Renck: Time to worry about Broncos’ Bo Nix? Check back after this week vs. Colts

Bo Nix has more in common with Reggie Jackson than Lamar Maybe the explanation for his slow starts is that simple Nix is the Broncos Mr October His play changes with the leaves and pumpkin spice lattes It was this time a year ago that Nix looked like a baby giraffe on roller skates And it only got worse in Week when he couldn t grip the football in the rain against the Jets And here we are in September again and Nix isn t exactly inspiring confidence It was one week And specifically Week But man the offense was ugly forgettable and boring wasn t it Sean Payton seems fine with Nix blames himself for the play-calling and shields his quarterback from criticism to such a degree that it is weird We have not reached the everyone freak out stage Not yet But with games on the horizon against the Chargers and Bengals it will be time to worry if Nix plays poorly this week This is suddenly a scary matchup against the Colts after they demolished the Dolphins They looked like a playoff club last Sunday The Broncos did not No quarterback performed worse in a Week win than Nix I know I can be a lot better he admitted after Wednesday s practice What happened against the Titans reminded me of Texas Arch Manning at Ohio State We weren t sure what it was going to look like but we know it wasn t supposed to look like that Nix threw off balance He threw into double coverage He threw sidearm He finished with two interceptions and lost his first fumble in NFL games Sometimes disappointment is traced to expectations And that definitely applies to Nix after he led the Broncos to their first playoff berth since My concern is one that surfaced over the summer He never caught fire in June failed to wow in training camp save for a minimal scrimmage series against the ers and Cardinals and remained uneven in two preseason games His play has been a mirror of the offense There are glimpses of improvement that are promptly overshadowed by long bouts of ineffectiveness The Broncos can win Sunday because their defense is so bleeping good But they cannot stand more carelessness Nix demands to stop chasing perfection and focus on precision There s nothing wrong with a couple of first downs and teeing up Vance Joseph s charges with a long punt Nix knows who he can be He has to understand who he is on championship day If he s not feeling it put the ball in your pocket You can t lose to the Colts because you can t control an impulse Nix a coach s son through and through recognizes this But will he do it Well In the future maybe not be so aggressive Nix reported But at the same time it s what makes quarterbacks good It s a fine line It really isn t It is a flashing neon sign in the construction zone at Dove Valley screaming Proceed with caution This is not about taking the wag out of the puppy s tail We want Nix to play with passion and enthusiasm but he must be more strategic Specific of you don t see it You see Nix as the face of the franchise the future the reason for hope And it makes sense I was right there with you after last season But give me space to remind you that Nix never went on a heater this summer He has earned our faith that everything will soon be all right The time is now to minimize the wrong It s not about the stats and perfection for me it s a standard I have for myself With our defense we can definitely make sure at times to give them great field position and we will get the ball back and go right back to work Nix stated Overall we want to play complementary football but we definitely have high standards for our offense Nix must prove he can do it this month In September games he has completed of his passes with two touchdowns and six interceptions in attempts In all other games including the postseason he boasts a completion percentage with touchdowns and eight picks Related Articles Renck vs Keeler Is pressure of expectations making Broncos Bo Nix tight Renck Broncos whiffed on helping Bo Nix in offseason and it shows in ugly Week win Renck Sean Payton brought up Super Bowl Now it s on best Broncos roster since to back it up Renck File Hey Kyle Freeland Rockies record not Rafael Devers is extremely disrespectful Renck Kurt Warner likes Bo Nix but Broncos aren t Super Bowl contender without another offensive weapon emerging Amazingly he owns a - September record because the Broncos have held opponents to points per match in the wins If Payton inevitably has Nix s back the defense is his bodyguard There are very scant times when a quarterback will be grinning after three turnovers and pass attempts In his second season Nix is smarter better prepared But there are things he must clean up punches he must counter Regardless of what Payton calls Nix has to iron out the wrinkles He cannot throw like he s shooting a fallaway jumper or with his shoulder flying open These are easy fixes given his film review and work ethic The other part is harder As the Titans proved Nix will face defenses determined to keep him in the pocket and force him to throw outside the numbers Those passes must be made with Clear eyes full hearts can t lose conviction And don t let the mind lie to the eyes Be prudent Nix does not have to carry the Broncos The best way to shake a September Slump Remember that his teammates have his back He s a competitor He challenges himself to be perfect It s something I love to see from a quarterback That s who he is But no single person is going to win the encounter for us Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton announced I love looking at him it doesn t need to be this whole monologue or inspirational speech and just saying Hey bro we ve got you Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis