Broncos driven by fear of failure

Good morning, Broncos Country!

Bo Nix hates to lose.

That’s not really breaking news, but it does give a glimpse into his competitiveness and drive.

That’s a trait the Denver Broncos quarterback shares with Sean Payton. In fact, the Broncos head coach hates losing more than he likes winning. That approach and mindset help explain why Denver sits at 10-2 and in a prime spot to get the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs.

That motivating factor will also be the heart of how the Broncos approach the game today against the Las Vegas Raiders and the final stretch of the regular season.

When Payton was asked earlier this week if winning is addictive, especially since his team is on a nine-game winning streak, he said:

“I just think I hate losing more than anything in the world. I think fear of failure is a very significant motivating factor. I think from a details standpoint, there’s nothing that’s too small that’s not significant. That has to exist outside the lines as well. The entryway, the locker room, the signage, and postgame. In everything we do, there’s been thought given to all of it. Almost maniacal with the details. I just think that eventually the feeling of the player feeling like, ‘They’ve thought of everything.’”

That maniacal approach to the details is one of the traits that is contagious. For the players, coaches, and every member of the organization. When the topic of culture change in Denver and within the franchise is discussed, this is at the heart of that cultural shift.

“Thank goodness for me, I feel like all of my head coaches have been pretty detail-oriented,” Nix said to the local media earlier this week. “That’s why they have gotten to where they were. Coach (Sean Payton is) very detailed, very specific in what he wants, so it honestly makes it a little easier playing for him because you know what he wants, he’s going to explain it to you.

“As a player, you just have to do what he’s asking of you. If you mess up, he’s just going to run it again. Nothing to it. Just do it again, and do it again, and feel it out. Make sure you do it right, and then we’ll move on to the next one. It’s a really important thing I think for the details to be important, and if the details are important, no matter big or small, you’re going to have a good, detailed team.”

As for the fear of failure, Payton said it’s a very good trait for Nix to have.

“That’s a healthy feeling,” Payton said. “There’s that clock, and it’s that race to digest the game plan, the checks, the kills. That’s why a lot of these (quarterbacks) lose their hair and coaches lose their hair, turned gray. There’s a lot that goes into the preparation. There’s a lot of stress that goes into that.”

Although Nix said it’s more the common trait that they both just hate to lose.

“I think that’s more of the common theme that we have,” Nix said to the media. “We’re very competitive. We don’t like losing, and we’re going to do everything we can to win. Because of that, you’re going to get that competitiveness, you’re going to get that drive, you’re going to get the details, you’re going to get the little things all to not avoid the loss and pick up a win no matter what it looks like.”

Whether it’s the fear of failure or sheer hatred of losing, there’s a desire to win now when it comes to the Broncos.

“I sense it,” Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said to the media. “It’s sort of the new motto for the building, for real. Winning is at an all-time high in this league, and to be able to win games, especially winning nine straight now, I think that’s a pretty big and huge for our confidence moving forward.

“Obviously, we have big goals and aspirations ahead, and every game is not going to be easy. I think Washington, they gave us their best shot, I believe so. But to be able to come out there with a victory just builds more and more confidence and makes us be very optimistic for the future of the season.”

However, Payton still feels a daily fear of failure. That’s one of the reasons Denver is in the position it’s in right now for the first time in 10 years.

“Absolutely, absolutely. Meaning, ‘Did I not cover something well enough? Is there something we’re missing going into this game?’ We talked about the Giants game, and Friday night seeing something and putting it in Saturday, in the event we need it. There we are, out of field goal range. I don’t know how much time is left, and we run that play we put in Saturday. When something like that happens to you, and it’s the difference between winning and losing, then it never stops.

“You have to be careful it doesn’t consume, but you have to … I hate hearing that term, ‘The hay is in the barn.’ You’re constantly looking for that edge, or one more clip of film, one more cut up because sometimes — this can happen. It’s very real. Let’s say there are 43 plays on a cut-up. I can watch that in the morning, and I don’t know if that caffeine hasn’t kicked in or whatever … I can watch that 43 plays, or a coach can watch that, and then this afternoon I can watch it and see like, ‘Oh my gosh.’

“When you get on one of those rolls where the Mountain Dew and the Coke is going, it’s like you just want to … ‘Don’t interrupt.’ Just keep going. There are sometimes when you look at it … For me, sometimes earlier in the week is difficult. You just came off a game. It gets clearer and cleaner as the week progresses. There’s nothing better than when you start seeing a lot of things that can help. Then sometimes when you’re not, just blow out the candles, go outside, take a cold shower, do something to change it up, to try to get back in it.”

Broncos driven by fear of failure

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