Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates went viral on Friday after aggregation accounts on Twitter/X started re-sharing a video of him saying he’s been watching Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix playing at the college level for the last 10 years.
There’s some context to the quote, though.
Bates started his answer on Nix by saying the Falcons have enough NFL film to study from the QB’s time in the NFL.
“Ten games, usually, that’s enough film to really see a quarterback’s strengths or weaknesses or what they like to do,” Bates said on Friday, via Raphael Haynes of The 3 Point Conversion. “[There’s] kind of multiple years where we can go back and watch what he does. … We’ve been watching him in college for, you know, the past five or six years, however long it was.”
Media members then interjected “Ten years!” with laughter and Bates said, “Ten years, whatever it is.”
It seemed to be a harmless remark from Bates with the “10 years” quip being prompted by media in attendance.
“We’ve been watching him in college for the past…10 years”#Falcons safety Jessie Bates talks about preparing for Denver #Broncos QB Bo Nix this Sunday. @3ptCnvrsn #NFL #RiseUp #3ptcnvrsn pic.twitter.com/ROlbkFXazc
— Raphael Haynes (@rahaynes_) November 15, 2024
“He’s not [like] a rookie quarterback — seems like he’s a graduate student almost,” Bates continued. “He’s doing a good job … running their offense at a high level.”
The Broncos do not view Nix’s extensive college experience as a negative. Coaches and players both said this offseason that Nix appeared more poised and polished than a typical rookie because of his college experience.
Nix spent five years at the college level before entering the NFL. Atlanta’s rookie quarterback, Michael Penix, spent six years in college.
