The pads went on at training camp, and the lights went out on any legitimate quarterback competition for the Denver Broncos.
“[QB Bo Nix] ran with the [No.] 1’s, he’s being smart with the football, and I like his progress," Payton said of his No. 12 overall pick at quarterback.
For my money, Nix won the Broncos' starting quarterback job with a stellar week at camp.
The rookie out of Oregon made mistakes (because, of course he did) but what Nix put on display during the six days at Broncos park should be enough to convince Denver's coaching staff that there's no reason to continue going to Jarrett Stidham.
First of all, Nix showed great operational control of Payton's offense.
During the first few days of camp, Nix made common rookie mistakes in communication of play-calls and execution of pre-snap reads. However by the end of the week, most of that was gone. The Broncos No. 1 offense, with which Nix spent a lot of time during the week, ran as efficiently with No. 10 under center as they did with the incumbent No. 8.
When Payton called for "move the ball drills" — like playing a very controlled scrimmage — Nix made more progress than either of the other two QB's. And in the red zone, Nix straight up shined.
He showed lethal accuracy and quick processing — two things Payton covets at the quarterback position.
“[There] was one practice where he saw that we were blitzing," starting nickel cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian. "He checked out of it, was able to get the offense right and make a good pass on the out route. Seeing him getting better each and every day is a good thing to see.”
The fact that Nix is already working on reading, countering and fooling defensive backs shows just how far ahead of the curve he truly is.
“He’s a good look off guy," safety PJ Locke said. "He’s really good looking off. Even in OTAs, I was like, ‘Man, I just cannot get a bead off of him.’ Most of the time rookie quarterbacks, their first read, they’re going to look at it. Here, he’ll look you off real quick. That’s what I’ve noticed off the rip. He can throw the pill. He can throw it.”
Throughout the grueling week at camp, Nix seemed to separate himself from the pack physically, and any doubts about leadership evaporated into the summer heat.
“Bo's been an impressive person in our locker room," right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. "I think he’s picking things up incredibly fast and doing a great job, [and] as a competitor and a teammate, he’s done a great job too.”
McGlinchey's heading into his seventh season in the NFL, and what he likes most about Nix is not that he's flawless because everybody makes mistakes! When mistakes happen, he appreciates Nix's desire to learn from them.
“He takes a lot of pride in not screwing things up," McGlinchey said. "If he does once, he’s not going to do it again. He takes the small details such as like the cadence. It’s tough when he’s always coming up asking me and asking the rest of us, ‘How can I do this better,’ or ‘How can I do that better?’"
"I think Bo’s is on the right track. I think he’s going to take the coaching that he’s going to get. He’s got some of the best in the world helping him out and I think he’s going to do great things for us.”
Other veteran players are also starting to gravitate to the young signal caller.
“The way he’s able to control the offense," outside linebaker Jonathon Cooper said. "I feel like that’s not normally how a rookie would do, so I’m just very impressed with him so far.”
“You see it in the way he commands a huddle," tight end Adam Trautman said. "The way he steps up into the pocket where he can find his voids. That’s an experience thing.”
We already knew Nix had the mind for this job. Payton drafted him for that "supercomputer" between his ears.
“You know he takes the game super serious, [he's a] really smart player," Broncos center, and Nix's college teammate Alex Forsyth, said. "He loves to know protections and stuff like that so he’s a really good teammate.”
And finally, one of the most crucial components of the modern quarterback position: the art of improvisation.
In the NFL, the best in this business ad-lib at a high level.
“I think he knows when the plays over, [when it's] time to go" Payton said. "And he can make plays when he’s going.”
“He can do that stuff and it makes you feel good about it," Trautman said. "He’s willing to take the — I don’t want to say take the risk — but he’s willing to do it. I think that also obviously comes with experience. He’s seen all these windows because of how much he has played.”
So honestly — Broncos Country or Sean Payton or Greg Penner or whoever — what more could you possibly want?
In every facet of football, Bo Nix is showing that he's ready for the starting QB spot.
So just take the leap! No matter who you put under center you're going to need to play complimentary football to win games.
“The single best thing we can do to help the quarterback is play good defense and be able to run the football," Payton said. "Those are the two best allies for good quarterback play. So we’ll be ready when the start of the season comes.”
I'm calling it. Wave the checkered flag!
The Bo Nix era in Denver begins right now.
