Sean Payton is just fine with Bo Nix scrambling during drills
Jul 29, 2024, 12:43 PM | Updated: 4:19 pm
Is it a good thing or a bad thing when a quarterback takes off running during a training camp drill? Well, it depends on who you ask. Or who the QB is that’s making the play.
Back when Paxton Lynch was hightailing it out of the pocket, Vance Joseph and company weren’t too thrilled with the former first-round pick. When Russell Wilson would do the same thing, Nathaniel Hackett didn’t have a problem with the quarterback making a play with his legs.
On Monday, another case study was provided. This time, it was Bo Nix doing the scrambling.
In the final team drill of the day, the rookie QB got the crowd fired up with a 40-yard scamper. He stepped up in the pocket, moved to his left and bolted down the west sideline for a big gain.
The crowd went wild, cheering what was arguably the highlight of the day. But was it a good thing or a bad thing? Nix’s head coach shared his thoughts after practice.
“We’re looking to throw in the pocket, but we’re also looking to make smart decisions with the football,” Sean Payton said about the scramble. “He’s being smart with the football and it’s a strength of his.”
It’s part of the reason why the coaches don’t just blow the whistle when a play is an obvious sack. There are still things to work on in those instances.
“You waste a rep if it’s just (a quick sack),” Payton added. “The quarterbacks are taught to flush. The receivers are taught to move with the QB. The are scramble rules for both sides of the ball. Let’s gain something from each one of these plays.”
That said, Nix’s play might not have been blown dead in any scenario. Payton thought it was a legitimate big play.
“We can tell when we watch film whether or not (it’ll be a sack),” the head coach said. “When Nix stepped up, I think he was going to have a pretty big gain.”
That’s just one of the reasons why he and his staff are encouraging the quarterbacks to use their legs. Whether it’s Nix, Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson, running will be a part of the QB’s repertoire.
“All three of these guys have good mobility,” Payton explained. “The pocket in our league is not always clean. When it gets dirty at times, (the QB) has to be reactionary.”
On Monday, Bo Nix did just what the coach wanted him to do. And the rookie QB wowed the fans in attendance in the process, providing a glimpse of the playmaking ability that he brings to the field.
