Sean Payton sounds upset that Bo Nix is getting all the credit for Broncos success

Everyone seems in awe of Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix's rapid improvement — except Sean Payton.

Speaking with reporters on Monday, Payton oddly did his best to derail the Nix hype train. Why the Broncos head coach decided to rain on his player's parade (who he hand-picked to be the team's franchise passer) remains unclear. Nonetheless, after an impressive statement victory over the Atlanta Falcons, the Denver sideline general downplayed matters.

"Let's not send this [Nix] kid to Canton quite yet," Payton stated (h/t DenverSports.com's Andrew Mason). "We're sitting here in the middle of the season. He's playing well. I'm excited. The film showed that he's playing well. The film showed a few things, though, that I wanted to scream at him about. We'll keep correcting those things."

Sean Payton sounds upset that Bo Nix is getting all the credit for the Broncos' success

Was Payton watching the same thing we did? What could Nix have done wrong on a day where he completed 28-of-33 passes for 307 yards, four touchdowns and zero turnovers? Sure, the signal-caller took a sack for a loss of 12 yards. But are we going to get nit-picky?

What is the purpose of Payton's smear campaign of Nix? Is the former trying to keep the latter humbled while media outlets praise him? Is it a motivation tactic? Or, as Denver's chief offensive architect, does the legendary coach want to be equally lauded for the surprising success of the Broncos' scoring unit?

Regardless, Payton followed up his peculiar comments by speaking glowingly of Nix:

"I like the way he prepares. I love the way he comes to work. I love his enthusiasm -- I think it's naturally contagious. I think he's a winner ... it's interesting because you guys [in] real-time are seeing it just like we are ... I'm [really] encouraged by that.

Who knows what mind games Payton's playing with Nix. But does it matter as long as this year's No. 12 overall selection continues taking the NFL by storm?

Nix was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his outstanding efforts against the Falcons. He continues looking more comfortable under center each passing contest, which bodes well for Payton and the Broncos.