Quarterback Drew Lock played his first Seattle Seahawks game on Thursday night, and head coach Pete Carroll had good reason behind starting him.
Playing in the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings was Lock’s first experience taking snaps in front of the 12s. Lock said after the win, “It felt good to finally be back out there.” The Seahawks beat the Vikings 24-13, partly thanks to a good overall performance from Lock.
Pete Carroll Impressed By Drew Lock
Carroll had good reason to play the backup quarterback in the preseason opener. Speaking after the game, Carroll said, “I want him to be ready to start games.” Lock is expected to once again be a backup after Geno Smith signed a three-year contract worth up to $105 million.
Elaborating when speaking to the media, Carroll expanded, “I want him to be ready to play football games and win championship games for us. He needs to play to do that.” Telling the media why he let Lock play longer than expected, Carroll said, “He sat around all last year. So this formula of him getting three quarters, that’s just great for him to be out there playing football. So he’s going to play a lot.”
Lock had 17 completions for 191 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in three quarters. “I thought Drew did really well tonight,” said Carroll — clearly pleased by what he saw from Lock.
🔒🎯
Drew Lock finds Jake Bobo to put the @seahawks in the lead!
📺: #MINvsSEA on NFL Network
📷: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/duSBuYvB61pic.twitter.com/Z7ibk79jP0— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 11, 2023
On the interception, Carroll chose not to put the blame on his backup QB.
“I believe the ball got tipped on the pick. He had the right choice, he was reading the right guy and all that. The ball just got tipped at the line of scrimmage. He was in command and had a nice night.”
Drew Lock: ‘It Felt Great’
Lock enjoyed his first game at Lumen Field after having spent all of 2022 on the bench.
“I had a blast. Twelves were definitely in effect. Silent cadence in a preseason game is hard to get done from any stadium, so that was awesome. But overall, it felt great.”
Speaking after the game, Lock said, “Nothing compares to when you really step out there moving the ball, trying to put points up, and I’ll take every rep I can get. It was really, really fun tonight.”
Lock was right to have enjoyed himself. Playing well in his first start, he threw two touchdown passes to Jake Bobo and Easop Winston Jr. Lock said the playtime was “extremely valuable.”
“It’s the first time in my career without taking a snap in a season. It was interesting going back out there feeling the flow of a game again, being the one in charge.”
Drew Lock with the TD strike 🎯
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/TzibmCOx47
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 11, 2023
Lock opted to re-sign with the Seahawks after his contract expired despite knowing that he’ll once again be Seattle’s backup. He cited Coach Carroll as one of the reasons he opted to stick around.
“Coach Carroll has been fantastic to me since I’ve been here. The way he runs his program, this organization, it’s fun. You want to come to work, you want to get better. You want to be there with your brothers in the locker room. An environment like that, I just don’t think every place has it. And this place is special to me.”
What Did Lock Learn From Being a Backup Last Year?
Lock also discussed how difficult it was sitting last year. “You’re never disappointed when the Seahawks are winning games,” said Lock. “But man, just the want and the desire to get out there on that field. It just was very apparent to me standing on the sideline last year.”
Lock did learn a lot from his time as the backup QB in 2022, and he’s under no illusion that he’ll be the backup going forward — no matter how much he wants the starting job.
“I’m the second string here, and my job is to help get to where [Geno Smith] wants to be in this team, get to where [Smith] wants to be. And that’s my goal, and that’s what I’m going to do this year for this team.
Lock is confident that he will be ready to step up if he is needed during the 2023 season. “I’ve really learned over the last year just truthfully how to be ready. I think the biggest thing for me is just the mental prep that it takes throughout the week. It’s different once you get to Week 6, Week 7.”