Ryan Fitzpatrick did not mince words when expressing his frustration with Bo Nix's play during Thursday Night Football. Nix passed for a mere 107 yards on 27 attempts against the Seattle Seahawks, struggling to push the ball down the field yet again this season.
While Nix cited soft zone coverage as a reason for the Broncos' inability to hit deep passing plays, Fitzpatrick told his Thursday Night Football deskmates it comes down to effort and competitiveness. Fitz believes both are not where they need to be right now.
“Bo Nix is not playing competitively,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s almost disrespectful to the quarterback position how he’s playing quarterback right now. ... He has no trust from his coach, he calls a screen play on third and 8. ... Now
they’re in the locker room right now, they’re excited. They won. He’s not playing competitive football right now. ... I can only imagine how Sean Payton feels. I mean, Sean Payton, [offensive coordinatpr] Davis Webb, everybody that blocks for him. He’s not competing right now. And that’s something that he’s hung his hat on for the last two years. I don’t know if he’s still injured. I don’t know what’s going on. But it’s not good enough. It’s effort."
Nix ranks dead last among qualified starters in yards per attempt (5.6) and intended air yards per completion (5). It's a puzzling development considering he's been a quality deep passer in the past, plus the Broncos dealt a first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for speedy wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Along with his lack of aggressiveness, Fitzpatrick says Nix is lacking the competitive fire necessary of an NFL quarterback.
“Well, there’s no fire and there’s no passion,” Fitzpatrick added. “And that doesn’t mean you’ve got to be yelling at guys on the sideline or inspiring in the huddle. You can do it with your play as well. And I just don’t see it. And I just think that he needs to be sat down and they need to tell him being a quarterback in the NFL is a very special thing. And right now he’s taking it for granted. He is. And there’s a lot of guys that have played this game that watch that game that think, ‘That right there is garbage. That effort is garbage. That is not a quarterback in the NFL. We deserve better.’”
Perhaps Fitzpatrick's comments light a fire under Nix heading into Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals. The Broncos are managing to win despite Nix's struggles, beating Seattle 17-14 in overtime last night to improve to 4-2.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ryan Fitzpatrick rips Bo Nix for 'garbage' effort: 'There's no fire'
