ENGLEWOOD, CO – MARCH 15: The Denver Broncos introduced their new quarterback Joe Flacco during a press conferences at the UCHealth Training Center March 15, 2019, in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Joe Amon/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Joe Flacco might play like a decent quarterback in 2019, but he’s still not going to do anything to help Drew Lock lead the Broncos into the future.
Joe Flacco will always be remembered by Ravens fans for winning a Super Bowl, but his legacy in Baltimore was tarnished by the way he handled the team’s decision to draft Lamar Jackson. Instead of helping the rookie signal caller adjust to life in the NFL, he kept him at arm’s length. Unfortunately for the Broncos, Flacco is poised to make the same mistake in Denver.
Any hope that the 34-year-old quarterback might have learned from his Ravens mistakes was dashed with Flacco’s comments the media on Monday. He was quick to tell reporters that developing second-round pick Drew Lock “wasn’t his job.” It’s clear that Flacco is going to focus all of his energies on keeping the starting gig for himself. He’ll leave Lock’s development solely to the team’s offensive coaching staff.
It’s a philosophy that reeks of desperation. While it’s understandable that Flacco wants to remain a starter for as long as possible, he still should feel a responsibility to help other quarterbacks on his roster develop their skills. At the very least, Flacco should want to make sure his team will be in capable hands if he’s forced to miss action due to injury.
Instead, it’s obvious that Flacco is going to do everything he can to keep Lock in the dark. That’s the obvious subtext present in his recent comments to the media. The veteran didn’t come out and say anything negative about Lock, but it’s clear he doesn’t want to have a warm relationship with his competition. It might be even worse than that. It’s possible that Flacco isn’t going to communicate with Lock at all.
The Broncos coaching staff deserves some blame here as well. They should make it clear to Flacco that part of his job this season is to help Lock get ready to go. At best, Flacco might be able to hold on to the starting job for another season or two. At worst, Denver is going to turn to Lock this season when they fall out of the race for a postseason berth.
Add it all up and the quarterback room is a recipe for disaster for the Broncos this season. It’s not something the organization shouldn’t have anticipated though. Flacco is set to repeat the immature, unprofessional behavior that sullied the end of his tenure with the Ravens. Don’t be surprised if his bad attitude costs him his job with the Broncos sooner than he expects.