Good morning Broncos Country!
Who is still feeling good from that W on Sunday?
I am, for one!
And so is Tim Jenkins in his film review of Bo Nix this week – which always makes me happy. Please watch it for the full effect, but here are some highlights.
From the get-go, Jenkins liked the aggressiveness from Sean Payton and the execution from Bo Nix.
“We are coming out of the gate, we are aggressive with our play calls, our quarterback is hunting with the football,” Jenkins said. “This is exactly what you want to see in your opening script.”
Personally, I thought the throw was either to the wrong side or Sutton was facing the wrong direction, but No, 14 figured it out and turned in time for the 22-yard first down. So no complaints on the result.
“Bo is seeing this backside and we’ve got one-on-one isolated coverage so you’ve got your single safety and he’s saying, ‘hey I’m taking my match up…I’m going to throw this thing as a back shoulder… use his big body to our advantage,’” Jenkins says. “And then Sutton does a great job. Gosh, that’s awesome. …Beautifully clean pocket and nice little toe-tap on the sideline. I really love the opening play call.”
Jenkins’ second play to review was the second play of the game. It turned out to be a check down to the tight end for a six-yard gain, but Jenkins was giddy talking about the design – a “home-run deep post” from Sutton along the left sideline and an in-and-out from Josh Reynolds along the right.
“Second paly of the game, and we’re trying to take a shot. I gotta be honest, I love the design here,” he said.
Although Jenkins would have loved to see Nix hit Reynolds or even Sutton, ultimately it’s always about what the quarterback feels comfortable with.
“I see what he sees, which is the safety is about to turn and take off, so knowing that that’s what he sees I would love for him to be an immediate reset and drive this thing because I think he can fit this in there,” Jenkins said, fully admitting that watching on tape is different than playing in the game. “The quarterback’s got to feel like, ‘man I’ve got this deep one, and I can hunt with the football.’
And a completion to get to second-and-short is not a bad thing.
“I think we had the fake Deep Over,” Jenkins said, pointing out that it looks like Nix sees that potential. “It feels like he goes from that post to his checkdown. I’d love to see us rip that fake Deep Over but with all that being said, getting to our checkdown, getting a six-yard gain is never going to be a bad thing in the NFL.”
Third clip was the third play – the 31-yard deep shot to Reynolds down the right sideline.
“We get our one-on-one matchup and we take it and it’s a big time play,” Jenkins said, adding that not only was Sean Payton aggressive in his playcalling but Nix was aggressive in his choices. “That was pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty.”
The aggressive start allowed the Broncos to get back into the run game, but Jenkins noted that Payton was pretty aggressive throughout.
“I thought we called an aggressive start to this game,” Jenkins said, noting that at a certain point the Broncos built up a lead and could back off and get back into the run game. “But I think Sean stayed pretty aggressive throughout this game. I think we’ll demonstrate that with the tape.”
Now inside the red zone, Jenkins talked through the set-up for the empty hitch on 2nd-and-13 that goes for 11 yards to Javonte Williams and “why I think this is just spectacular.”
The Broncos were in 12 personnel, which forced the defense to be in a heavier personnel, most likely base.
Nix motioned the running back out of the backfield to get to “empty,” forcing the heavier guys to cover in space and play 10 yards off the ball – and then attack.
“[The safety] doesn’t think our back’s going to get the football, and guess what? We put our back on a hitch route,” Jenkins said, noting it’s a “super common concept” in today’s NFL but doing so while showing 12 personnel and forcing the defense’s hand. “So it’s like we’re getting to these concepts in a very creative way with our personnel groupings. And now even our quick game is more dressed up and is going to be more effective because it’s like ‘hey, we’re going to attack you in a way that you didn’t think we were going to.’”
Jenkins added that those are the kind of plays he can “get really excited about.”
“It’s like, ‘hey, we’re going to dress up a common concept so that now our rookie quarterback can be more effective with the quick game and and we’re going to force you into covering concepts with guys that probably aren’t used to covering them,” Jenkins said. “I think it’s great.”
The following – and final play – of the drive was Nix’s scramble. As good as that was, the block from Williams was the highlight.
“Javante recognizes right here, ‘OK, Bo is probably going to keep it’ and gets vertical, which ends up turning into a really good block,” Jenkins said. “I love seeing how excited the other guys on offense are for Bo when something good like this happens for him because when you see a guy like Courtland Sutton this excited, that’s pretty dang good.”
Bo Nix and his passing pressure stats vs. TB, per PFF:
Kept Clean: 22/27 (81.5%) 200 yds
Under Pressure: 3/9 (33.3%) 16 yds (2 Throw Aways)
Not Blitzed: 9/13 (69.2%) 77 yds
When Blitzed: 16/23 (69.6%) 139 yds pic.twitter.com/LI3ikoOEFu— Jordan Lopez (@JordanTLopez) September 23, 2024
Although Jenkins doesn’t normally break down the run game, he did show Jaleel McLaughlin’s touchdown because, as he says, “there are Xs and Os and then there are Jimmies and Joes.”
And on that touchdown, it was player, not the design that made the score.
“There’s a lot of times that Jimmies and Joes can make play calls look way
better than they actually are, or way worse than they actually are,” Jenkins said.
According to Jenkins’ film review, Nix’s first “bad of the game” came on 2nd-and-3 from the Broncos’ 41 when he tries to hit old Ducks’ teammate Troy Franklin on the Samurai route but gets the ball out too late and Franklin catches it out of bounds.
Two plays later Nix goes for the quarterback sneak on 4th-and-1, which Jenkins said “felt dangerous.”
Not because he went for it but because of the way he got horizontal and ran left before cutting inside to go up.
“The fact that we’re taking a snap and we’re getting horizontal in the National Football League feels extremely dangerous, like this feels like it needs to be just immediately upfield,” Jenkins said, adding that he does realize [Bo] makes a play.
“I feel personally that this is potentially the worst route I’ve ever seen on a quarterback’s sneak path chosen. With that being said, I guess if you’re as athletic as 10, you can do stuff like that. But I would really like to see him just go head first.”
Jenkins had no complaints on the 22-yard first-down scramble for a first down from Nix, though.
“They’re bringing five and the Broncos are just stonewalling them up front,” Jenkins said, highlighting the o-line and noting the “eyes in the back” of Nix’s head. “This one is just enjoyable. You cannot coach this. You cannot coach this feeling right there.”
From a play design perspective, it’s pretty good too.
“I think there’s a lot of stuff to love about what’s going on right here on this tape,” Jenkins added. “Bo Nix appears to be growing up right in front of our eyes on this film.”
Poll
Faith in Bo Nix right now?
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