Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix was caught on camera yelling at coach Sean Payton during Sunday’s 34-18 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Payton and Nix both indicated after the game that the heated exchange was no big deal, and Payton took it a step further during his conference call with reporters on Monday.
Not only was Payton not bothered by the incident, but he liked it.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” Payton said when asked if he liked seeing that kind of reaction from Nix on the sideline. “All good. It’s the heat of the moment, it’s the game. It’s competitive, he’s fiery. We’re in the business of passion.
“We’re looking for passion, and we’re looking for people who have passion for the game — not other things. I think that it’s so important to him. Again, I loved his response. We’re on to the next play, and it’s nothing.”
Sean Payton, on why he "loved" the response of Bo Nix during a heated sideline exchange Sunday: "It's competitive, he's fiery, & … look, we're in the business of passion. We're looking for passion, and we're looking for people that have passion for the game, not other things.… pic.twitter.com/bgN1mJcIzI
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 7, 2024
Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain had a similar reaction during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday.
“I just see two competitive people going at it,” Surtain said of the heated moment. “Obviously, when you’re in a situation like that — football brings the best out of you. They’ve both got the same personality, they just want to win games at the end of the day.”
"I just see two competitive people going at it and football brings the best out of you..
They've both got the same personality and they just wanna win football games" ~ @PatSurtainll https://t.co/MjOa3vG8i9 pic.twitter.com/EpluafTqPd
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 7, 2024
Nix led two more touchdown drives after that sideline exchange and he finished the day 19-of-27 passing for 206 yards with two touchdown passes, one touchdown run and no interceptions. The passion Nix displayed on the sideline was not a bad thing, as Payton has made clear.
