The Broncos have gotten their first exposure this weekend to quarterback Bo Nix as a member of the team.
Coach Sean Payton was asked on Saturday whether anything from Nix has surprised him.
“No, it’s been exactly what we saw,” Payton told reporters. “The only thing that I can think about that I was a little bit surprised is when we went to work him out privately and stood around him, he was bigger than I expected. But nothing in the last two days. He’s doing well.”
Payton seems to be looking for a quarterback who won’t entail surprises.
“He had two or three down-the-field throws today,” Payton said. “It’s almost like watching a good golfer. Sometimes when you watch his game over two years, there’s a patience to how he plays. The ball comes out, and — I don’t want to use the term ‘boring,’ that’s not the right term, but [he makes] pretty good decisions. With each play, the efficiency of how he’s operating, and all of that.”
One adjustment will be for Nix to take more snaps under center.
“Bill Walsh used to believe — they were under center back then, three-step, three-and-a-hitch, five-step, five-and-a-hitch, seven-step and a hitch. One of the concerns he always had with the [shotgun] was that you have to then translate that. If I have a five-step drop under center, it’s a three big-and-a-hitch in the gun. If it’s seven under center, it’s five. So there’s some of those conversions that we’re working on. All of these guys in college now are in the gun, but [Nix] took snaps under center. Some of them just haven’t taken snaps [under center]. You know when they’ve never taken a snap under center when at the end of the game, they’re killing the clock, taking a knee and they’re doing it from the gun. Then they probably aren’t under center at all. So, he’s done that.”
Nix also brings mobility to the position, which is a positive for Payton.
“We’ve always valued that in the position, players that can create,” Payton said. “You go back to Steve Young. So it’s our game a little bit, relative to protections and when the pocket gets a little muddy, the ability for the quarterback to move some, move a lot, and make the right decisions. That’s the same for Zach Wilson, it’s going to be the same for Jarrett [Stidham]. Those guys have good movement skills. So it’s a trait we look for.”
The main trait Payton wants is someone who will run the offense, not from snap to whistle but from huddle to whistle. Getting the play called, getting to the line, making adjustments, running the play. Payton is making the bet that Nix will be able to pull it off.
