ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton’s formal introduction as Denver Broncos coach Monday included the significance to maintain an open thoughts on gamers, a promise of self-discipline, an eye fixed for particulars and a centered pursuit of successful that “is just not for everyone.”
And maybe nothing punctuated all of it greater than Payton’s steadfast perception within the enchancment quarterback Russell Wilson could make and the way Payton expects Wilson, in addition to the remainder of the Broncos, to make that enchancment.
Requested if Wilson might proceed to have a private quarterback coach — Jake Heaps — in addition to another assist personnel to work with the quarterback within the constructing, Payton was clear the place he stood.
“I am not too aware of that,” Payton mentioned. “That is overseas to me, that is not going to happen. I am unfamiliar with it. Our workers will likely be right here, our gamers will likely be right here and that will likely be it.”
For a group that has misplaced no less than 10 video games in 5 of the final six years, Payton has a fairly large to-do listing with Wilson at, or close to, the highest.
Wilson, who the Broncos despatched 5 draft picks and three gamers to the Seattle Seahawks to amass final March, completed the season with a career-low 16 landing passes and a career-most 55 sacks. The Broncos had been the bottom scoring group within the league (16.9 factors per recreation) and had 11 video games this previous season once they scored 16 or fewer factors.
However with Justin Outten calling performs from the coaches’ field and quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak on the sideline for the season’s last two video games when Jerry Rosburg was the interim coach, Wilson had six whole touchdowns within the two video games — 4 passing and two speeding. Wilson threw three landing passes within the season-ending victory over the Loa Angeles Chargers.
Payton mentioned Monday he believed these two video games had been the primary glimpses of how issues might be higher for Wilson.
“(The) final couple weeks (of the season) we noticed just a little extra of what we had been anticipating, what we might grow to be accustomed to,” Payton mentioned. “… No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating gamers is what are the issues that they do effectively after which let’s attempt to put them in these positions … Spotlight their strengths and decrease their weaknesses.”
On becoming the offense to what Wilson does effectively, Payton later added “none of us wish to be at a karaoke bar with a tune we do not know the phrases to.”
However general, for a franchise that has missed the playoffs in every of the final seven seasons — the Tremendous Bowl 50 win is the group’s final playoff recreation — proprietor and CEO Greg Penner had mentioned the brand new coach must convey self-discipline and accountability.
Payton made these guarantees each in his interviews with the Broncos and Monday as effectively, whilst he harkened again to his arrival as New Orleans Saints coach in 2006 or working with Corridor of Famer Invoice Parcells.
“You could have regulation and order as Invoice (Parcells) would say,” Payton mentioned. “… You are available in with that is how we will train, that is how we will meet, that is how we will apply … Yearly in our league there have been nice plans with noble ideas and numerous enthusiasm that do not have success … Self-discipline, toughness, and soccer make-up goes to be actual vital for who’s a Denver Bronco. There is a component of self-discipline, there is a component of toughness, and look it is not for everybody.”
Payton later added, “I do know what it seems like and I do know what it does not appear to be. And typically we’re not asking, typically it is non-negotiable.”
Payton, Penner and common supervisor George Paton all mentioned Monday they thought of Payton the group’s prime candidate earlier within the hiring course of than most believed. Penner mentioned it took “5 – 6 days” after the Broncos had determined Payton could be the subsequent head coach to truly work out the commerce with the Saints for compensation.
Payton, who final coached with the Saints in 2021, was beneath contract in New Orleans by the 2024 season. The Broncos despatched their first-round decide in April (twenty ninth general) and a second-round decide in 2024 to the Saints to signal Payton to a five-year contract. Denver additionally obtained a 2024 third-round decide again from New Orleans.
Penner, particularly, was requested if the Broncos had been nonetheless pursuing San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans final week earlier than Ryans accepted the Houston Texans head-coaching job.
“That wasn’t the case,” Penner mentioned. “… As soon as we locked into Sean about 5 – 6 days earlier than we bought the commerce finished with the Saints our focus was totally on him and shutting that.”
“We might have had Sean finished earlier if we did not have that different layer with the commerce,” Paton mentioned.
For his half Payton mentioned, “What I used to be in search of I felt like existed in a single place, primarily based on my publicity with the opposite groups … This was the chance that I used to be curious about, and I do know I used to be the coach they had been curious about.”