Sean Payton’s pocket is the place Russell Wilson WANTS to be. However with this model of Massive Russ, Jim Harbaugh’s offensive method is what the Broncos NEED to be.
Whenever you consider Payton, you consider Drew Brees. Whenever you consider Harbaugh, you consider a method. A mantra.
Profitable video games by profitable up entrance first. Utilizing the quarterback within the run sport. Energy working to arrange every part else. Transferring the quarterback round. Which, when crucial, may also be fairly useful so far as protecting the opposite man’s star signal-caller chilling on the sidelines.
There are two soccer paths towards besting Kansas Metropolis’s best. The primary is the enjoyable one, making an attempt to outscore Mahomes on his personal phrases. Which suggests both buying and selling for Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow — plus Joe Burrow’s receiving corps — or rising your individual.
The primary isn’t going to occur. That final half takes time. The faster, much less horny path is build up an offense with the sort of chain-moving mojo that leaves Mahomes caught subsequent to teach Andy Reid, bored stiff, questioning if he’ll get the ball again earlier than Valentine’s Day.
From 2011-14, Harbaugh’s San Francisco offenses ranked among the many NFL’s high 6 in time of possession twice (2011 and ’14) in 4 years. His 49ers by no means averaged lower than 30:21 of the ball per sport in any season. His offenses possessed the rock for a minimum of 51.7% of the second-half clock twice (2011, ‘14), when it comes to season common, throughout his tenure by the Bay.
The person rode Alex Smith to an NFC title sport and Colin Kaepernick to a Tremendous Bowl. If Russ needs to cook dinner, Captain Khakis can deliver the warmth.
“(As a coach, you’ve) acquired to encompass your self with individuals which have been on this league and perceive this league,” Broncos left deal with Garett Bolles provided Monday at UCHealth Coaching Middle. “As a result of this league (will) chew you up and spit you out. That’s simply the truth of the NFL. You’ve acquired to know who you might be. You’ve acquired to be constant.
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“So having a constant coach goes to be very important for us — any individual that’s disciplined, any individual that has accountability and that doesn’t break the principles. And that’s what we’d like. We’d like a troublesome man to return in right here, and a real chief that may lead (a locker room) to victory.”
Harbaugh and Payton tick each considered one of Bolles’ bins. So does Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris, DeMeco Ryans and — though you’d choose to maintain him buzzing alongside because the Broncos’ defensive coordinator — Ejiro Evero.
However solely Harbaugh or Payton plant a flag.
Solely Harbaugh or Payton make a press release to the remainder of the league. Solely Harbaugh or Payton get you again within the good graces of these tv community executives whose retinas had been unceremoniously burned, like the remainder of America’s, whereas making an attempt to look at the mix of Hackett and Russ in prime time. Solely Harbaugh or Payton make the Broncos must-see TV once more.
And of these two, just one — Harbaugh — doesn’t require draft picks to attempt to make a actuality.
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As a result of the opposite actuality is that Wilson, at age 34, shouldn’t be a younger Joe Burrow anymore. Neither is his sport tailor-made to win a Mahomes-style shootout.
Furthermore, Massive Russ appears satisfied that what saved Brees taking part in till 42, staying locked inside a pocket, is the good play for his profession, too. Alas, No. 3’s final two performances in Orange & Blue didn’t simply SAY in any other case.
They screamed it.
“He’s one of many world’s finest, clearly a man who’s coached a Corridor of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees, who’s considered one of my closest buddies and the man I’ve gotten to know throughout the league,” Wilson mentioned Sunday of Payton, darn close to beaming on the prospect of plahying for him. “He’s aggressive as could be. He’s a winner … simply the wizardry that you’d have on the sector (could be) simply magnificent. And he’s simply spectacular.”
Magic wands apart, if it’s a tie on all angles, vote Harbaugh. All he prices you is cash now. And sanity later.
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Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Auburn quarterback Bo Nix were opponents in the 2019 and 2020 Iron Bowls. Now they’re teammates on the Denver Broncos.
