Kiszla: Drew Lock gets leg up on Teddy Bridgewater in race to be 25th-best quarterback in the NFL

MINNEAPOLIS — Don’t recognize the blistery fuss astir who’s going to beryllium the starting backmost successful Broncos Country. This obsession with the contention betwixt Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater is arsenic misguided arsenic it is irrelevant.

Long earlier the Broncos took the tract Saturday and knocked the Skol retired of Minnesota 33-6 successful a crippled that doesn’t number successful the standings, the champion QB for the occupation successful Colorado had already became a no-brainer for me.

His sanction is Justin Fields. He plays backmost for the Chicago Bears.

Broncos wide manager George Paton messed up by not drafting Fields, who would person Broncos Country buzzing.

Bridgewater and Lock? We strain to prolong suspense connected the choice.

“I privation it to beryllium a hard decision,” said Denver manager Vic Fangio, who called the contention “even-steven.”

Before 1 much breathless connection is added to the endlessly circular statement astir whether the Broncos would beryllium amended disconnected with Get-A-Clue Drew and Teddy Band-Aid, let’s admit Denver took the incorrect subordinate with the No. 9 wide prime successful the NFL draft.

OK, spell up and get excited astir Broncos rookie cornerback Pat Surtain II pouncing connected a pathetic propulsion by aboriginal annuity salesman Jake Browning and taking the interception 30 yards to the location for a touchdown. “Knack for the ball,” Surtain said.

With uncommon exceptions, however, defence does not triumph championships successful the NFL.

Quarterbacks rule. No discourtesy to young Mr. Surtain, due to the fact that helium mightiness good beryllium to beryllium a foundational portion successful the Denver defence for the adjacent decade. But if a cornerback is the look of your franchise, you’re doomed to get beaten by Patrick Mahomes successful the playoffs.

That’s wherefore the real, untold communicative of this summertime day could beryllium recovered 400 miles to the southeast of wherever Lock and Bridgewater waged conflict for the accidental to go the 25th-best backmost successful the NFL. At Soldier Field, the assemblage chanted “Let’s Go Fields!” arsenic the rookie from Ohio State broke the huddle with the Bears during the 2nd 4th of an accumulation crippled against Miami.

After taking a blistery infinitesimal to get his bearings, Fields served announcement wherefore Chicago did the close happening by drafting Fields astatine No. 11 successful the archetypal round, 2 slots aft Surtain went to Denver.

Every rookie backmost takes missteps. But the archetypal clip Fields stepped connected an NFL field, helium showed existent imaginable to beryllium a unit successful this league. While completing 70% of his walk attempts, Fields threw for a touchdown. He besides ran for a touchdown.

“I decidedly consciousness bully extracurricular of the pocket,” Fields told reporters successful Chicago. “It puts a batch of unit connected the defence and allows maine to play backyard shot with the receivers.”

Pro shot has evolved to a spot wherever QBs request to beryllium legit threats to bushed the defence with some limb endowment and ft speed, thing the Broncos person been painfully dilatory to realize.

The contention betwixt Lock and Bridgewater volition beryllium over-diagnosed 37 ways until Uncle Vic names a starter, and aft the determination is made, it volition apt beryllium second-guessed until we’re each orange-and-blue successful the face.

I’d springiness the borderline to Lock successful this game, but did either backmost alteration anybody’s mind?

Nope.

Lock did each the accustomed Drew things we’ve learned to loathe and love. He exhibited ill-advised passageway imaginativeness successful the reddish portion connected a fourth-down walk to Jerry Jeudy that Vikings cornerback Kris Boyd instantly knew was coming his way. But Lock besides unleashed the lightning connected an 80-yard TD onslaught to KJ Hamler.

“Absolutely happy,” said Lock, who believes lessons helium learned the hard mode past twelvemonth are being mastered.

Bridgewater doesn’t disturbance the soul. But neither does helium elevate a coach’s humor pressure.

He’s the Hyundai Accent of quarterbacks. A coagulated mode to get from Point A to Point B without turning a azygous head. Playing with second-tier violative talent, Bridgewater completed 7 of 8 walk attempts and moved the sticks. Safe. Reliable. Not exciting, but winning is ne'er boring.

“Even though it’s conscionable an accumulation game, winning is contagious,” said Bridgewater, who threw a four-yard touchdown onslaught to Trinity Benson.

The determination betwixt Bridgewater and Lock truly comes down to a azygous question:

Are the Broncos trying to sneak into the playoffs with a QB that doesn’t messiness it up for linebacker Von Miller and the defense, oregon is this squad consenting to gamble with Fangio’s occupation information by discovering if a young gunslinger tin turn a brain?

In the statement betwixt Bridgewater and Lock, I’m not definite there’s 1 close answer.

But I’m affirmative Fields is simply a much buzz-worthy backmost than either prime disposable to the Broncos.