Denver is absolutely still rolling with Bo Nix at quarterback, even with the guy having his fair share of recent struggles. This isn’t some gut feeling, either. The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reported over the weekend that the belief inside the Broncos’ building is all about Nix’s competitiveness, his drive, and his ability to get things fired up again.
Pundits Are Talking, But Payton Isn’t Listening
Yeah, look, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been out there questioning Nix’s competitiveness, and plenty of other pundits have even floated the idea of benching him. You hear that noise all the time, right? But it sounds like Sean Payton and the Broncos aren’t even blinking. They’ve still got that confidence in their third-year QB, plain and simple. What does that tell you? They’re either seeing something we aren’t, or they’re dead set on riding this out.
The ‘Head Spinning’ Terminology Drama You Missed
Now, here’s where things get interesting, and maybe a little dramatic. When offensive coordinator Davis Webb took over play-calling duties this offseason, the Broncos apparently changed up some of their offensive terminology. That was initially reported by Chase Daniel and some other folks. But then, Jay Glazer dropped a bombshell on Fox NFL Sunday, saying Webb “completely changed the terminology” and suggested it left Nix’s “head spinning.” Yikes, right? Glazer even said they had to go back to Payton’s old terminology.
But hold up a second. Glazer’s report might have been a bit much, maybe even exaggerated. James Palmer from NFL on Prime Video came in with a much calmer take, reporting that only “about 30% of the terminology” was changed when Webb stepped up. Palmer called those “minor changes,” nothing like the “head spinning” scenario. He even tweeted that the changes were “to have more of a rhyme or reason to some formations to make them more current.” He said there were some new pass concepts that Davis liked, but “to be honest, it was pretty similar” overall.
Payton himself, when asked about the terminology changes by the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel on October 8, seemed to brush it off. He said, “What these guys have learned, I can adjust and learn.” He even added, “Sometimes it might be something where I want to call it this. They’ll learn it. The things that have been tweaked relative to certain formations or calls, that’s the easy part.” So, was it a full-on terminology overhaul, or just a few tweaks? The truth looks a lot closer to “tweaks.”
So, the bottom line here is clear: Denver is sticking with Bo Nix. And despite all the noise about a “head spinning” terminology nightmare, it looks like the offense hasn’t undergone some massive, earth-shattering changes now that Payton is back to calling the shots. They’re riding with their guy, and the changes aren’t the huge obstacle some made them out to be.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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