ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — There is a unique challenge for Sean Payton and his Broncos coaching staff this week.
Somehow, they have to get their players to focus solely on their next game Sunday at Tampa Bay without peeking over at the Greenbrier and the rest of the team’s road trip ahead.
“It’s a great point. It’s happened — we’ve had some experience going to London,’’ said Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. “It’s always that game before that you really have to keep your eye on. Because you’ve got to go home tonight, get packed, and there’s a lot of extra details. It’s something Sean addressed early in the week. He made a big emphasis on it so it’s certainly been addressed.”
After their game Sunday against Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers at Tampa Bay, the Broncos will fly Monday morning to West Virginia and stay four nights at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. They will practice there for four days before flying Friday afternoon to New Jersey for their game Sunday against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
The team will then fly home Sunday evening, Sept. 29. That’s a 10-day trip. Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers also stayed at the Greenbrier and practiced between East Coast games in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
“I’ve never done one,’’ Zach Allen, Denver’s standout defensive lineman, said in an interview for the Broncos Huddle (6:30 p.m. Friday, 9NEWS). “Even in Arizona we would always do the flights and those were kind of killer on the bodies. So I think we’re excited to be able to stay out on the East Coast, take a little travel off the legs.
“Whenever you can hang out with the guys it can be a good bonding experience. And the East Coast is a great spot to be, I’m a little biased, but yeah looking forward to it.”
Allen grew up in New Canaan, Conn., and played at Boston College. One Bronco player who is familiar with the Greenbrier Resort is practice squad receiver David Sills V, who played at West Virginia.
“Spring practices my sophomore year. Our field was getting redone so we went down there for the spring game,’’ Sills said. “We spent like three days down there. It’s a beautiful facility. It’s nice.”
Good for the Broncos to hang out there?
“I think it’ll be great, yeah,’’ Sills said. “Spending a week down there will be a good time to grow closer as a team, which I think is important early in the season. So I think it’ll be a good time.”
The trip to Greenbrier figures to be much more pleasant if the Broncos are coming off an upset win at Tampa Bay than, say, if they arrive there 0-3. Getting it done against the Bucs is priority No. 1.
