Denver Broncos veteran offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey has found himself feeling more comfortable coming into this season as he gets further engrained in the same offensive system. Even with a change at quarterback this year, McGlinchey sees great things in rookie signal-caller Bo Nix.
Broncos’ Mike McGlinchey sees great things in Bo Nix
Following Monday’s first padded practice, McGlinchey met with the media and shared his thoughts on the mindset of putting the pads on again, building up to where the team wants to be when games are played, and the Broncos rookie first-round quarterback.
For McGlinchey specifically, there’s a strong chance that Nix ends up as the team’s starter at quarterback come Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. The veteran offensive tackle had nothing but high praise for Nix’s ability as a player, but other key attributes that serve to benefit him as a potential starter in the league.
“I think it’s certainly his maturity is something that everybody’s speaking to,” McGlinchey said. “He’s learned fast on the job and he’s a very competitive dude. He takes a lot of pride in not screwing things up or if he does once, he’s not going to do it again. He takes the small details such as like the cadence. It’s tough when he’s always coming up asking me and asking the rest of us, ‘How can I do this better,’ or ‘How can I do that better?’ Bo has been an impressive person in our locker room, [not only] as a player—I think he’s picking things up incredibly fast and doing a great job—but as a competitor and as a teammate, he’s done a great job too. I think Bo is on the right track. I think he’s going to take the coaching that he’s going to get. He’s got some of the best in the world helping him out and I think he’s going to do great things for us.”
While Denver’s offense struggled to match the energy of the defense on the first day of pads, there’s a process and room for improvement as the team prepares to get as physically prepared as possible for their first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 11.
“It was great,” McGlinchey said. “I think it just adds that little bit of extra energy to practice. Certainly, the offensive and defensive lines get a little more charged up, but at the end of the day you still [have] to execute the plays and still [have] to use the technique we’re being taught. I think it’s actually a good training tool to try and maintain focus on what’s important with all the extra energy that’s getting thrown at you from both sides of the ball. It’s a good thing to get pads back on. You don’t get to have that kind of work unsolicited except for this time this year. So you [have] to use these padded practices to the best of your advantage because it’s the hardest work and the best practice reps you’re going to get until you get into a game. It’s a great step forward for us and we’re excited to keep going.”
There are a lot of eyes on Denver’s offensive line this upcoming season, especially with the deeply rooted financial investment at four of the five starting positions. McGlinchey acknowledged the team has to start faster this year compared to how they did last season.
“I will certainly [say] to start fast,” McGlinchey said. “Start fast this year and not have the hiccups that we had early in the season last year. I think everyone feels more comfortable up front, myself included. Then just the overall consistency of the game. I think it has to be play-in and play-out, block your guy. Just do your job over and over and over again as best as you can do it. That’s all that I ever tried to do. With one year of familiarity with an offensive line coach and play caller, I have a better feel for what is going on. Just take a step forward in overall consistency and be the best I can be.”
If the Broncos hope to break away against the Vegas odds of 5.5 wins, a fast start will be crucial for them with seven of their first 12 games being on the road.