Tag: Sean Payton

Nov 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) talks with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Broncos’ Sean Payton on blocked FG: ‘They exploited an area’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

While still stewing in disappointment one day later, the Denver Broncos are looking at the blocked field-goal attempt that would have finished off a victory over the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs as a chance to make the team better.

Broncos kicker Wil Lutz lined up for a 35-yard field-goal attempt Sunday as time was set to expire, but the attempt was blocked by the Chiefs’ Leo Chenal, who charged right through the middle of the Denver line.

The undefeated Chiefs escaped with a 16-14 victory, leaving the Broncos at a crossroad with a 5-5 record.

“They exploited an area that we obviously felt was fixed and stronger, but not fixed enough,” Payton said Monday. “I read all the comments afterwards, and I think that it’s tough to lose a game that way. This isn’t on the player. This is on all of us. This is on us as coaches.

“We’ve got to continue to look at, ‘Hey, are we big enough stature-wise there for that?’ And understanding how the rush was coming. It’s disappointing.”

Payton clarified the area that was exploited.

“They felt like they had an indication relative to how (center Alex Forsyth’s) weight was balanced,” Payton said. “All of that is game planning, scouting and then it’s us coaching and looking at the self-scout. Again, it’s nothing new.”

The Broncos are merely third in the AFC West, but with the conference’s muddled postseason picture, Denver is currently in possession of the seventh and final playoff spot. The Broncos are listed with a 51 percent playoff probability.

And while Sunday ended in a heartbreaking defeat, the Broncos can also look at it as a near miss, on the road against an undefeated team that also won the last two Super Bowls.

“The sky is not falling,” Payton said. “There’s a lot ahead obviously.”

Of the seven games still on the schedule, the Broncos face four teams currently out of the AFC’s playoff picture. But they have still have to face the 6-4 Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and finish the regular season with a rematch against the Chiefs. The advantage for Denver is that both of those games are at home.

“I like the leadership on this team. It’s an entirely different team than a year ago,” Payton said. “It’s (a) tough (team) mentally and physically. … Listen, when you talk to the players about that (loss), you tell them, ‘Hey, that’s going to happen periodically in your career.’

“You hope that you have a few of those games that maybe you thought that you didn’t deserve to win that you did win. You have to bounce back either way.”

That optimism is further fueled by the play of rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 1,968 yards and 10 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also has 290 yards rushing with four more TDs.

“Offensively, we played that team better than we have in the past with what they do,” Payton said. “We had some scoring opportunities certainly at the end of the (first) half that we didn’t take a good enough advantage of.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton reacts during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Broncos’ Sean Payton irked by turnovers despite comfortable win

Posted on | by Field Level Media

At the halfway mark of the 2024 season, the Denver Broncos sit in a playoff position.

Denver’s 28-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday marked its fifth win in the last six games after an 0-2 start. The Broncos sit second in the AFC West and currently hold a wild-card position.

But coach Sean Payton was far from satisfied with the Broncos’ play against Carolina, particularly in the turnover department. While rookie quarterback Bo Nix remained interception-free for the fifth time in six weeks, the Broncos lost two fumbles, including one on the opening drive of the game.

“Here’s the thing, we can’t turn the ball over the way we did offensively,” Payton said Monday. “We can’t fumble on the first drive, (and) we can’t fumble later in the game. I put up some numbers for these guys just to see where we’re at relative to the season and relative to history. It’s not the perfect game we’re searching for, but it’s the game that we know when played with bigger stakes against a better team, it’ll cost you.”

More mistakes like that, Payton warned, and the Broncos will be cleaning out their lockers the day after the regular season ends, with no trip to the playoffs.

“We have to be better at that. The turnovers bothered me,” Payton said. “The late drive and how we played defensively bothered me. Look, I just think, ‘What’s the bar? What’s the expectation?’ It has to meet or exceed mine.”

The fumble culprits Sunday were receivers Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Courtland Sutton. Humphrey had the ball jarred loose after catching a pass on the third play from scrimmage. Sutton fumbled afer a reception near the goal line with 2:13 left to play, setting the Panthers up for a 98-yard scoring drive that cut the deficit from 21 to 14 points. Shy Tuttle recovered both fumbles for Carolina.

