Mixed Signals? What's going on?
Sean Payton's calls are baffling; Bo Nix must be glad to clear his mind
When I was playing baseball, one moment that always seemed to fascinate my Dad was conferences on the mound. “What are they saying?” he’d ask after the game. “What did he say?” Usually, it was something clever like “Throw strikes” or “Stop bitching about the umpires.”
When it comes to football, however, I’m not sure anyone wants to listen in, particularly when it comes to the coach sending plays in to his quarterback. If you’ve ever tried to read instructions or computer manuals, it’s a language that nobody understands. (If you do understand it, my sympathies. There may be a chip loose.)
Denver Broncos’ coach Sean Payton has taken NFL play-calling to near-hieroglyphic status and for his rookie QB Bo Nix, whom I’ve been rooting for since the season began, now, his season over, it must be a relief not to have to hear:
“13Z Devery Henderson Chris Ivory Green Right Nasty Z Peel Fake Slash 37 Buster Bluff Naked Right X Post Y Bite” again for a while.
That was the actual, literal play call that Payton sent in to the rookie Nix to start a game this season. Really. How’d you like to get that call from your coach?
Twenty-one words/symbols on a single play. An AVERAGE NFL game will feature over 150 play calls. NO WONDER Nix wears a helmet. We know football is a difficult, physically demanding sport. But what about what a QB has to hear in his headset? Can you imagine listening to something like that over 150 times in a game, then having to snap the ball so something with it? It’s a wonder he wasn’t in perpetual concussion protocol.
Listen to it again and imagine you’re Bo Nix. Trying to win a job, show the draft experts that you can play in this league and you hear: “Let’s start with: “13Z Devery Henderson Chris Ivory Green Right Nasty Z Peel Fake Slash 37 Buster Bluff Naked Right X Post Y Bite.” “That’ll be the first play call.” Payton says in the clip. Heck, only 149 to go.
Former Payton QB Drew Brees, whose ears seem so much more healthy in retirement not having to hear those calls from Payton on a weekly basis, was able to spout off a play from what is, no doubt, a haunted memory bank.
“Green Left Twin Z Short Tight Pass 37 Buster Bluff Naked Right Y Flutie Sting X Spear 53 Tight Left.” Brees said, with a relaxed smile, sitting at a table. There was no center hunched in front of him or any defender in sight. Easy.
These tidbits were revealed on the NFL pregame show on Sunday before the Broncos got waxed by the Buffalo Bills. While it was pretty clear that the upstart Broncos had little chance against Josh Allen and the Bills in perpetually unfriendly Buffalo, especially in January, I’ve been pulling for Nix since the season began.
You may know his story. His dad, Patrick, was the Auburn QB for three seasons (1992-1995) so it had to be a thrill for his son, Bo to get the Auburn QB job 24 years later, earning SEC Freshman of the Year. But then things began to sour in perpetually dissatisfied Auburn ( a permanent condition with Alabama in the same state) and Nix ended up transferring to Oregon. He wound up with 61 college football starts, a record.
But when it came to the NFL Draft, he was an afterthought, the sixth quarterback taken. Now the ones ahead of him are all good - Caleb Williams with the Bears, Jayden Daniels with the Commanders, Drake Maye with the Patriots, Michael Penix Jr. with the Falcons and J,J, McCarthy with the Vikings who was hurt and did not play. But sixth?
Now maybe you can make a case that the NFL Draft Experts like Lonesome Mel Kiper were dead-on. Those other QBs, I don’t think, teams would trade for Nix.
But I love to see them proved wrong, don’t you? Maybe it’s because having watched and suffered through so many dismal New England Patriots’ drafts, I dislike the whole draft process and the endless hype.
You’re reminded of that hype every time you see those stupid Dr. Pepper commercials with one of the great all-time draft flops, Brian “Boz” Bosworth as the sheriff. His NFL highlight film would be shorter than Peter Dinklage.
Nix has turned in a helluva year, leading the Broncos back into the playoffs for the first time in ten years. He didn’t have his best game in Buffalo but it was a fabulous season for him anyhow. How he was able to handle those Payton play calls was just amazing.
Former QB Chase Daniel played for Payton for three seasons and he explained the difficulties of playing that position on Payton’s teams.
“By the way, he only calls it one time,” Daniel said. “So if you miss it the one time, you’d better not go like this (waves finger like ‘repeat it’) or he’ll freak out on you.”
What may be even more amazing — the NFL pregame showed Nix deftly juggling three green balls as if he didn’t have a care in the world — is that Nix doesn’t even wear one of those wristbands like all the other QB’s do. Of course, if he did, it’d probably run all the way up his arm.
So when he hears “Stem To Queen Fix Right No Brainer Freeze Alert The Cheese” Bo Nix simply nods, gets under center and starts the play.
We know football is definitely a contact sport. But what about what goes on inside the helmet?