ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton may not be in a groove with his offense, yet, but don’t forget he is a head coach, first.
What fans and the media see on Sundays with play calling and challenge flags is really only a small percentage of the head coach’s job. More important is getting the team to play as close to peak performance as possible, to play tough and play together where players buy in on the concept of team before self.
And in these latter areas, Payton has earned his money. The Broncos lost two games, each by a touchdown, and then won two games on the road – one by a comfortable three scores, and the other by 1 point.
Payton addressed his thoughts on his team with 9NEWS this week for the Broncos Huddle (6:30 p.m. Friday, 9NEWS).
This Sunday will be big for Broncos fans. Steve Foley and Riley Odoms will be inducted into the Ring of Fame. You’re wearing your new throwback uniforms which are spiffy. You’re honoring that ‘77 Orange Crush team and Randy Gradishar for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.
We have seen you embrace the team’s history, having your kickers attempt a straight-on, 9-yard field goal during a practice last year in honor of Jim Turner, who had just passed. Why pay attention to history when you have your current team to worry about?
Payton: “I think it’s the lifeblood of our program. Those bars (set) and those teams in the history and the success and you go through the years, there’s so many great players, it’s special. I always remember when I first got to New Orleans, we didn’t have a great way of communicating to our alumni. And credit Mrs. Benson and Mr. Benson and Mickey Loomis, we swung that around.
“And then coming here, that already existed, certainly with the history. So it was one of the appealing things about the job is the storied history and the significance of this team. So I think it’s the lifeblood of who we are and I just think it’s right.”
You’re rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Good, bad or indifferent, my sense is this town is behind him. The fans want to believe he is The Guy. You’ve been consistent in your public support of Bo. What do you see behind the scenes that maybe we can’t see that makes you believe he is The Guy.
Payton: “We see it every day. And it’s currently in session but I’m excited for him. His job is to win and keep winning, protect the football and he had a real good practice today so he’s doing really good.”
Payton: “It’s our first division game and we know how important those games are. Certainly, there’s a history with this game specifically, but a year ago we ended up 3-3 in the division and any team that’s accomplished something of note plays better than that in our division. So it’s our first opportunity to play a divisional opponent and we’ve got to make sure we’re prepped and ready.”
