The Broncos got their first exposure this weekend to quarterback Bo Nix as a member of the team.
Coach Sean Payton was asked Saturday if anything about Nix surprised him.
“No, that’s exactly what we saw,” Payton told reporters. “The only thing I can think of that surprised me a little bit is that when we went to work with him privately and stood around him, he was bigger than me.” expected. But nothing in the last two days. He is doing well.”
Payton appears to be looking for a quarterback who won’t be a surprise.
“He made two or three shots downfield today,” Payton said. “It’s almost like watching a good golfer. Sometimes when you watch their game for two years, there’s patience in the way they play. The ball comes out and… I don’t want to use the term ‘boring,’ that’s not the term.” right, but (he makes) pretty good decisions with every play, the efficiency of how he operates and all that.”
One adjustment will be Nix playing more plays under center.
“Bill Walsh used to believe: back then they were under center, three steps, three and a hitch, five steps, five and a hitch, seven steps and a hitch. One of the concerns he always had with the (shotgun) that then you have to translate that. If I have a five step drop under center, that’s three grand and a hitch on the gun. If it’s seven under center, that’s five. So there’s some of those conversions that we’re working on. All these guys in college now are on the gun, but (Nix) took snaps under center, some of them just haven’t taken snaps (under center when they’ve never taken a snap under center and late in the game). , they are killing time, kneeling and they do it from the gun, so they are probably not under the center at all, he has done it.”
Nix also brings mobility to the position, which is a positive for Payton.
“We’ve always valued that at the position, players who can create,” Payton said. “It goes back to Steve Young. So it’s kind of our game, as it relates to the protections and when the pocket gets a little murky, the quarterback’s ability to move a little bit, move a lot and make the right decisions. That’s “The same for Zach Wilson, it will be the same for Jarrett (Stidham). Those guys have good movement skills. So that’s a trait we look for.”
The main characteristic Payton wants is someone who will run the offense, not from snap to whistle, but from huddle to whistle. Call the play, get to the line, make adjustments, execute the play. Payton bets that Nix can do it.
