NFL LIVE | "Bo Nix will make Broncos a real threat in AFC" - Ryan Clark on Denver tab rookie at QB1

hey welcome in NFL live with breaking news out of the mile high city Broncos fans hope they found their quarterback of the future and first round pick Bo Knicks the QB with more college starts than any NCAA player ever has been named Denver starter for week one in Seattle by coach Shawn pyton want to talk real quick about the quarterback position you guys have been real patient I understand you know and and respect that that that process for you and and for us we've had a process um so look Bo Knicks is going to be our starting quarterback he's been outstanding obviously uh there's there's a ton of room for growth there there's a lot of things that he needs to work on you know it was really cool it's uh you know not every day to um to get that news but obviously you know as a room we've been working hard um and you know putting a lot of good things on on film putting a lot of good things um you know on the practice field um and so to to get that that news is definitely um great great um you know great thing and so I'm super excited and um you know ready to get back to work again and go back to it and start again Nicks will be only the second rookie QB to make a start with Shawn pton as head coach Ian books the other and Nicks has earned this spot he's been one of the most effective quarterbacks in the league this preseason ranking in the top three in completion percentage touchdown interception ratio and passer rating amongst players with at least 20 pass attempts and now welcome in our NFL live Studios along with Mike tanon bom and Jeff Darlington I'm Phil Murphy Boer McFarland South pal Antonio joining us shortly but Jeff this news is breaking but not necessarily surprising with how Bo Nicks has played what more can you tell us about Denver's decision to start him in week one well I can tell you that Shawn pyton said that the media was being patient this required patience from Shawn Payton because you knew he wanted to scream from the rooftops that he found his guy and he did find his guy even earlier in this training camp this is one of those great camp stories that we always kind of thirst over because bonck won this job he went in there and took it over this is a team that had Zack Wilson and Jared sdam seemingly uh competing for maybe that week one starter job while B knck got ready Nicks went in there and said no no I'm going to show you why this is going to be my job so it's one of those maybe rare stories where a rookie is not being forced into the role that he has uh taken but instead earned that role through the play that he has showed both in practices and in Camp very much Shawn Payton feels like he has found his point guard to run his offense yeah not common for a rookie to start under Shawn Payton not common for a rookie to start in Denver Mike this is the first Broncos QB to start in week one since John Elway 40 years ago what are your expectations for this offense in year one with Nick is the starter you know Phil I think Jeff used the right term when we talked about point guard this is going to be the New Orleans Saints offense with Drew Brees quick passing you know look for guys like Marvin mins courland suon to have really meaningful uh participation with run after catch in the passing game Javonte Williams will get a ton of opportunities not only running but also uh in the passing game and if they have success B Knick is a better athlete Than People realize the success will come down to his ability to get rid of the ball quickly and then make plays with his feet remember he had a trans ended year at Oregon after transferring from Auburn with 45 touchdown passes and if we go back to the draft back in April a lot of people pre-draft thought Bo Nicks was Shawn Payton's guy turned out that was the case he was one of the six quarterbacks taken in the first round so I think this is a decision that's been a long time making and I think what Shawn Payton is hoping is this will look a lot and feel a lot like those great Saint offenses with B Knicks growing into Drew Brees's role well the Broncos remain without a playoff or playoff birth since they won Super Bowl 50 the Dolphins haven't won a playoff game since 2000 that's the longest active NFL drought but the story of the week in Miami remains to Aang ofo's criticism of former coach Brian Flores this is one that tuo byoa didn't react well to if you woke up every morning and I told you you suck at what you did genuinely happy for the success that tu's had I really wish him nothing but the best that you don't belong doing what you do that you shouldn't be here that that you have right it does make Brian Flores reflect ton of credit here though is Mike McDaniel who rebuilt this man's psyche and you have somebody else come in and tell you dude you are the best fit for this how would it make you feel listening to one or the other salth pal Antonio was at today's joint practice between the Bucks and the Dolphins and sou head coach Mike McDaniel was not asked about tabo's comments or Brian Flores his response at mediate availability Wednesday but you had a chance to catch up with he and some Dolphins players earlier what did they say well two a t of ioa's teammates were not surprised by his rather pointed comments about his former head coach Brian Flores they said they understand what he went through they understand why he said what he said and that they have his back listen to this I know um from previous conversations you know some years back that he was going went through a rough time rough patch but honestly that's that's in the win um and and he made those comments you know knowing that um he he just wants to get it out there you know that's his big his big thing and and he doesn't talk that much so when he does speak it it's with some volume any concern Mike that it will be a distraction for your football team absolutely not why not just because the way you know your team yeah I think well just the fact of you can't in in this world or in this league on a football team You Can't Hide And if your mind's somewhere else um you may not tell me but you'll show me you know McDaniel went on to say to me that he's got a lot of players on this team that if they see another player is distracted that they have the ability and the moral authority to step in as leaders and make sure that that distraction does not take place the Curious Thing about what Tong OFA said was not what he said but the timing of what he said right because Stephen Ross the owner just said that this team has Super Bowl aspirations expectations he got the big contract in the offseason $2200 million plus Brian Flores is gone in you know he's up in Minnesota he's gone for two years so it's all about the timing now Tonga vioa did not talk today he was not scheduled to speak this week according to the Dolphins he is scheduled to speak next week so I'm sure one of the questions he's going to get is why now why speak up now about Brian Flores it re address that next week s thanks so much for your reporting Tua trying to build on a season in which he led the NFL in passing yards but it's been a night and day difference for Tua since Mike McDaniel took over his head coach in 2022 in that time Tua ranks top five in the NFL in total qbr yards per attempt and passing touchdowns with numbers all distinctly better than his first two seasons which of course came under Brian Flores Booger McFarland joining us now but Jeff I want to go to you first you are very close to this situation in Miami what's been your takeaway from all this I would just say that I think the timing of it to Sal's point is probably the most peculiar part and perhaps it simply is to a Tong of ioa feeling as comfortable in his own skin as ever between the fact that he has a coach who empowers him and now a contract that also empowers him but uh it's not really up for us to decide why to a chose right now it's it's merely about I guess talking about what he said and and I will say this when Brian Flores was fired this was a main part of the reason why the Dolphins chose to fire him Steven Ross the team owner even pulled to a side afterwards and said we did not do right by you with Brian Flores uh we are going to get this right and the one thing I'd finally add on this is I I I keep hearing this distinction made about well uh you know some coaches coach hard I would say when it comes to Tua this is not merely about him just taking hard coaching uh he he was coached under Nick Sabin I think that he is capable of taking hard coaching Brian Flores before Tua arrived and after he was drafted did not want Tua Tonga vioa as his quarterback it was not simply hard coaching it was a coach who did not want Tua on his team yeah Jeff and I think that's what we all realize and and I give Brian forz a lot of credit not for doing what he did and what he said and what he texted to but for understanding that he's got to change if you listen to his comments he talked about uh that tu's words that he was a terrible person those words hurt him and I think that Brian Flores under stands now that how he coached T particularly how he coached the quarterback position is not how you can coach certain guys and I think he's got to realize that now if it were me a defensive tackle yeah you probably could have said that to me because my psyche is not predicated likely on my mental mindset and how I play I'm trying to go out hello foreign fore spee [Music] foree that my me spee foreign speech for spee speech speech [Music] fore right fore speee fore [Music] foree fore [Music] spee for speech speech [Music] [Music] here fore spee speech fore spee spee spee foreign spee helloe for foreign speech foreign for speech spee foreign spee speech speech [Music] foree okay thee [Music] [Music] up you look at right foreign fore for hello