Sean Payton is – how do I put this politely – not for everyone. His track record, both as a coach and as a quarterback whisperer, speaks for itself. He's won a Super Bowl and been the architect behind some of the most prolific offenses in NFL history while running the show down in New Orleans.
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But his reputation proceeds him, and it's not exactly a secret that he can be tough to work with. If Bo Nix hadn't figured that out yet, he got his official Welcome To The NFL Moment on Sunday. In the middle of a blowout win over a division rival, TV cameras caught footage of Payton and Nix getting ... animated? ... on the sideline after a play. It was the sort of interaction that happens five times a game, but the optics never fail to create nice, bloggable controversies. After the game, Payton explained what happened in the most Sean Payton (Paytronizing?) way possible.
The Sean Payton-Bo Nix sideline blowup has something to do with Ferris Bueller apparently?
Sean Payton addresses the spirited conversation with his QB Bo Nix in the second half 🗣️ “There’s still a little bit of Ferris Bueller in this player that we gotta get rid of.”#KOAGameDay | @AuroraMHRorg pic.twitter.com/dP6sFQZKLj
— KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (@KOAColorado) October 6, 2024
"It's part of the deal," he said. "There's just still a little bit of Ferris Bueller in this player that we've got to get rid of. Talking about Bo. And I love him to death. And so sometimes it's my love language."
First of all, Ferris Bueller is an icon, so this metaphor doesn't really hit the way that Payton thinks it does. Secondly, what? Payton clarified this by explaining that Nix, like Bueller, is "kinda quirky" and someone who does "his own thing once in a while."
So I guess Nix changed a play? Or changed a part of a play? Payton not wanting his play call changed is understandable to an extent, but what a uniquely weird and pointlessly snarky way to express that. I'm sure Nix loved being called "this player" when discussing how there's a part of his personality that his head coach would like to get rid of. There's that encouraging, motivational team leader that everyone knows Payton to be!
All this after a win. I don't imagine this turns into some big headline that shows up on ESPN's front page, but blowout division wins usually don't come along with very public sideline arguments and insulting explanations afterwards. But Payton won a Super Bowl 15 years ago, so he probably knows exactly what he's doing.