ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The job of NFL head coach is never dull but it was especially crisis-filled for Sean Payton this week.
His team is coming off an unimaginable defeat, having a short field goal blocked on the final play, allowing the Kansas City Chiefs to stave off the Broncos’ upset bid, 16-14.
A detailed coach to the Nth degree on all matters football and then some, Payton assigned blame not to Alex Forsyth, who got bulldozed by the Chiefs player who blocked the kick, but to his coaching staff and himself. And then Payton lost one of his most trusted assistant coaches, special teams guru Mike Westhoff, who retired two months shy of his 77th birthday because of eye problems.
Despite all those fires Payton had to put out this week, his team still holds the No. 7 and final AFC playoff seed with seven games remaining. The rest of the schedule starts Sunday with a home game against the 6-4 Atlanta Falcons at Empower Field at Mile High.
9NEWS caught up with Payton this week to discuss Westhoff, his quarterback Bo Nix and the stretch run of the team’s playoff race. The interview will air on the Broncos Huddle at 6:30 p.m. Friday. In the meantime, here’s the transcript:
Mike Westhoff. You brought him out of retirement twice. Now he’s going to catch-and-release sharks in Florida. What made him unique as a special teams coach?
Payton: “He was very demanding. And then I would say he thought outside the box. He was fantastic in the return game. How to set up blocks. Depth of when you set a wedge. There were so many things that he was responsible for in the last 30 years as special teams evolved. I think he went 17 straight seasons with a kick return for a touchdown.
“I never really knew him prior to hiring him in New Orleans (in 2017). And then I talked him out of retirement again (to join the Broncos last year). The plan was one season (with the Broncos) and then Ben (Kotwica) taking over. I didn’t want to try and talk him out of it (leaving after last season) so I solicited (owner and CEO) Greg’s help. And Mr. Penner did a really good job.
“And so (Westhoff’s) passionate about what he does. He’s extremely intelligent with all phases. We met, man, for almost an hour and so (Monday) and his latest health scare — he didn’t say anything to anyone for a couple weeks but he’s having some blurriness. They did some scans and this is tough on any of us, and when you’re (76) obviously it’s more difficult.
“We were fortunate to have him. If you look at our numbers from our first year to the year prior (ranked 7th last year, up from 25th in 2022 and even this year … the plan was always going to be Ben Kotwica taking over and (special teams assistant coach) Chris Banjo. We’re glad to have had him.”
It’s been fascinating to watch how you’ve brought along rookie quarterback Bo Nix this year. I think just about everyone now is a BO-liever. You were from the start. What are some of the things you do to bring him along in-season to this point?
Payton: “I mean this, the two greatest allies early for that position are good defensive play and a running game. It’s hard to play that position if you’re giving up points and you’re having trouble running the ball. That player then, his job becomes much more challenging.
“And then I would say we’re constantly learning about things he really does well, likes. And then other things that we still have to work on. He’s smart with his decisions, though, and we saw that in college. He can throw off schedule. You see that all the time.
“I don’t know if any of us realized quite how fast he was. He didn’t run or do any of the agility work (during the NFL Combine or predraft process) because he had a turf toe. I remember George (Paton, the Broncos’ general manager) and I saying, ‘Why wouldn’t he do that?’ Because we felt he’d be good at it, but he’s faster than we anticipated. And so all of those are encouraging signs.”
You haven’t had your bye week yet it’s fair to say you’re in a stretch run here where the playoffs are there. Tell us how last year’s taste of the playoff race can help you this year?
Payton: “Well, it’s an entirely different team. We just finished talking (to the team) about where we’re at and where we want to go. We’re playing a team (Atlanta) that’s coming off a tough loss and they’re sitting at the top of their division. It’s really narrowing the focus and weekly diving into that opponent and then having your best Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Usually the teams that put those practice days together the best, the results usually come out that way on Sunday.”
