Sean Payton loves a pocket passer.
The highly-regarded head coach was in charge for Drew Brees‘ entire 15-year career with the New Orleans Saints.
Bo Nix and Payton have a strong relationship[/caption]
They won a Super Bowl together in 2010 and the numbers Brees put up will likely see both enter the Hall of Fame.
Payton’s spell at the helm of the Denver Broncos did not get off to the best start amid problems finding the right man under center.
But in rookie quarterback Bo Nix, he looks to have found a Brees clone with the 12th pick.
The Fox Sports panel discussed the Broncos signal-caller ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Indianapolis Colts.
Jay Glazer shared a brilliant anecdote from just before this year’s NFL Draft that shows just how deep Payton’s admiration for Nix is.
“You can’t get into a conversation with Sean Payton without him bringing up how great Bo Nix is in like .2 seconds,” he said.
“Here’s the thing with Bo Nix, he loved him going all the way back to March and his personal workout.
“We all know Sean’s crazy, he comes up with this crazy idea like two days out.
“He says, ‘I’m gonna fly to where Bo Nix is and when he gets drafted I’m gonna knock on his door and personally tell him that we’re drafting him.’
“Luckily we talked Sean out of that but that’s how much he loves this dude.
Payton and Brees were a match made in heaven[/caption]
“He was like, ‘I want everybody to know how much I love this dude. He’s my guy.’”
Glazer’s colleague Terry Bradshaw was in agreement, claiming that Payton would have drafted Nix ahead of Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels if he had the No. 1 pick.
“I wouldn’t go too crazy falling in love with him. There has definitely been a GOOD BO and a BAD BO!!!!,” joked one fan on X.
“They have a great relationship. Payton is a QB genius,” added another.
The 8-5 Broncos are third in the AFC West table looking to surpass the 8-4 Los Angeles Chargers.
Per Yahoo, Payton has an 82.5 per cent chance of securing a playoff spot but defeat to the 6-7 Colts would be disastrous.
Nix has completed 277 of 434 passes for 2,842 yards and 17 touchdowns with just eight interceptions.
His form has been inconsistent – typical for a rookie QB.
Payton says he is trying not to over-coach Nix and allow the 24-year-old to make mistakes as he continues his development, an approach that Tom Brady approves of.
“That takes a great developmental coach and I would say Sean Payton certainly is that,” the seven-time Super Bowl champion told Colin Cowherd.
“He’s a phenomenal coach and a quarterback that wants to embrace that opportunity to learn a skill set of how to manage a game not just, ‘Hey coach what’s the play? Tell me what to do coach, tell me the play.’”
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