Then, Drew became a “True Son” of Missouri — meaning he grew up in Missouri and then attended the University of Missouri. With Lock playing high school ball only 20 minutes down the road from Arrowhead Stadium, Reid knew who the young quarterback was.

The “local kid,” as Reid called him, was then drafted by his hometown team’s archrival Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

“It’s cool to be able to kind of put the Darth Vader mask on and steer away from Jedi and come to the dark side, so to say, over here in Denver,” Lock said with a big grin on Wednesday. “I kind of like playing that guy. Hopefully, I can be that guy and get a win this Sunday and start the rivalry.”

Now on the dark side, Drew’s locked himself in as the Broncos’ starting Q, as Lock would call it.

“They’ve got a good young quarterback,” Reid stated about Lock on Wednesday.

“Any compliment from Andy Reid is one that you can take to the grave and be proud of, that’s for sure. My dad has always spoken highly of him back in his days of playing,” Lock said. “Any compliment from him is great.”

Although Lock was only able to put three points on the board the first time he faced the Chiefs in Week 15 last year, the offensive mastermind had high praise for the Broncos’ starting quarterback.

“Certain guys just play big — I mean he is big, but he plays big in the pocket. He’s not flinchy at all,” Reid stated. “He’s got a nice touch. Seems like a very nice feel for what they are asking him to do.”

As a self-defined gunslinger, confidence has never been a question in Lock’s game. But Drew said it’s more than just his internal confidence that allows him to play big.

“It takes a lot of focus in practice… We try to be disciplined enough in practice to where we can try and come out and make those big plays,” Lock stated. “We’ve seen the looks. We know our plays. We know our scripts. We know everything to be able to go out there and play big, take the shots. We’re confident in the plays that are being called and we’re confident in the guys around us to be able to go out and make those big plays.”

Reid knows a good quarterback when he sees one. Heck, he identified, drafted and groomed Patrick Mahomes into the player he is today — the best player in the league, according to Bradley Chubb.

After following Lock throughout his high school career at Lee’s Summit and Mizzou, one of the best offensive minds the game has ever had sprinkled one more compliment Drew’s way.

“The beautiful thing is he’s getting better with time. That’s a great thing,” Reid said about the second-year quarterback he’s known about for many, many years.

One of the best defensive minds the game has ever had echoed Reid’s sentiment with one caveat.

“His progress has been good when he’s been out there,” Fangio said about Lock’s improvement. “Since we got him, he missed the first 10 weeks of the season last year. Did a nice job getting his first action down the stretch. Has a good camp this year, then gets hurt very early in the 10th or 11th play in the second game. Misses all of that game, really, and all of the next two. He gets the start last week, so.

“We need a good stretch with him, where he can play the rest of the season for instance and get comfortable in there. The guys get comfortable with him. The coaches get to know him better and tailor things to him that he does well,” Denver’s head coach continued. “He’s doing good. I’m glad we have him. I have great hope for him. We’re glad we have him.”

With an offensive and defensive genius praising Lock, the future certainly seems bright for Missouri’s True Son who has now gone to the dark side in Orange & Blue.

But the final verdict on Lock is still out. When asked how long it takes for a quarterback to show who he is in the NFL, Fangio pointed to the MVP quarterback the Broncos face this Sunday.

“The great ones get better every day, every season, every game. Just like Mahomes,” Fangio said. “It’s hard for you to believe, you might think I’m just blowing smoke, but he’s better this year than he was last year. And he was better last year than he was the year before. These are young quarterbacks that regardless of what level they’re at right now, they can continue to improve because their skillsets just keep getting better and better.”

The Broncos hope Drew Lock will fall into the “young quarterbacks” category that Fangio said continues to get better and better. In Andy Reid’s eyes, that’s the beautiful thing about Denver’s Q.