AFC Notes: J.K. Dobbins, Bo Nix, Broncos, Chargers
Broncos
Bo Nix is entering the second year of his career after his breakout rookie campaign in 2024. Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning is confident Nix is “made of the right stuff” to continue being a highly successful quarterback.
“Bo is made of the right stuff. He’s a little bit older, carries himself the right way. And all of it should help as he moves forward in his career,” Manning said, via Troy Renck of the Denver Post. “I am just happy that Bo is the established starter. For a number of years, they had quarterback competitions. That’s hard on the receivers, the coaches, the play-caller, and the quarterback. Now, they’ve got their guy.”
Manning thinks Nix showed talent beyond his years as a rookie.
“I just don’t see that as being a big factor for him. Rookie quarterbacks are supposed to struggle, and then the game slows down. But, it sure looked like it slowed down a lot for him last year,” Manning said. “Like with C.J. Stroud, Bo didn’t play like a rookie. … I believe experience is the best teacher, and he got great experience last year.”
Manning added that playing under Sean Payton for a second season should be beneficial for Nix.
“The continuity, more than anything else. There are times when guys go into their second year, and they are going on their third coordinator,” Manning said. “He has an experienced head coach in Sean, who is his play-caller. Having that same voice and verbiage is so critical. We expect Sean to be here for a long time, so Bo will use that to his advantage.”
Broncos
Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins had a resurgence in his career after missing 2022 with a knee injury and 2023 with a torn Achilles. His surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, said he grew a close relationship with Dobbins and praised him for his perseverance.
“I can’t say enough about him,” ElAttrache said, via Luca Evans of The Denver Post. “I mean, he’s the kind of guy that I would like to have as a friend forever. He’s that kind of person.”
ElAttrache pointed out that damaged ligaments can never return to their previous health, but Dobbins has worked hard on his rehab.
“You never want to expect they’re going to be 22 years old again,” ElAttrache said. “You can’t turn back the clock and go before, when he was that number one (running back) for the Ravens. But, having said that, his performance was still right there.”
Chargers
Chargers DC Jesse Minter still holds on to rejection letters from graduate assistant jobs that he applied to across the country, accumulating 98 in total. Minter said the rejections are a reminder to be grateful for where he is now.
“Because that’s just how I operate,” Minter said, via Daniel Popper of The Athletic. “It’s just that reminder of the joy that it is, the blessing that it is, the opportunity that you have, not to take it for granted and not to ever feel like you’ve arrived.”
Minter said he’s always tried to operate without an ego and build a culture of letting people know their value.
“A lot of coaches have crazy egos, and I think there’s a difference in being confident in yourself and sure of yourself, and then having an ego,” Minter said. “I’ve always tried really, really hard to not have an ego, to really try to build a situation where everybody feels like they have value, where everybody feels like they’re part of the success.”
- Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Chargers RB Najee Harris participated in three-straight practices last week and was cleared for contact on Friday.
Celtics’ Derrick White names his least favorite NBA city
One would realize just how fast time flies when Derrick White, the 29th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, is now an elder statesman in the NBA. White has become accomplished in the league, being one of the best 3-and-D guards in the entire association, and he's an NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and an Olympic gold medalist as well for Team USA. Suffice to say, he is one of the most well-respected and esteemed players in the league despite how underrated he tends to be.
But White would attest to the fact that not all parts of being an NBA player is good. In fact, the Celtics guard revealed the NBA city he dreads playing in due to how horrid he finds the facilities there to be.
“Memphis, probably, [is my least favorite NBA city]. I mean the hotel is probably the worst in the NBA. The food there is good, though,” White said in his podcast, “White Noise”.
The Celtics guard also shared that he doesn't find the hotel in the city where an Eastern Conference rival resides in to be that enjoyable to stay at.
“Indiana's got a hotel I don't like that much. And we spend a lot of time in Indiana. It's not a good hotel,” White added.
These NBA players are multi-millionaires who are accustomed to living lavish lifestyles, so it's not quite clear what passes for a good hotel experience for White. But this only means one thing: the Celtics guard is imploring those in the hotel business in Memphis and Indianapolis to up their games.
Derrick White to take on larger role for Celtics next season
The Celtics underwent a complete makeover during the offseason; they traded away two key pieces of their 2024 championship team in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford will be leaving as well. And then to make matters worse, Jayson Tatum will presumably be spending the entirety of the 2025-26 season on the sidelines as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
Thus, White will have quite the opportunity to break out even further in a larger role. He won't be alone in this regard, however. Payton Pritchard could average 20 points per game with Tatum out, and Anfernee Simons will be tasked to lead the offense as well.
Whether that results in a productive season for the Celtics remains to be seen, however, especially when their frontcourt situation is looking dire.
