Jake Plummer had some great advice for Drew Lock: ‘Take it in stride, prepare to be that guy’

Broncos TV recently spoke with former Broncos’ quarterback Jake Plummer as part of its “Legends” series and noted that a lot of people see some of his same attributes in Drew Lock - mobile, athletic, big arm.

While I completely agree with that comparison, Phil Milani forgot to mention “competitor” in his list - and it absolutely applies too.

In fact, Plummer told Milani that he believed one of his own greatest attributes as a quarterback was his will to win (which he admitted sometimes became his biggest weakness):

“I played with a lot of passion. I went out there every time to try to win; a lot of times, that might have been sometimes my biggest fault. But also my greatest attribute was that I believed that every play was a play we should make and make work. Sometimes, you know, you’ve got to just let the ball go out of bounds or give up on a play and know that you’re going to have an opportunity later.

“But when I was in that moment, my passion would take over. My will to win and want to succeed would take over, and sometimes I would forget we had a 10-point lead and you’re supposed to be careful with the ball.

“It was just my nature to be 100 percent immersed in going full speed and doing whatever I felt like, kind of losing myself to the moment and going after it. That was pretty much me — a scrappy competitor that was going to fight and claw to the end.”

Although Lock has played just five games, we’ve seen glimpses of that same will to win, that same scrappy nature to do whatever possible to make the play. It’s an attribute that can be reckless but also tamed so it is a weapon and not a detriment.

Plummer remains one of my favorite former Broncos, and I’m excited the team included him in the Legends series because his genuine passion for winning definitely made his games in Orange and Blue some of the franchise’s most fun to watch.

The former Arizona-Cardinal-turned-Denver-Bronco was no John Elway or Peyton Manning in statistics or championships, but he was every bit as passionate about playing and winning - which is why I loved watching him on Sundays.

And because he was quarterback for a team that had Elway - and would eventually get Manning - it’s easy now to overlook some of the 2005 Pro Bowler’s greatest accomplishments in Denver, including having the most passing yards in a single game in team history (499); being third in team history in career yards (12,301); and having the second-highest winning percentage as a starting QB in team history (72.2%, minimum 25 starts).

Whatever Lock turns out to be as a Broncos quarterback, he definitely has shown some Plummer-esque moxie, and so it is only appropriate that Milani asked Plummer what advice he’d give the second-year quarterback.

It’s perfect:

“Take everything in stride, but make sure you’re preparing - for yourself mentally and also to be the leader on this team. Just coming in ready to be that guy,” Plummer said. “It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect every day or set the example every single minute. It just means you have to do your best, put your best effort forward and make sure your teammates know, that they see that, and they see it means something to you - how important it is to win and to win now.”

Plummer added that “being yourself” is key for a quarterback leading the team, and he noted that Lock “has that part down pat.”

“The kid is himself,” Plummer noted. “He’s not going to worry about what other people think.

The former Denver QB loves to see Lock dancing on the sideline being himself and not caring whether people think he’s cool or not - or if should be serious instead of having fun. The self confidence is evident.

“If you’re the leader and you’re 100% into it,” Plummer pointed out, “those guys will really love you and really respect you and do great things for you.”

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