Surtain has been a first-team All-Pro selection once and a Pro Bowl pick twice, and he currently leads the NFL in interception-return yards in his fourth season since Denver selected him at No. 9 in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Nix is a rookie, but he’s begun to attract accolades 11 starts after becoming the 12th pick in the NFL Draft on April 25. And Surtain foresees more recognition ahead for the Broncos quarterback.
“He’s him,” Surtain said. “I told him, ‘Man, you’re trying to win MVP. It’s not even looking like Offensive Rookie of the Year. It looks like MVP right now.’
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“But, man, it’s a testament to him. He puts the work in each and every week, and it shows with his preparation. He stays after hours to watch film, perfect his game. This is what you see from him. When you have games like this, it’s not a surprise because he puts the work in fundamentally each and every week.”
Surtain made the remark after the Broncos had beaten the Atlanta Falcons 38-6 on Sunday. Nix reached career highs in passing yards, touchdown passes, completion percentage and passing-efficiency rating as he completed 28-of-33 passes for 307 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed 84.8 percent of his passes and posted a passer rating of 145.0.
In his NFL debut, Nix completed 26-of-42 passes for 138 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The former Pinson Valley High School star completed 61.9 percent of his passes and had a passer rating of 47.5 in a 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8.
“Our league, you’re learning each week,” Denver coach Sean Payton said, “and then pretty soon, you’re like, ‘I belong here.’ And it’s clear he belongs here.”
Nix became the first rookie in NFL history with 300 passing yards, four TD passes, no interceptions and a completion percentage of more than .750 in the same game on Sunday.
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“It’s a lot of fun to be able to be a part of, a lot of fun to watch him go out there and have fun,” Denver wide receiver Courtland Sutton said after Sunday’s game. “You can tell he’s like a kid, man. He’s just enjoying himself. And for your quarterback to be out there enjoying himself but not panic – there’s not one ounce of panic that goes upon him no matter what part of the game we’re in. It’s a lot of fun.”
Broncos safety P.J. Locke has his award projection for Nix set a little lower than Surtain, pitching the quarterback for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award after Sunday’s game.
“If it’s not, we got to go talk to somebody,” Locke said. “But, no, let me scale back. We still got a whole bunch of games, so I don’t want to mess up nothing. Keep taking it week by week. But I hope so. …
“Bo is not your average rookie, I would say. You can just tell, like, his confidence is growing. His leadership is growing. And it’s rubbing off on a lot of people. He’s going out there executing, getting that offense going, and it’s a fun sight to see. I think everybody feeds off of it.”
At 6-5, Denver is in the AFC’s final playoff spot in the current standings.
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The Broncos play the Las Vegas Raiders at 3:05 p.m. CST Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Denver defeated the Raiders 34-18 on Oct. 6 as Nix threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the “Ferris Bueller” game. Las Vegas has a 2-8 record after its 34-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
The Atlanta Falcons were painfully reminded of something that has been true for nearly 20 years. Sean Payton has partial ownership in the Atlanta Falcons. Maybe they hoped things changed since Payton was no longer leading the New Orleans Saints.
However, when the Falcons visited the Denver Broncos, Payton showed the new emblem on the hat doesn’t lessen his dominance over the Falcons. Payton improved his record to 22-9 against the Falcons with a dominating 38-6 victory.
Atlanta wasn’t the only team to get this reminder. Payton swept the NFC South this year and showed them why they all felt relieved by his temporary retirement. This included Payton’s first career victory over the Saints.
The games haven’t been too close either. The Carolina Panthers kept it the closest, and they lost by 14 points. At the end of that game, Payton flat out said Carolina isn’t a good team. Maybe that was the jolt Carolina needed because they haven’t lost a game since those comments.
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During his 16-year run with New Orleans, Payton had a winning record against every team in the division. As the coach of the Denver Broncos, he’s undefeated against his former division.
On the heels of a loss that could have been debilitating, the Denver Broncos bounced back with gusto, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 38-6. Instead of allowing that last-second loss in Kansas City hang with them, the Broncos showed in Sunday’s resounding victory that they’d moved on from it days ago.
Perhaps Bo Nix is Denver’s football priest most responsible for exorcising that particular demon. The rookie quarterback had a coming-out party against the Falcons, passing for 307 yards and four touchdowns, finishing with a passer rating of 145.0.
