Pat Shurmur provides cryptic hints about the Broncos QB battle
Aug 3, 2021, 3:46 PM
The No. 1 topic of conversation at Broncos training camp every day is the quarterback battle. The competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater is the focal point of the fans and the media in attendance.
Through the first week of so of practice, Vic Fangio has weighed in on the showdown, as have the two combatants. On Tuesday, it was Denver’s offensive coordinator who finally got to weigh in.
Pat Shurmur met with the media after what can only be described as a less-than-scintillating day on the field. He was quick to point out that the scorekeeping on the QB battle can be a tricky proposition.
“You have to be a little bit careful when you’re doing the math on who played well and who didn’t,” Shurmur explained. “We might have a period with five plays with three runs, a play action and a screen.”
That was certainly the case on Tuesday. In pads for the first time, the Broncos were run-heavy during practice. That made judging Lock and Bridgewater difficult. That was compounded by some other factors, as well.
“We did a drill today where we were actually trying to throw incompletions to stop the clock,” Shurmur added. “So you might say, ‘Holy smokes, that was a crappy throw.’ No, that’s what we were designed to do. Sadly for you guys, you don’t have the scripts and you don’t know the intention of our drills.”
That’s fair. The coaches know better than anyone, other than perhaps the quarterbacks, what’s going well and what isn’t. Unfortunately, they aren’t providing any hints as to what they’re seeing.
“I’ve seen both guys getting better,” Shurmur said. “This is the best version of Drew that I’ve seen. He’s really done a really good job. And Teddy has experience; he’s got experienced in multiple offenses.”
That isn’t exactly glowing praise for either QB.
“(Teddy) is getting better each day,” Shurmur added. “Obviously, Drew had an advantage to some degree and far as knowing how we function, but Teddy’s caught up. He’s doing a good job.”
In other words, Bridgewater is exactly what everyone expected. The variable in all of this is Lock; he’s the one who can show progress.
“We’re making corrections with Drew that you would make with a quarterback in the second year of a system – little decision making things or getting the ball here a little quicker,” Shurmur explained.
In other words, the Broncos are working to make the more talented quarterback less mistake prone. And if they can’t, they have a fallback option that they’re comfortable with if needed.
As Shurmur knows, that could be the case this season. For a number of reasons.
“The unintended consequence of this is that (the competition) will help both of them play as their best version,” the offensive coordinator explained. “Sadly, teams typically need two quarterbacks to play throughout the year. So all the good work that they’re getting will help both of them.”
So who’s winning the QB battle? That’s for those of us without the script, or the decoder ring, to try to decipher.
