Late in the first quarter of Oregon’s blowout win over California last November, quarterback Bo Nix evaded a pass rusher on third down by dipping under his grasp, and the QB’s momentum carried him under his offensive lineman as well. Nix then looked up and completed a pass for a first down.
At some point during the scouting process leading up to the 2024 NFL draft, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton saw that play, and he came away impressed.
“There was a play that I’ve never seen before where the guard was blocking a three-technique and he kind of climbed and he actually slipped under between the guard and the three-technique, came out the other side and threw it,” Payton said Wednesday after naming Nix the team’s starter.
“I just had never seen that ever happen. It was the first time I ever saw it in my life where the quarterback kind of ducked between the rusher and the blocker and kind of came out the other end.”
This is presumably the play that Payton was referencing:
Bo Nix: QB1 pic.twitter.com/AcnIlpDSJJ
— Jon Heath (@ByJonHeath) August 21, 2024
Nix met with the media after Wednesday’s practice and Payton’s remark was relayed to the quarterback.
“I’m not quite sure which one [Payton] is talking about, but I guess it’s good if I’m — I guess it could be a good and bad thing if I’m making plays he has never seen before,” Nix said with a smile. “I think that’s one thing that I enjoy about Coach Payton. He is going to be real.
“When I mess up, he’s going to tell me that looked terrible and when it was good, he’s going to tell me that it was good. That is the kind of feedback that I like, and I’m excited to continue to work with him. It was fun on Sunday hearing him with the play call for the first time. That’s how it is going to be. Practicing that and getting used to it was cool.”
Nix’s ability to make plays from a “dirty pocket” played a role in Payton’s decision to target the quarterback.
“When we watched all of his Oregon film, at times there are going to be a little penetration,” Payton said. “All of these guys in their pro days are showing us off-schedule throws. Some throws we would never even expect to do in a game. You saw in every game he played a dirty pocket, a quick plant step and ball out accurately. For some guys, that’s hard to do. They need a full stride in a clean pocket.
“In each game, whether it was climb up, escape right [or] climb, escape left or just move a little and release it, [Nix did it]. It served him well relative to the sack numbers. He became a tough sack because the ball is out. Now, you have to be able to process very quickly too. You saw that on film.”
Nix’s ability to stay calm and composed while moving the ball down the field will serve him well in the NFL.
“I described kind of a little bit of when you watched him play, you didn’t feel like you were in harm’s way a lot,” Payton said. “You felt like this guy was in the fairway quite a bit. Remember one of the commandments of this position: It’s not how many touchdown passes, it’s can you lead your team into the end zone and can you lead your team to score points? There’s a lot that goes with that, and that’s really how all these guys when their careers are done will be measured.”
Nix is set to become the team’s 14th starting quarterback in the post-Peyton Manning era. Payton went all in to draft Nix this spring and he’s now ready to go all-in with Nix in the 2024 season. There will undoubtedly be some growing pains along the way, but Payton believes the Broncos have found their new long-term quarterback.
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