Drew Lock Excited for Second Start with Giants

Last week, New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock barely had time to process the news that he would be the team’s starting quarterback on Thanksgiving against the Dallas Cowboys.

Lock, who received the word the day before the game, did the best he could to prepare despite the team not having had time to run through full practices.

While he finished with a decent stat line (21 of 32 for 178 yards, one interception and 57 rushing yards on four carries and one touchdown), Lock, whom head coach Brian Daboll named as the starter for this week’s game against the New Orleans Saints regardless if Tommy DeVito is healthy enough to play,  believes he will be even better this weekend after having had a normal week to prepare. 

“I hope that every chance I get to start here, you keep seeing a better me every start,” Lock said Wednesday. “But the realistic side to that is it’s football, this game’s hard. But I’m confident that having a week of practice and being able to go out there and play, there will be some things that I can do better. 

“Hopefully I can scramble for as much as I did last time (laughs). But we’ll see. Just whatever comes to you in the game, you got to make it work. But, having practice reps and being able to get some timing down with these guys, it’s been big.”

The biggest difference for Lock will be the actual practice reps, something that last week’s walkthrough practices didn’t afford him or the team. By actually getting reps, Lock believes the cadence and communication in the huddle as well as the timing of the entire operation will all run more smoothly.

“I think the reps help a ton,” Lock said. “Getting back out there, letting them hear your cadence, letting them hear you calling it in the huddle, rhythm, and timing with the receivers, even rhythm, and timing for me with my feet on certain plays, whatever we’ve got up this week, it helps tremendously. I’m excited and appreciative of getting a little practice time with these guys.”

Lock, who was initially disappointed in not having been named the starter once the Giants benched him or former quarterback Daniel Jones, has done his best to remain professional and not let his disappointment seep through to his time inside the team’s facility. 

Now that he has a chance to show the rest of the NFL what he’s able to do in the Giants system, which is one that’s very different from what he ran in Denver and Seattle, Lock isn’t worried so much about potentially auditioning for his next team as he is playing fundamentally sound and winning football.

“My focus is on playing good football for this team and myself, trying to get us a win and do the best I can,” he said. 

“If I go out there and do my job with the best ability, I’ll make these guys in the locker room proud and make myself proud, and that’s my main goal every Sunday.”