‘That special thing’ – Terry Bradshaw reveals rare trait that connects Bo Nix with NFL great Patrick Mahomes

Terry Bradshaw is either loved or hated by NFL fans.

But there’s no question about what Bradshaw thinks when it comes to one of the best young quarterbacks in football.

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While the sports world was focused on Jalen Hurts vs Patrick Mahomes during the Philadelphia Eagles’ recent Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Bradshaw weighed in on a 24-year-old QB who bounced around college before finding a professional home in Denver.

Bo Nix threw for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns last season while leading the Broncos to the playoffs as a rookie.

In the same year, Bradshaw went from barely knowing who Nix was to becoming a huge fan of Denver’s new leader.

“I talked to Sean (Payton) this morning, actually. He loves him (Nix),” Bradshaw said in New Orleans during Super Bowl week, to a group of reporters including talkSPORT.

“He’s faster than he thought he was, stronger than he thought he was, bigger than he thought he was, got an arm strength bigger than he thought it was.”

Bradshaw, a FOX Sports analyst who won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers, then explained what allowed Nix to excel as a rookie.

“The key to all these quarterbacks, these young kids, is poise,” Bradshaw said.  

“Even when they get their a** knocked off. You look at (Jayden) Daniels in Washington — how cool is that kid? Getting his a** knocked off and boom, boom.”

Bradshaw placed Nix in elite company with some of the best QBs in the NFL.

After bouncing from Auburn to Oregon in college, Nix turned a first- round draft selection (No. 12 overall) into a 10-7 record with Denver and third-place finish in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

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Bradshaw said there is a common theme connecting Nix with the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert, the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and one of the greatest QBs in NFL history.

“They have that special thing where pressure doesn’t bother them,” Bradshaw said.

“If you can be calm amongst the storm, then your brain can function, you can see things clearly

“If you’re in the panic mode, then you don’t see anything — you see blur.”

While Bradshaw had early doubts about Nix in Denver, the polarizing FOX analyst believed in Payton’s expertise, especially in coaching and getting the best out of QBs.

“I knew if Sean drafted him, Sean knew something,” Bradshaw said.

“Sean knew he could coach this kid. So when when Sean drafted (him) … that’s gonna be good, and it sure enough was.”

Nix could be leading the Broncos into the next decade.

But it’s almost guaranteed that Bradshaw won’t be part of FOX’s NFL coverage by then.

The legendary QB acknowledged before the Super Bowl that he’s already planning his retirement date.

“I told my wife before I left the room a while ago,” Bradshaw said.

“I was sitting there and I got two years left at FOX. I’m 76. It’s a young man’s game, I get that. Everybody wants the new thing.

“So I said if we can get to the next Super Bowl, I’ll be 80. 

“I think that’s time and that’s 80 years old and that’s pushing it.”

FOX broadcast Super Bowl LIX but won’t have the big game’s TV rights again until 2029 for Super Bowl LXIII.

That also impacts Tom Brady’s ability to call the biggest event in American sports.

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