Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll 'Surprised' by Drew Lock

Lock has 21 career starts under his belt, but Carroll is still learning about his new quarterback.

After a decade of strong quarterback play from Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks are entering a new era, led by veteran journeyman Geno Smith and trade acquisition Drew Lock.

While Smith seems to have a solid grip on the starting job, the 25-year-old Lock has had an impressive start to training camp. Despite a rocky three years with the Denver Broncos, Lock produced enough flashes to provide intrigue surrounding his long-term future in Seattle.

With the Seahawks transitioning from training camp to the preseason, Lock is entering a key evaluation phase. The positive aspect for the Missouri native? He's already impressed head coach Pete Carroll, perhaps even exceeding his expectations.

“I’m surprised at some stuff that Drew does,” Carroll said. “His movement, his natural ability, his ability to move and throw the ball with his feet in awkward positions at times to get the ball out, his quickness of release. I saw that stuff, but until I saw the person, I didn’t know. He’s really talented.”

The 6-4, 228-pound Lock arrived in the NFL with the reputation of being a gunslinger with high-level arm talent. Following a stout rookie season, Lock entered his second campaign with the belief that he could emerge as a franchise quarterback. However, his development went lateral, and the Broncos eventually lost faith in him.

The rollercoaster ride in Denver now firmly behind him, Lock has been given a second chance with the hopes that a change of scenery will get his career back on the right track. According to Carroll, Lock has all of the physical tools needed to succeed at football's highest level.

“He has a lot of skills, man, and the game is easy for him in that sense,” Carroll stated. “Physically, he can make all the throws, do the movements, run with the football, we’ve seen him run a lot out here and take off and go. So, it’s just been the whole package that’s been a surprise to see that he’s just well-equipped.”

Carroll later added that it's now "down to the competition" between Lock and Smith, with the next opportunity to make a statement coming at 4 PM Pacific in Saturday's preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There's a chance the battle runs throughout the regular season, but if either signal caller is to stake a claim to hold the job throughout the campaign, it starts Saturday.

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