Bo Nix charts his own unique path to success

It’s never a good thing when you’re voted “Least Likely to Succeed,” especially if you’re a quarterback selected in the first round playing for millions of dollars, team honor, and glory. And yet that was the case when Denver coach Sean Payton to a 12th-pick flyer on Bo Nix, who was the last QB standing in a draft class that was perceived to be full of stars.

Suddenly Nix became a pro bust without ever having played a single down. He was criticized for the fact that he specialized in short throws, which somehow made his high accuracy rate a weakness instead of a strength. Nix was also critiqued for being 24, despite the fact that most successful NFL quarterbacks play well into their thirties, and the average retirement age is being pushed up all the time.

Payton was widely panned for making the pick, and it felt like Denver was doomed to future disaster after a hideous year of Russell Wilson that ended with the future Hall of Fame coach chewing out his future Hall of Fame quarterback for not being able to stick to the playbook script.

Bo Nix responds

Photo byDave AdamsononUnsplash

The Oregon product had his own unspoken response to his critics: Not so fast. He knew what his critics were conveniently ignoring, which is that Payton usually knows what he’s doing, and if he followed the script that Wilson ignored, he’d have a pretty good shot at success.

Turns out he was right. Nix had a more than solid debut against Indy, throwing for 125 yards and a TD as he authored two long touchdown drives in Denver’s 34-30 win. Nix also ran for 17 yards on three carries, and Colt's highly-touted rookie edge rusher Laiatu Latu lauded the Bronco's new QB for his athleticism, saying, “I was so close to getting that dude. But I didn’t get him.”

Bronco fans definitely get Nix, though. They’re happy to believe Nix is the new franchise QB after a year of watching Wilson bumbling and fumbling while saying all the right things, although Payton obviously knows this is just one step forward in what will likely be a long NFL acclimation process. Just because it always is.

A Bo-dacious future?

Denver followers are allowed to heave a long sigh of relief for one simple reason, though. Payton hasn’t been a fan of rookie QBs after years of success and reliability with Drew Brees, and if he’s found a guy who can do half of what Breeze accomplished, the Broncos are on the right path to success.

Many of Nix’s critics—and they were legion, make no mistake—had trouble seeing the Denver rookie run any NFL offense, much less Payton’s, which demands fast decisions and pinpoint accuracy. It was great to see this coach/QB combo actually work, and it bodes well for the future.

That future continues Sunday night with a home game against Green Bay, which features its own version of a formerly questionable quarterback, Jordan Love, who wasn’t exactly expected to succeed. Love was kept under wraps for an incredibly long time in Green Bay, but he’s come out the other side as a viable MVP candidate.

All of this proves that there are any number of ways to skin the quarterback-development cat. Love has spent his summer working on the long ball after signing an incredibly lucrative contract that puts him at or near the top of the quarterback salary pyramid, which is constantly growing. In the best case scenario, Nix can continue developing his own special version of Payton’s latest dink and dunk flavor, as long as it results in enough wins to make the Broncos competitive again and help them awaken from their longstanding QB nightmare.

Article originally written by Bob McCullough