Renck vs. Keeler: Is pressure of expectations making Broncos’ Bo Nix tight?

Renck Pressure makes diamonds It also bursts pipes and bubbles For all the hype around the Broncos the new offense looked a lot like the old one Eleven players caught passes And that s not a good thing The running backs for a large swath of the encounter went forgotten The Broncos threw too much Bo Nix was in the middle of the mess He played one of the worst games of his career turning the ball over three times including losing his first fumble since his third year in college Watching Nix it raised the question Is the pressure of expectations making Bo play tight Keeler There s no Super Bowl without a Super Bo And all this Super Bowl talk from Sean Payton looks as if it s weighing Nix down right now That s on Sunshine Sean I saw something against the Titans I thought I d never see in person in No whose vision saved so multiple drives last year literally running into a sack Nix is an Intel processor on two legs but there are times when it looks as if his wires are crossed right now Good news He s young enough that all things are fixable But if you fry those circuits as we ve learned around here it can take years to find another part Renck Drew Brees noted in recent months on a podcast that Sean Payton s offense is as complicated as the players can handle Mentally Nix is a sponge But Sunday provided an example of how Payton is too rigid making Nix do too much heavy lifting As the opening drive stalled Nix lost his rhythm Between getting out of the huddle late and the endless line changes that would make Jared Bednar jealous it complicated things for the second-year quarterback He can handle a lot on his plate But Payton requirements to be less stubborn At times it feels like he s trying to prove a point that he can win with Nix the bulk notably when he went for it on fourth-and- with remaining Make it easy for the kid If the event calls for it let him hand off the rock and lean into the defense Keeler I had specific Shedeur Sanders flashbacks at the end of Week and not in a good way Payton invariably does things with a purpose and it felt Sunday as if that purpose was We re not leaving this field until I ve saved my reputation as a passing guru Which is how you get that fourth-down call in a one-score tournament which was mental even if it works what are you doing Tennessee wasn t driving on Vance Joseph s defense now you re getting cute for cute s sake when the correct answer was to burn clock shake hands and get back to the locker room Boggles the mind sometimes It really does Related Articles Broncos ILB Justin Strnad strategies up as Dre Greenlaw s absence drags on Broncos Sean Payton passes tremendous close friend Mike Shanahan on NFL wins list Broncos stock description Fresh off extension and Nike deal Nik Bonitto is just doing it The Bo Nix Development Meter and Sean Payton s fourth-down gamble Parker Gabriel s thoughts on Broncos season-opening win Bo Nix shoulders blame for Broncos Week offensive struggles I have to do a much better job Renck Payton must be mindful of the weapons around Nix When you open a competition throwing times in the first plays you d think he was working with Michael Thomas Jimmy Graham and Alvin Kamara Alas that is not the development The Broncos don t have a true No option man Emeka Egbuka would look good in this offense behind Courtland Sutton and now Evan Engram is hurt Nix doesn t lack confidence but Payton necessities to backing him by asking less of him Keeler I remember Nix air-mailing selected wide-open guys last year I don t recall him often throwing at a hot read s ankles before that hot read had even turned around as he did to Tyler Badie in the first half Your tailbacks and your offensive line are good enough to be your base You don t have to pass to set up this run meeting The best coaches adapt to what they have admit when they re wrong and course-correct It feels as if Payton is sometimes squeezing the Broncos into the Saints old cleats If the shoe doesn t fit you must submit Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis