As the saying goes, when you have two quarterbacks, you have none. The Broncos believe that they currently have two quarterbacks, and that they have two quarterbacks.
“Both of these guys have done well,” coach Vic Fangio said of Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater after Saturday’s 30-3 win over the Seahawks in Seattle. “We can play and win with either one of these guys, and that’s a good thing.”
Fangio hasn’t made a decision as to which of the two will start the first game that counts, three weeks from the regular-season opener at the Giants.
“The calendar’s closing in on us,” Fangio said. “It won’t be tomorrow. The earliest it would be would be early next week, or we’ll let it go another week. These guys, both of them, Drew and Teddy, have done well, as you guys have seen, and they’ve made it a hard decision. We’ll give it thorough thought. We’ve been discussing it with the coaches, with [General Manager] George [Paton] all along, and we’ll continue to do that.”
Bridgewater got the start and played two series. Drew Lock handled five series. It amounted to 23 snaps for Bridgewater and 29 for Lock.
Bridgewater completed nine of 11 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Lock completed nine of 14 passes for 80 yards (136.74 rating). Bridgewater led the offense to two touchdowns on his two drives (79.46 rating). Lock led the offense to nine points (three field goals).
It’s somewhat surprising that it’s this close. Lock would seem to be the favorite, given that he has the higher ceiling and was a second-round pick. Bridgewater, however, has an underrated calm and consistency. Fangio praised Teddy’s subtle ability to buy time without running.
“He’s got good quarterback awareness and instincts,” Fangio said as to Bridgewater. “I think it’s shown in the way he can move within a pocket, and buy time that way. You know, there’s two types of elusive quarterbacks, the ones that run around and there’s the other ones that manipulate the pocket to buy time. And the best in the last 20 years of that has been Tom Brady. And he’s got a little of that in him, as far as manipulating the pocket.”
Fangio also pointed out that there were some “protection breakdowns” when Lock was on the field. “I want to see all his plays with a remote in my hand and take a good look at it, rather than what I saw at the field at the time,” Fangio said.
When it comes to what matters most — turning possessions into touchdowns — Bridgewater was perfect last night.
“I just wanted to get my unit to the end zone,” Bridgewater told reporters after the game. “That’s been my message throughout training camp. My mentor, my great mentor [Bill Parcells], he always tells me, ‘Hey, just get your unit to the end zone. No matter how you do it, just get them in the end zone.’ And that’s my mindset every time I step foot on the field is how can I get this unit that’s out here with me competing and battling every play to the end zone, because that’s the most exciting feeling, when you score a touchdown.”
A slightly more exciting feeling could be coming for Bridgewater within the next week or so, if Fangio informs Bridgewater that he will be the starter when the Broncos begin the season with a rematch of the first Super Bowl victory engineered by Teddy’s mentor.