Many college football offenses play almost exclusively from shotgun, which can create problems for young quarterbacks when they reach the NFL.
Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix played in a shotgun-heavy offense at Oregon, but he did line up under center at Auburn, and the QB got some reps there with the Ducks as well. QBs also lined up under center at the Senior Bowl earlier this year.
During rookie minicamp last month, Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked if it’s difficult to get a quarterback up to speed when they haven’t taken many snaps under center in college.
“Great question,” Payton said on May 11. “Well look, 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 [shot]gun 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.”
Bo Nix working under center. pic.twitter.com/NC1tt2vYHn
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) May 11, 2024
“All of these guys in college now are in the gun, but [Nix] took snaps under center,” Payton said. “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 has a built-in benefit of having played with center Alex Forsyth at Oregon in 2022. While a majority of his snaps were from the ‘gun, Forysth and Nix did get reps together in college before reuniting in the NFL.
Nix will become more comfortable under center with more reps, but he’s already in better shape than many rookie QBs from shotgun offenses.
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