AFC Notes: Bo Nix, Steve Spagnuolo, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos WR Courtland Sutton believes first-round QB Bo Nix is the real deal and believes the team found a steal in him.

“I got to lay eyes on Bo during minicamp,” Sutton said, via Broncos Wire. “I was like, ‘Man, he can throw that ball a little bit.’ Being able to get into training camp and see his determination to want to grow, to want to learn. He asks so many questions of just wanting to understand concepts. Watching him run through a play and then he’ll come back and start having conversations with us. I’m like, it’s hard to get some veteran quarterbacks to do some of those things. To see a young guy have so much drive and passion for the game, it makes everyone around you better.

“I think I might’ve said it before, but for your quarterback to be the guy that has that energy, that has that juice, that comes to work everyday with a smile on his face and a determination to get better… When your quarterback’s that guy, it makes everybody else in the entire building better. He’s that guy. He shows up to work, and he’s just determined to be the best him that he can be. It ultimately makes everyone around him better.

Sutton said he knew pretty quickly that the Broncos were going to exceed the meager preseason expectations. 

“I never wavered,” he said. “It’s so funny hearing all the things of, ‘The Broncos are going to win four games, and three games, and two games. This, and this and that… Have a rookie quarterback, blah, blah, blah.’ I’m like, ‘Man, they had no idea what we had in this locker room and what we have in this locker room, and the type of player that Bo is. Bo isn’t your average rookie. He comes in to work like a veteran. If no one knew that Bo was a rookie this year, and you just saw how he worked, and saw how he played on the field, no one would say, ‘That’s a rookie.’

“I admire that about him. I admire that he doesn’t allow the outside circumstances or the outside noise to try to determine the type of player that he’s going to be. He has so much more. I told you all before — it’s only the beginning. I’m so excited [that] I get to experience Bo Nix’s career. However long I get to experience it, I know he’s going to play a lot longer than I will. However long I get to experience it, it’s a fun experience to be on. It’s [as] fun [a] roller coaster to ride as you can say in. He has so much more. It’s only the beginning. This isn’t a farewell to Bo’s rookie season. He has a lot more in the tank going into [after] this rookie season. It’s dope to see him carry your organization and a team to the playoffs after not being in the playoffs for nine seasons.”

Chiefs

Chiefs CB Joshua Williams said DC Steve Spagnuolo is constantly adding wrinkles to the defense in order to keep opposing offenses on their toes.

“Every morning, Spags (Steve Spagnuolo) has new stuff. He’s a wonder,” Williams said, via Chiefs Wire. “He can come up with all these different types of pressures, all these different types of zone drops, and all of that is just stuff to kind of confuse the quarterback. A lot of times, guys get a defense, and they do the same thing year in and year out. And that’s good because, you know, you still get to perfect what you’re doing. In this system, I think one of the benefits of us is that you have different guys doing different things all the time. We have corners who Blitz. We have corners that drop to a half. We got corners playing man-to-man. We have corners playing off man off zone. So, there are so many different types of defenses we run. I feel like that’s one of the benefits that Coach Spags brings.”

Raiders

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler write former Titans HC Mike Vrabel is frequently connected to the Raiders’ coaching vacancy in league circles because of his relationship with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.
• Fowler adds he thinks the Raiders will give heavy consideration to a candidate with a background on offense and names Buccaneers OC Liam Coen, Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury and Ravens OC Todd Monken as individuals to watch. 
• Fowler mentions he was told not to sleep on former Seahawks HC Pete Carroll as a candidate given Carroll’s strength as a culture-builder. 
• Graziano writes the Raiders have come up in conversations as a potential fit for Colorado HC Deion Sanders if he ever decides to make the jump to the NFL.