The Facts: In his introductory press conference on Tuesday, incoming GM George Paton didn’t endorse Lock as the Broncos’ quarterback of the present and future, saying he hasn’t studied the tape enough yet. But he has seen enough to at least know a little about Denver’s current QB. “I liked Drew coming out of the draft. A big arm, athletic, a play-maker,” Paton said. “I haven’t gotten into a lot of tape. I’ve only been here four days. I’ve watched enough tape to know that he’s talented. He can develop.”

Diehards Line:Lock just completed his second year, and feels he can be Denver’s franchise QB. However, Paton feels that there are other ways to win without a franchise quarterback. He noted the Vikings went to the playoffs six times with six different QBs in his time with the franchise. “I think we all want the franchise quarterback and that’s the No. 1 goal,” Paton said. “You try to draft and develop and acquire any way you can. We are looking.” Lock has shown flashes, but not with enough consistency. He completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 2,933 yards with 16 touchdowns in 13 starts this season. But he also tied for the league lead with 15 interceptions. It was a step back from Lock’s rookie season, where the Broncos went 4-1 in his five starts. In those games, he completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 1,020 yards with seven touchdowns and just three picks.