Although it seemed that Jayden Daniels may have had Offensive Rookie of the Year sewn up, Nix’s rapid rise has put him on a level with Washington’s No. 2 overall quarterback. Fittingly, veteran wideout Courtland Sutton broke the ice on Nix’s Broncos teammates campaigning for the NFL at large to start including Nix equally in those conversations.
“I made the comment, but the dude should be in conversations for rookie of the year,” Sutton said post-game. “There should be no hesitation.”
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It’s as if Nix woke up on Sunday morning with the perfect knowledge that today was going to belong to him and the Broncos. At least, that’s what he said when he was asked when he had the realization that it was going to be one of those days.
“When I woke up this morning,” Nix said from the podium post-game. “Sometimes you just wake up ready to roll.”
Nix is grateful for his opportunity, crediting the Broncos for believing in him and drafting him to be this team’s future franchise quarterback. Such business is never a sure thing, and yet, if Sunday’s romp revealed anything, it’s perhaps that the future is now.
“Each day you go out there on the field and get to play for a team and a franchise that believes in you and an organization that does so much for you,” Nix said. “It is a blessing to be in my spot and my shoes. Each day is a new opportunity and a new time to go out there and play in front of a home crowd that showed up today. It was a lot of fun.”
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Nix looked like he was having fun out there, notching the first 300-yard passing game of his career and joining Peyton Manning as the only NFL quarterbacks to pass for 200-plus yards and at least two touchdowns in four straight home games. Nix has already joined John Elway in the Broncos’ record books, and he can now add Manning to the distinguished milestones reached so early in his NFL career.
Nix’s veteran teammates took notice of these accolades and distinctions long ago. After all, he’s the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month and of the Week. Something tells me he’ll be the Rookie of Week 11, too.
“I think he’s incredible. Bo is my dog, and he leads his team,” left tackle Garett Bolles said. “He leads this offense. We go as far as his play… He’s a deadly quarterback in this league.”
At 6-5, the Broncos can feel something happening. With six games to go, this team seems to be just hitting its stride, so the key moving forward will be keeping their eye on the prize.
Nix revealed a message that Broncos safety P.J. Locke shared with the team in the locker room post-game. The Broncos aren’t satisfied with being close, or nearly handing the Kansas City Chiefs what would have been their first loss of the season. This team is ready to get over the hump.
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I think we are all excited. We know the opportunity we have,” Nix said. “We beat a good football team today. It just proves that we can belong on this stage against teams that we want to go out there and beat. We are going to have to continue playing like we did today. We know it is there. P.J. said it in the locker room. We are tired of being close. We do not want to be close anymore. We have to make steps to get over that line. I thought today was a good step.”
Indeed. Call it a quantum leap in the right direction. Broncos head coach Sean Payton called a phenomenal game against his former NFC South foes, and has to be pleased as punch with Nix’s ascendance.
He may be a rookie, but Nix keeps the Broncos on schedule, avoids the negative plays, and is absolutely stubborn about turning the ball over. That might hurt Tums’ stock, but it helps the digestion of coaches like Payton, and helps them sleep at night.
“I thought he played well. You feel like you’re in good hands,” Payton said of Nix. “He’s smart with the football. He makes plays with his feet. A lot of times you’re calling plays for certain looks [and] the looks aren’t there. He has that ability to create and all the while protect the football. I thought he played really well.”
The way Nix carries himself, the way he leads, and his comportment on the field belies his rookie standing. His teammates have to remind themselves that their 24-year-old quarterback is, in fact, a rookie.
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“We really didn’t feel like we had a rookie,” wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. said post-game. “He just feels like an experienced veteran, and he’s been on the field every play. With his elusiveness and being able to extend plays, he doesn’t quit on any plays. He’s Bo Nix. He wants to make the most of every play so it’s a lot of fun playing with him.”
For what it’s worth, Nix has the most touchdowns among NFL rookie quarterbacks — 14 passing, four rushing, and one receiving. Plus, he has a history of winning rookie accolades, as the SEC’s Rookie of the Year his freshman season at Auburn.
Past is prologue, so they say.
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