Disconnect on offense?
Lock, Shurmur must coexist for Broncos
Q: It appears Drew Lock is not taking to the coaching from Pat Shurmur/ Mike Shula. When his first read isn’t open, he always ( not sometimes) scrambles/ bails to the right. Then his footwork fails him and he throws off his back foot. He is only successful the last two fourth quarters because defenses have slowed their rush and played softer coverage with a large lead. He shines when there is no pressure from the pocket. This is exactly who he was at Missouri. I guess I am frustrated because of the constant drafting of players Elway thinks can be fixed. Thoughts?
— Brennan, Jenks, Okla.
RO: Who knows what is going on behind the scenes between quarterback ( Lock), play- caller ( Shurmur) and position coach ( Shula). But the conversations better be honest and constructive this week.
Lock’s back- foot throws have got him in trouble this year, the product of a young player trying his best to make a play.
I agree with your point on Lock taking advantage of soft coverages, particularly against Atlanta.
Q: Why is our team looking like they are not prepared every week like we don’t watch film?
— Cornell Brown, Denver
RO: A sweeping statement wrapped in a question. I’ll swing it in the direction of detail attention. Ten and 12 men on the field defensively. A false start to begin an offensive drive. Multiple special teams issues.
The Broncos spent hours meeting and preparing for the Las Vegas game, but something was lost in the translation and the product put forth was an eyesore.
Q: Why is the offense so bad and why keep playing the same QB when he makes the same mistakes week in, week out? In the long run this does not help him or the team. — Keith, Hemel Hempstead, England
RO: I wonder if Keith would have been at Tottenham Stadium for this year’s BroncosFalcons game in London that was scrapped because of the coronavirus. Lock remains the Broncos’ best available quarterback.
Remember, Brett Rypien’s first and only start, against the Jets in Week 4, featured more interceptions ( three) than touchdowns ( one).
Where I disagree: Lock needs to keep playing if healthy. The Broncos need to use the final seven games as an experiment to see if he can be their guy moving forward.
Q: How do you feel about my 2021 offseason plan for the Broncos: Fire the whole coaching staff except Ed Donatell if Fangio doesn’t want to be defensive coordinator. Hire Eric Bieniemy. Try everything to sign Dak Prescott or try to trade for Deshaun Watson.
— Uday Chaudhary, Cypress, Texas
RO: Uday is done with this Broncos’ season and is already looking toward 2021. Bieniemy, the former Colorado running back/ assistant coach, will again be on the radar of teams needing a head coach. But if I’m Bieniemy, how attractive would the Broncos’ job be? As for Prescott and Watson, stranger things have happened. The Cowboys have fallen apart minus Prescott, further increasing his value to Dallas. And the Texans are going to have Watson as the centerpiece of their rebuild, perhaps teamed with Bieniemy.