Facing third-and-11 in the third quarter of Monday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton called a play that asked rookie quarterback Bo Nix to deliver a strike from his own end zone to midfield.
Nix pulled it off, connecting with wide receiver Marvin Mims on a 93-yard touchdown pass. That play was a textbook example of Payton’s confidence in his rookie quarterback.
Making an appearance on Colin Cowherd’s show on Tuesday, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady was asked about Payton’s trust in Nix on that play.
“The trust that a coach has in a player, it manifests itself all the time,” Brady told Cowherd. “I can always tell when I watch a play-caller try to manage a game from the sideline, he’s trying to manage the risk. And when you have a quarterback where you feel like, ‘You know what, I know he’s going to make good decisions,’ well, then you can actually go out there and — you don’t have to manage. It’s hard to manage a quarterback because you’re in the eye of the storm on every play; you touch the ball 70 snaps. So when you have a quarterback that you’re trusting who’s making good decisions, well then you want to give him more opportunities.”
Brady went on to say Payton is a phenomenal coach and Nix is embracing his opportunity to learn and grow under Payton.
Monday certainly wasn’t a perfect performance from Nix — he completed 51.4% of his passes and threw two interceptions — but the rookie continues to make progress every week, and it’s clear that Payton is the perfect coach to help mentor him.
Nix and Co. now head into their bye week with an 8-5 record, putting them on pace to make the NFL playoffs this fall.
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