Sean Payton is Stirring Up Drama, Again
The former New Orleans Saints coach is planning on tearing it up in Denver--and he wants to make sure that everyone notices
Sean Payton is not your average NFL head coach. Payton is loud and brazen, can be seen sitting courtside at NBA games, and enjoys flashiness. I mean, just look at the guy:
It isn’t always sunshine and rainbows for the 59 year old coach, though. This year’s challenge is going to be a bit of a doozy—cleaning up the mess that is the Denver Broncos.
On July 27, USAToday released a bombshell exclusive interview with Sean Payton, and I’d like to give you some of the highlights, plus a little bit of analysis and fact checking (trust me, I’m not going easy on this part—I’m a Falcons fan).
1. Cleaning up Hackett’s Mess
Sean Payton spared no harsh words whatsoever when discussing the previous Broncos regime, which is fair. The 2022 Broncos gave Russell Wilson $245M to lead the worst offense in football, which left the Broncos with a 5-12 record and no 1st round draft pick.
“It doesn’t happen often where an NFL team or organization gets embarrassed, and that happened here,” Payton said.
And in regards to the aforementioned $245M QB, Sean Payton said:
“Oh, man, there’s so much dirt around [Wilson]. There’s 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms…It wasn’t just Russell. He didn’t just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn’t get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball.”
Most fans will agree with the point of Payton’s statement—the Broncos were a complete mess from head to toe, and it’s unfair to pin all of the blame onto Ciara’s husband.
However, Wilson definitely was not without fault during the 2022 season. Wilson posted a career high in sacks taken and threw the 2nd most interceptions of his career, while posting career lows in completion percentage and TDs thrown. He himself admitted that his performance was not up to par.
"It's been a storm all year, and not what we hoped for and what we dreamed for, but it doesn't mean it's gonna end that way, you know, for years to come. We got to change it, and, like I said, it starts with me and I'm gonna be the first one to make sure I do everything I can, that we can to change it."
Additionally, anyone who (unfortunately) watched a good amount of Broncos football will probably be shocked that Denver was only 29th in pre-snap penalties. Nathaniel Hackett undeniably struggled with in-game decisions, with various head-scratching and game losing decisions ultimately leading to his firing.
In terms of a direct statement about Nathaniel Hackett himself, Payton stated that Hackett’s coaching tenure, “might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That’s how bad it was…everything I heard about last season, we’re doing the opposite.”
2. Shots Fired at the Jets?
The NFL world is going absolutely insane in response to this interview, and a great deal of it is due to this interesting line from Payton, where he called out the New York Jets for “trying to win the offseason” with PR stunts and “pomp and circumstance.”
“We’re not doing any of that. The Jets did that this year. You watch. 'Hard Knocks,' all of it. I can see it coming…whatever. So, listen…just put the work in.”
Robert Saleh, current HC of the Jets, didn’t pull any punches in his response to Payton.
“I’m not going to acknowledge Sean…he can say whatever the hell he wants…If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t poppin. Obviously, we’re doing something right if you gotta talk about us when we don’t play you until Week 4.”
Saleh wasn’t the only one who disagreed with Sean Payton’s sideswipe.
3. Plans for the Future
Payton has lofty goals for the 2023 Denver Broncos, despite the shakiness of the team that he has inherited.
“I’m going to be pissed off if this is not a playoff team…There’s a sense of urgency. Let’s hit the ground running.”
Sean Payton has already employed some interesting tactics, such as comparing the team to baby iguanas jumping out of the sand, or showing the team a video of a 2022 Ford Bronco driving off a cliff in order to hammer home the previous regime’s propensity for self-destruction.
4. Ripping the NFL on Gambling
The NFL’s harsh restrictions on gambling have made waves throughout the NFL world. 9 players have been suspended for gambling during this offseason alone, including an indefinite suspension for Broncos lineman Eyioma Uwazurike. Many NFL fans and analysts have criticized the hypocritical nature of this policy, and Payton is no exception:
”When you have a bunch of players getting D’s, you have to start looking at the message.”
“There’s a handful of owners that are owning these ‘problems.’ [Yet], a player can’t have a share of DraftKings or FanDuel. It’s shameful. Embarrassing.”
Sean Payton’s unprecedented protest against NFL gambling policy will definitely have an impact around the NFL, who recently released an NFL-themed slot machine.
All in All
Sean Payton’s interview definitely raises some interesting points, regardless of whether you agree with all of them or no. However, one thing does seem clear: the 2023 Broncos are in for a wild season.