Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is happy with what he’s seen from new quarterback Bo Nix after they selected him with the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but there is one change he wants to instill in Nix this offseason – more snaps under center.
During a recent press conference, Sean Payton made it clear that he wants Bo Nix to become a little bit more familiar with taking snaps under center given how it affects the timing of the offense.
“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 [shotgun] 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.
“All of these guys in college now are in the gun, but [Nix] took snaps under center. 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.”
Obviously, most of Nix’s snaps came from the shotgun during his time in college. We’ll have to see how he handles more snaps under center with the Broncos.
