Why Seahawks aren’t worried if Drew Lock is the QB for the coming weeks

Here’s the reality of a backup quarterback: If he gets called upon to play in a regular-season game, there’s a high likelihood that in the week of preparation he rarely — maybe never — threw a pass to any of the players he’s on the field with.

Reps in practice and game planning are for the starter. The backup runs the scout team. He’s the enemy for the week, running the offense of the opposition to help in the preparation.

So take that into consideration when formulating an opinion on what Drew Lock was asked to do Wednesday night. He was Drake Maye this past week to get ready for the Seahawks opener against the Patriots.

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And then five offensive plays into the season, Lock was thrust from his spot on the sideline as the backup to Sam Darnold into the middle of the huddle and asked to navigate the Seahawks for the next 3½ quarters.

It was clunky at times. Disjointed. A little sloppy. It also ended in a victory, in a second-half rally that was buoyed by some big plays defensively and complemented by what Lock did with the offense.

The final result: a 13-10 victory and a boost in confidence in what the Seahawks could be if Darnold is out for an extended period.

“He did a phenomenal job. He took basically no reps with any of the guys that were out there all week, and you see the onus that he puts on himself to be ready when time comes,” Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp said.

Lock was 16 for 22 for 187 yards and a touchdown for the game, but it’s what he did in the second half that stood out. Over the final two quarters, Lock hit on 10 of 14 passes for 136 yards and a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on fourth down.

For the moment, the Seahawks are Lock’s team. There’s optimism but also uncertainty about Darnold’s prognosis. It’s a hip injury. Hips are tricky. Hips can be weeks. They can be months.

It could be that Lock is the quarterback the Seahawks ask to steward the offense for the next several weeks. It could be several months.

If it’s the latter, Lock is not the quarterback he was two years ago with the Giants when he last got a chance to be a starter, or three years ago during his first stint with the Seahawks and outside of two games was the backup to Geno Smith.

He understands who and what he is and the team that surrounds him.

“I’ve definitely grown. I’ve learned a lot about football, but having an opportunity on a team like this can shift your mindset,” Lock said.

And what’s different? It’s understanding that not every play needs to be a home run, that throws don’t need to be forced. That a short, safe throw to a talented player can yield the same result as a deep shot that comes with more risk.

“Having the mindset of taking care of the football, getting it in our guys’ hands, knowing that we have the best defense in the world, in my opinion, let’s keep moving the ball forward and seeing what the score looks like at the end of this,” Lock said.

Lock sounds like someone who has confidence and belief in who he is as a quarterback that’s different from the first time he was here. It’s evident to his teammates.

“Drew has been the best (No.) 2 in the NFL for years,” safety Julian Love said.

Said right tackle Abe Lucas: “Drew’s like Joe Cool, you know. I mean, he’s a phenomenal guy to have in the system, but he’s got the utmost confidence in himself, and he balls out and he plays really hard.”

Added Smith-Njigba: “Drew’s a ballplayer. I mean, he comes in and demands the huddle. And he wants to sling (it), throw the ball around. So, like I said, full confidence in (No.) 2.”

One of the important ways Lock tries to stay on top of his preparation is drawing all the plays in the game plan. Literally drawing. He might not get all the reps, but drawing out the plays and all his target options keeps his mind focused and fresh.

It even means having a whiteboard next to his bed and drawing plays at night while his wife sleeps. That’s what it takes for a backup to stay sharp.

“I’ll do it at night. I’ll do it in the morning. And that’s just kind of been my thing being able to visualize it so when I read it out, it’s just there in my head because of the lack of reps,” Lock said.

He’ll still probably lean on the whiteboard this week and drawing out all the plays yet again, even if he’s getting the starter reps in practice. Based on how he played against the Patriots, the confidence in what Lock could do if he is the starter for a while should extend beyond his teammates.

“He did all that without really a week of preparation of reps with the starters. He’s just taking the second reps on scout team, he’s not running his own offense,” tight end Brady Russell said. “So with a whole week of preparation, should be excited about seeing what he brings to the table, the rest of however long it is.”