Elway Worried 'The Roof Will Cave In' on QB Drew Lock

GM John Elway is reluctant to start the clock on the Drew Lock era in Denver.

If anyone has a deep knowledge gained at the hard end of a difficult and traumatic rookie season, it would be John Elway. While the deep end and sink-or-swim strategy is one approach to take with rookie quarterbacks, it’s one that Elway seems dead against when it comes to his young signal-caller Drew Lock.

The Denver Broncos GM in recent days has been extremely vocal and forthright, even in the face of mounting pressure and criticism on a personal level. He has chosen to speak openly on the reasoning behind his trade of Emmanuel Sanders and has now established the Broncos' approach moving forward on the team's plans to develop their potential QB of the future.

Elway used the weekly platform on KOA radio to add meat to the bones on his take that Lock is nowhere near returning to action,

“The most important thing with a young QB is not to put him out there before he is ready,” Elway told Logan and Lewis on Wednesday.

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This could be construed as having several different meanings because Lock has not yet resumed full practice till he comes off injured reserve after Week 8, so his injured thumb has not received rigorous testing and evaluation as yet. Furthermore, it also has all the hallmarks of a cautious approach in order to protect and nurture the young Missouri product along organically.

With Elway and the Broncos in the midst of receiving increasing questioning and criticism from fans, it’s emerging that the bubble wrap approach is the chosen way forward.

“If you don’t put him in a situation where he has a chance to be successful and he’s not successful, the whole roof will cave in,” Elway said.

This can as equally relate to his young potential star as much as to how comfortable Elway feels about his own job security. By keeping faith in Joe Flacco, Elway believes he can get the Broncos offense going and ultimately justify his own decision to make the trade for his struggling starter.

Elway is clearly now playing the long game and fully confident in the opinion, if not knowledge, that he can ride through the current choppy waters. Presently, it appears most, possibly all, decisions on Lock’s future and the two players who will be designated to return now reside with the Broncos GM and not the coaching or training staff.

If this all appears to you to be yet another John Elway power play, you may just be correct.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.