ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Bo Nix trusts he'll never get to the point where he judges the quality of victories.
"I heard long ago, I don't know where it came from, it may have been from my parents, but if you stop enjoying the wins, you need to just go on and do something else because it's not going to be fun for you anymore," Denver's quarterback said Tuesday as the offensively challenged Broncos prepared for the Seattle Seahawks' visit for a Thursday night showdown at Empower Field.
“In a way, I've felt that a little bit,” Nix said. “We're sitting here at 3-2 and we're having a good start to our season. There's things we want to clean up, there's things we want to fix. We're leaving some things out there on the field but we're finding ways to win like we did last year. I feel strongly that we're going to continue to do that, so the most important thing is winning, obviously.”
Nix is coming off another substandard performance. He threw for just 123 yards and ran for 10 in Denver's 23-17 come-from-behind road win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, an escape that was made possible by Jim Harbaugh's failed fourth-quarter gamble.
Nix once again has been diced up on social media for his emphasis on taking care of the football rather than taking chances down the field, for checking it down and not chucking it deep.
Nix said he's more concerned with the results than style and that he'll take bad stats in a victory any day.
Maintaining that even keel is “a mental battle,” Nix said, "and there's kind of where I find myself sometimes in a season like this where it's not as good as you want it to look but you're winning and you're playing tough teams. And there's going to be tough teams down the road.”
Nix said he's trying to simplify things to clear his mind and play better: "Make it 1, 2, 3, and let's play fast and let's roll. I think sometimes I can have a tendency of overanalyzing it and overthinking things. That's when I'm not at my best.”
Nix reiterated that he pays no attention to former QBs-turned-analysts who have criticized his play and decisions.
He said the only ones in his ear — and head — are coach Sean Payton, offensive coordinator Davis Webb and position coach Logan Kilgore.
Some observers wonder if Nix has money on his mind. With a good season, he’s in line for a $300 million or so contract extension next year. Others ponder if he’s gun shy because of his broken ankle in the playoffs last January that curtailed his offseason work.
The reigning Super Bowl champions lead the league in takeaways, so it's not like Nix will just push aside his conservative habits and turn into a gunslinger Thursday night.
“Well, that's honestly and truly the biggest battle right now because it's like we want to be aggressive, want to be aggressive, want to be aggressive and then you see stats and see, well, this team is causing the most turnovers in the league,” Nix said. “And then it's like, well, OK, I can't put my team in a position where I'm turning the football over and putting our defense in a bad spot and giving them a short field.”
Then again ...
“At the end of the day, it's like, who cares?" Nix said. "Why would I go out there worried about throwing an interception? Why would I try to throw every football 50 yards down the field? Just play the play and if the play's there, hit it. And if it's not there, check it down, throw it away, punt. Who cares?
“I just have to remind myself not to play hero ball."
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