Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton made it very clear he won't tolerate a weekly dissection of quarterback Bo Nix's development.
Following the team's season-opening victory over the Tennessee Titans, Payton was asked about Nix's growth. Payton cut the reporter off and explained why a ‘growth meter' shouldn't be used when evaluating Nix, especially this early in the season.
“Here's the thing, though, and I appreciate the question, but we're not going to have a growth meter each week in Year 2,” said Payton. “He's in his second year. I love the player. I get a chance to see him every day. He can be a huge reason why we win games, and so we're not going to have that weekly meter. That's the first refused growth meter in Week 1. I mean, that's crazy.”
Sean Payton stands behind Bo Nix despite early struggles
Despite Nix's struggles, which included multiple turnovers and stalled offensive drives, Payton emphasized the most important statistic of all. The veteran coach praised his quarterback's resilience and ability to bounce back when it mattered most.
“Well, we won, that's the first thing. I thought he hung in there. He battled. Made some critical plays first in the second half,” said Payton. “Obviously, he'll be disappointed with the turnovers, but it was a gutsy performance. Overall, his job is to lead us to score. I thought he played really well in the second half, and we won the game.”
Thankfully for Nix, the Broncos' defense bailed out the offense from its struggles. The defense generated six sacks as well as multiple turnovers, and would effectively make rookie quarterback Cam Ward's first regular-season start a miserable one. For Payton, the focus remains on team success rather than individual statistics or weekly progress reports on his developing quarterback's journey.
