HEADLINE

Broncos’ Fangio says Lock ‘doesn’t know how to pitch yet’

Field Level Media

July 19, 2019 at 10:55 pm.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock found out what the school of hard knocks will be like under new head coach Vic Fangio.

On only his second day of training camp, Lock, who reportedly was in a contract stalemate earlier this week, got verbally hit below the belt Friday by the old-school coach of the Broncos.

“He’s not a quarterback yet,” Fangio told reporters. “He’s a hard-throwing pitcher that doesn’t know how to pitch yet. The faster he gets that, the better off he’ll be and we’ll be.”

Four years of experience as a starter at Missouri isn’t enough to make Lock an NFL quarterback according to Fangio, the former defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears.

“His college offense had no carryover to pro offenses,” Fangio said. “He was under duress a lot in college, so a lot of his plays he was running around. I don’t think he’s as far along being an NFL-ready QB as he could have been.”

Lock, who failed to get selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft before the Broncos grabbed him the 42nd overall pick, isn’t expected to unseat new addition Joe Flacco as the starter in 2019.

“Drew will come in and compete for the backup job,” general manager John Elway told ESPN.com in April.

Fangio sounds like the tough-talking team player Elway needs in dealing with his young gun.

“I think a quarterback that can change his arm angles is a position when it’s needed,” Fangio said. “You don’t want to do it when you don’t have to do it. Obviously if someone’s in my face and I have to do it, that’s good to have that talent. But if I’m strong in the pocket and there’s nothing, I want to throw over the top, nice and strong. I don’t want to rely on side-arms.

“It’s good that (Lock) can do that, but he needs to use that when he needs to and not when he doesn’t need to.”