For the non-contenders, the end of the NFL schedule is a lot like election season, with coaches and players handing out endorsements for the next year.
In the case of the Broncos, Vic Fangio– who earlier this week said he expects to be back for a third season as the team’s head coach in 2021 — offered a vote of confidence for first-year offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur ahead of the finale against Las Vegas on Sunday.
Fangio believes Shurmur is “a great fit” to continue to develop Drew Lock and the array of young, talented weapons surrounding the second-year quarterback.
“(Shurmur) has got a calm demeanor,” Fangio said. “He’s been doing a good job of mixing our run-pass plays on the early downs, both what type of runs we’ve run and short, intermediate, and deep throws. I think it’s been a learning process for all our guys. The players learning the system and Pat learning our players and what’s the best formula, what’s the best approach with the guys we have. I’m excited about what Pat can bring to us moving forward.”
Shurmur, in turn, offered his own endorsement for Lock on Thursday despite the quarterback’s up-and-down 2020. In 12 games, Lock’s tossed for 2,594 yards while completing 57% of his passes, last in the NFL. He’s thrown for 14 touchdowns but also 15 interceptions, which is tied for the league lead with Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz.
“Everybody talks about this being year two (for Lock), but it’s really not year two, in my mind,” Shurmur said. “It’s like a continuation of year one because he didn’t have the whole front half of year two. There’s a lot of things that he’s done really, really well and then there’s some mistakes that become glaring when it comes from the quarterback position. Everything that he’s done and made a mistake on is correctable.”
The offensive coordinator said that because the Broncos have “the youngest offense by 1,000 reps of anybody in the league,” he expects next season to pay dividends for a unit ranked 27th in yards per game (328.2), tied for 29th in points per game (19.5) and 27th in third-down percentage (38.2%).
“When you get through this period, it’s a real bonus going into next year,” Shurmur said.
He believes part of that “bonus” will be enhanced decision-making from Lock after the 24-year-old demonstrated a tendency for reckless throws this season.
“We talk about decision-making early and late in the down,” Shurmur said. “There are times when he scrambled outside of the pocket and made (a good) play. It’s just a fine line and I think the important thing is to play with confidence, play with moxie, but also not be anxious, because then you can’t do the easy things.”
Shurmur also addressed the play of center Lloyd Cushenberry and wideout Jerry Jeudy, the two most featured rookies in Denver’s offense this season.
Cushenberry has played all 995 offensive snaps this season as he’s gone through typical first-year growing pains, especially for someone who has to direct coverage assignments up front. Shurmur believes the third-round pick, who has been flagged once, has improved “in all areas.” Cushenberry’s allowed five disruptions over the last seven games after allowing 15 in the first eight.
“I think back to early in the year (and) we started off by playing three playoff teams this year in Tennessee, Pittsburgh and then Tampa Bay,” Shurmur said. “We’ve given up 30 sacks — we gave up 13 in two games (across Week 2 and Week 3) and here’s a guy that’s fresh out of college playing and involved in all that. Since that time, things have settled down some. If you’re talented, you work hard and you’re tough, the reps help. I think as the season has gone on, he’s battled through that (early adversity).”
In the case of Jeudy, who is coming off a nightmare game in which he dropped five passes to bring his drop total to 10 on the season, Shurmur believes the first-round pick has to “just keep battling through (tough times) and (do) the work that’s required.” Jeudy has 47 catches for 716 yards and two touchdowns.
“There’s a lot to be learned by all these reps that he’s getting,” Shurmur said. “He’s done some really good things this year and as he gets older, and works harder at it, it become more consistent. Our job as a coach is to have the hard conversations with (players) but be positive with them and encourage them to do the work, and then have the success and then build the confidence. That’s certainly where it’s at (with Jeudy).”
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January 01, 2021 at 06:56AM
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Broncos believe Pat Shurmur is “great fit” to keep developing quarterback Drew Lock and young Denver offense in 2021 - The Denver Post
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