Drew Lock has spent several seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, but more importantly, his time with the team (with a one-season break) spans from former head coach Pete Carroll to current head coach Mike Macdonald. He understands the difference between how the two coaches work.
To be sure, both Macdonald and Carroll aren't the kind of people to speak harshly to the media or to pt down their players. They aren't Bill Belichick, after all. But their administrative sides are different, and that makes the cultures they set different, too.
In Macdonald's first season with the Seahawks (2024), Lock was with the New York Giants. He had left Seattle in free agency for a potential chance to start with the Giants, but the franchise didn't give him a real opportunity. That is how bad teams operate. They promise things they never plan on following through with.
Drew Lock confirms everything that Seattle Seahawks hoped about the team
Seattle is different. The team, according to Lock, focuses more on what the positive outcomes could be and learning from past failures. In other words, the Seahawks don't speak words that have no meaning. They approach opportunities based on what has happened, and put players and the team in a position to win, and they do so with transparency.
According to The Athletic's (subscription required) Michael-Shawn Dugar, Lock said, "The best line I’ve heard as far as the quarterback goes is, ‘You’re going to play aggressive but not reckless.’ That’s the mindset. ‘Take your shot.’ It’s not saying, ‘Don’t throw picks'...Positive coaching, I think it’s a real thing. Let’s talk about the good things we’re going to go do and learn from the bad things that we do. That’s the mentality that everybody in this building has, and it allows guys to play free."
Drew Lock hasn't had the opportunity in his first season back with the team to throw interceptions. Instead, he has backed up Sam Darnold. Darnold has had far too many turnovers, leading the NFL in that category, but he also doesn't seem to play with fear that, after having a turnover, he is going to be dehumanized by a coach.
The Seattle Seahawks organization treats players and employees with the respect they deserve. It is one reason that it is good to be a fan of the team. The organization is never going to do anything to systemically to have a 12 feel embarrassed about who they follow.
That feeling of respect plays out on the field, too. Darnold has been successful because he isn't treated poorly. Neither is Drew Lock, who returned to the Seahawks this past offseason, even though he might have had starting opportunities elsewhere. He even signed a two-year deal to do so.
The hope for the rest of the playoffs is that Lock doesn't play, of course. Sam Darnold, hopefully, will stay healthy and productive and lead Seattle to three more victories and a Super Bowl victory. Nothing would make 12s and the people who work for the team happier.