ENGLEWOOD — Sean Payton is in love.
With a twinkle in his eye, the Broncos coach swiped right on Bo Nix. And quicker than you can say “QB1,” the Front Range could be bearing witness to a new coach-quarterback bromance.
The happiest I’ve seen Payton as Broncos coach was the night he drafted Nix No. 12 overall.
“ He’s extremely smart,” Payton said then.
The second-happiest? Saturday afternoon, when Nix headlined the team’s rookie minicamp.
Payton was effusive in his praise of Nix, the former Auburn and Oregon quarterback who’s brought a calm demeanor, spiky hairdo and rekindled hope of better days in Broncos Country.
“It’s almost like watching a good golfer,” Payton said Saturday.
“Sometimes when you watch his game over two years, there’s a patience to how he plays,” he added. "The ball comes out (quickly). I don’t want to use the term 'boring.' That’s not the right term. But you have the good decisions, the efficiency in how he’s operating, all of that.”
Goodness gracious, fellas. Get a film room already.
“I wish I played golf that way, like I play quarterback,” Nix responded later.
Is Nix the fix to the quarterback problem that’s plagued this franchise for almost a decade now?
Who knows? It’s May. But if the latest attempt to find the next Elway and Manning crashes and burns like the others, the most surprised man in Broncos County is going to be coach Payton.
Payton is a true-blue Bo believer. The Broncos coach hasn’t been more complimentary of a player since his first day on the job.
Payton said nothing surprised him about Nix’s debut at Centura Health Training Center.
“It’s been exactly what we saw,” Payton said. “The only thing I can think about (when) I was a little bit surprised is when we went to work him out privately. He’s bigger than I expected.”
The team roster lists Nix at 6-foot-2, 217 pounds. Yep, that checks out.
Playing against a pass rush that would be sent across the street to Arapahoe County Detention Center if it so much as laid a hand on the prized rookie quarterback, Nix completed three passes to former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin, a fourth-round draft pick. They’re old buds.
Unless I missed it while daydreaming about playoff tailgates at Empower Field at Mile High, Nix never even considered scampering out of the pocket. He dutifully stayed put while executing Payton's play call.
“I thought he threw it well,” Payton said.
Nix is the apple of Payton’s eye. And it’s worth remembering this is a coach whose commitment to perfect ball leaves him grumpy even after victories. The night the Broncos beat the Packers, Payton drove in circles around a Cherry Creek parking lot while looking for sushi.
“Why can’t I be happy?” Payton said he wondered to himself.
And it was after a rare Broncos win over the Chiefs that Payton’s Broncos approached Wilson about restructuring his contract. The Sean Show is not what you might call easily impressed.
His hopes for Nix are higher than Pikes Peak.
“It’s my job as a quarterback to get the play started and get the ball where it’s supposed to be,” Nix said.
Broncos royalty stepped in to help transition Nix to the NFL. Manning sent him a text, the two having once crossed paths at the Manning Passing Academy. Elway also messaged Nix, who was still two years from being born when No. 7 retired after winning Super Bowl XXXIII.
Feel old yet?
“That was a cool text for sure,” Nix said.
Elway was his dad's favorite player. Patrick Nix also was a former quarterback at Auburn.
“He was a little jealous,” Bo said. “I was kind of like, ‘Wow, is this really happening?’”
Best wishes to Broncos quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. But if Payton’s public evaluations are any indication, ‘Stiddy’ and Zach are playing for QB2.
The Broncos will empower Nix like the franchise never did with draft picks Paxton Lynch, who couldn't get on the field under Kubiak, or Drew Lock, whose revolving doors of offensive coordinators precluded any real development.
For the first time since Manning and Kubiak were the brain trust at Dove Valley, the whole operation is aligned. Owner Greg Penner and general manager George Paton kept a watchful eye on Nix Saturday, while Payton and offensive voices Joe Lombardi (coordinator) and Davis Webb (quarterbacks) shadowed the 24-year-old as if Nix is the center of their football universe.
One man’s hunch: If the Nix experiment fails, it won’t be because the Broncos did not throw all of their weight, resources and acumen behind the young quarterback with the spiky 'do.
The Broncos are in love.