ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In some ways, Year 2 isn't so different.
As he enters his second season as a starter, quarterback Bo Nix will still work to decipher defenses. He'll game-plan for various defensive coordinators. He'll celebrate wins and move forward from losses.
"Honestly, I think that it'll be the same challenges," Nix said Saturday.
And yet, his ability to succeed in the face of those tests may be entirely different.
"I just think I'm in a better place to handle those things," Nix said. "… [I've] just been there, done that. I don't have to worry about what certain looks are, or — as crazy as it sounds — where we're going for the locker room, or where we're going for the stretch. I know it. I can get there and do it and knock it out, and now I can focus on the next level of things and the details and not really the overall picture."
Nix said he enters his second season driven by "the fear of not being ready [and] not being enough for the team" — and he's continually looking to prove himself to his teammates. Through both his leadership and play, Nix has seemingly earned that trust and belief from the other players on the roster.
"[His] attention to detail, his focus, his drive to get one percent better every day and his camaraderie with his teammates [stand out]," tight end Evan Engram said Friday. "He's not afraid to speak up, he's not afraid to challenge you and he challenges himself at the highest level. That gives some ground to challenge others. I'm very impressed with him, [I'm] very blessed to be a part of his team and be his teammate. The sky's the limit with that type of mentality. [With] the way he works, the talent will take care of itself."
Added tackle Mike McGlinchey on Tuesday: "His confidence is going to radiate through the whole team. Bo has done a great job of that. He's a pro's pro in the way that he approaches the game and the way that he treats his teammates. He's going to be a great player for us this year."
Nix has earned the respect outside the locker room, as well, as he was named the No. 64-ranked player on the NFL Top 100. The list, which is voted on by other NFL players, is both a compliment and a reminder of what Nix hopes to accomplish.
"I think it's obviously a cool honor, because that's [what] your peers think — [the] guys you play," Nix said. "At the same time, just the way I think, the way I am motivated, I want to continue to get higher [on the list]. Not even for the ranking. It doesn't really matter what you're ranked, it's just an internal standard that I have that I want to be the best in the world. I know there are a lot of guys that I'm competing for that with. I'm not going to stop until I at least give it my best try."
That journey — and the process of proving himself as a leader of the team — continues during training camp and in the march toward the regular season.
"I just want to continue to show these guys that I'm willing to work, and find every which way we can to find wins and find every which way for me to get better," Nix said. "I know I have a lot of growth left, a lot to be done, but these guys are going to help me get there. We're just out here just kind of sharpening each other, going best-on-best and just finding ways to make each other better. It's fun."
And, ultimately, there's nothing Nix would rather be doing.
"Being the quarterback of a team like this, it's what you live for," Nix said.
