Bo Nix has a legendary coach as a father, but he’s running an offense not even his mother can love.
Through four games, the Broncos are the only team averaging less than 200 yards passing and 85 yards rushing.
“I think when it comes to the Xs and Os, my mom (Krista) all the time, she’s like, ‘You all should’ve done this. You all should’ve done that,’^” Nix said with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘Mom, you have no idea. Don’t even start.’^”
For the first time in his career, Nix is living the full Broncos quarterback experience. apountry is restless and annoyed. They booed the first three-and-out against the Rams. And nothing about the performance against the 49ers calmed last nerves.
As a rookie, Nix was given a pass. He was the future, a developmental prospect who earned patience with his high football IQ and work ethic. In his sophomore season, he became a magician, making doubts disappear as quickly as opponents’ leads in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos went 14-3, so honestly, how mad could anyone be?
This season is different.
Everything is framed around reaching the Super Bowl.
As such, when the Broncos’ scoring average drops five points from a year ago (23.6 to 18.5), rushing yards fall (118.7 to 81.3), and passing yards shrink (223.9 to 199.0), the blame glances off Sean Payton, ricochets into Davis Webb’s playsheet, and lands on Nix.
The fingers are pointed at the franchise’s most visible and important player.
A quarter into his third season, Nix is the first to admit he needs to improve.
“For us, obviously itap all about winning. Itap all about putting our team in the best situation possible,” Nix said. “So for me, there are definitely several things that I want to change, and I want to get better at. Thatap going to happen. Itap going to come over time.”
It needs to start Sunday against the Chargers.
And there is a way Nix comes back from this slow start.
He needs to stop playing scared.
Nix, at his best, requires a seatbelt to watch. In the fourth quarter, he shows a steely glare that makes Clint Eastwood’s squint shed a tear. He operates like Braveheart, fearless and peerless, knowing anything less will deliver a loss.
Nix, at his worst, is timid. He becomes too conservative when balancing taking chances with taking care of the ball.
Too often this season, his feet have not connected with the routes against zone coverage, as Hall of Famer Kurt Warner explained on his QB Confidential YouTube channel. Warner identified five plays against the 49ers where Nix left meat on the bone with big strikes.
The cringe moment came in the first quarter as viewed from the end zone. Evan Engram broke into space, crossed in front of Nix’s face and — nothing. Nix stared at him and eschewed a 30-yard completion (Don’t give me, he wasn’t open. Sunday throws are not like those on Fridays and Saturdays). Instead, he flipped the ball to running back R.J. Harvey for a meager gain.
Nothing screams child-proof, safety first, like dump offs. Those passes prevent turnovers. And wins on the road against good teams.
As Broncos star Aqib Talib cackled when I asked him in 2015 about defending Kansas City’s Alex Smith, “You mean, check down, check down, check down?”
It wasn’t a compliment.
Nix never skirts responsibility or accountability. He has shown he can handle a full plate. But as the chef of the offense, we need more gumbo and less taste-free pasta.
It is time to get off the trike, and jump on the motorcycle. And open the throttle.
Because the eyeball test and stats prove what Payton confessed Wednesday.
“Certainly this isn’t championship football, what we see, (and) how quickly can we correct those things?”
Payton practically strained a muscle when addressing Nix’s underwhelming start, making it clear that this was not a singular quarterback issue.
“I think collectively when you’re playing well on offense, you’re doing a lot of little things well, and then that job for him becomes somewhat easier,” Payton said. “So thatap really the focus this week is the little things, detailing the little things and we’ll see that in the end product.”
The Chargers set up as a get-right game, even though the more they have lost, the more dangerous they have become. An 0-4 team with playoff expectations is a cornered rat. Los Angeles will roll the dice in a way that reflects their record.
Nix must follow suit. There is nothing wrong with calculated risks. It is obvious his ankle is healthy — the GPS readings from practice say he is faster than ever. He has to show it on Sunday.
He doesn’t have to run like Forrest Gump. But how about Stump Mitchell? In his first four games in the past two seasons, Nix averaged 24 rushes for 94 yards. This year? Try 14 carries for 25 yards and two scrambles.
Nix is waaaaay too good of an athlete to sit in the pocket with less patience than a puppy. He ran the 400 meters in high school. He can run past people.
So why not go, Bo?
“I think because I’m seeing the field better and I know where my outlets are and I’m getting to them faster. I think thatap just a product of being in the system for three years and understanding. I’ll ask you all, do you all want me with the ball or RJ [Harvey] with the ball?” Nix asked.
I blurted, “I would rather see you.”
Nix is too talented to be this humble. He needs to rediscover his edge, the personality that saw him screaming at the Raiders’ Tyree Wilson or at Payton to get a play in.
This Bo is needed in the ingredients. Not to take over, but to add spice.
As it stands, the Broncos offense is bad and boring. We are probably one game away from starting a GoFeedMe for Courtland Sutton. And putting out an APB for J.K. Dobbins.
The Broncos are 2-2 against the league’s hardest schedule. They have lost their starting cornerbacks and their pass rush pales to years past.
The offense needs to carry its weight.
Want to win the AFC West? There is no way the Broncos can continue on like this.
Enough is enough.
Time for Bo to let go.