Payton was asked if his team has been forming a personality with an edge to it, and he replied that he’d rather the Broncos take on “a winning personality.” But it wasn’t all doom and gloom from the veteran coach, who won Super Bowl XLIV with the New Orleans Saints.

“I’m pleased with our younger players that are getting to play,” Payton said. “We have a young group and a young team. We have some veterans mixed in. We just have to continue. Much the same as we’re developing the quarterback — which obviously gets a lot of the attention — we have to be developing these other younger players just as well.”

A pair of big road games lie ahead: at the Baltimore Ravens, who are tied with Denver at 5-3, and the Kansas City Chiefs, the undefeated division leaders.

–Field Level Media

Sep 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on from the sidelines during the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Broncos coach Sean Payton expecting emotional return to New Orleans

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Neither Sean Payton’s former team nor his current one is having the kind of success he generally is accustomed to.

Payton and his Denver Broncos visit the New Orleans Saints, who Payton coached to nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title during his 15-season tenure, on Thursday night.

Both teams are coming off losses. The Broncos (3-3) lost to the visiting Los Angeles Chargers 23-16 last Sunday, ending a three-game winning streak. The Saints (2-4) fell to the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 51-27, their fourth consecutive loss under Dennis Allen, Payton’s former defensive coordinator who was promoted when Payton resigned after the 2021 season.

Regardless of the teams’ records, this game was always going to be primarily about Payton’s return to New Orleans, where he arrived in 2006 as a well-regarded offensive assistant but untested head coach as the city was recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

“It will be unique,” Payton said. “Certainly, there will be emotions going back there, but I do think that comes up quite a bit in our league with players and, in this case, certainly the amount of time I was there.”

Payton said he understands that the Saints fans probably won’t have “a lot of flowers and warm fuzzies for yours truly,” which they certainly will have at halftime when former quarterback Drew Brees is recognized for his induction into the Saints Hall of Fame earlier in the day.

Brees signed with the Saints as a free agent shortly after Payton was hired and went on to become one of the most prolific passers in NFL history before retiring a year before Payton resigned.

Payton is in his second season with the Broncos, who finished 8-9 last season, and he’s trying to show that he can adapt the offense within which Brees thrived to fit rookie No. 1 draft choice Bo Nix. But Nix has the 34th-highest passer rating (73.7) and is 23rd in total yards (1,082) in the NFL.

Most of Denver’s success so far has been because of its defense, which is ranked fourth in points per game (16) and yards per game (284.3).

Allen’s defense, meanwhile, has slipped to last in average yards (395.8) and 23rd in points allowed (24.5).

“(Payton) does a really good job with the offense — a lot of different personnel groups, a lot of different formations,” Allen said of his former boss. “And he does a really good job of identifying areas of weakness that he wants to try to attack.”

The Saints are less concerned about who’s coaching the opponent than they are about trying to end their losing streak as they complete a stretch of three games in 11 days.

“He’s going to be fired up,” New Orleans defensive end Cam Jordan said. “Everybody in this building knows who Sean Payton is, and if he sees blood in the water, he’s going to try and take advantage. We’re not helping to deter that at this point.”

Rookie fifth-round draft choice Spencer Rattler will make his second consecutive start in place of injured quarterback Derek Carr.

Rattler was good enough to rally his team from an early 17-0 deficit to a 27-24 halftime lead last week, but not good enough to prevent it from being shut out in the second half.

Carr (oblique) was one of five New Orleans starters who were listed as not participating after both teams held walkthroughs Tuesday. The others were wide receivers Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee), guard Cesar Ruiz (knee) and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring). One Denver starter, cornerback Pat Surtain II, is in the league’s concussion protocol and did not participate.

–Field Level Media

NFL Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton

Trade offers for Broncos WR Courtland Sutton ‘insignificant’

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Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said that trade rumors surrounding Courtland Sutton were “insignificant” following reports that the wide receiver was involved in a recent deal proposed by the San Francisco 49ers.

ESPN reported that San Francisco had offered Denver a third-round pick to acquire Sutton, who in July agreed to a restructured contract with the Broncos worth up to $15.2 million this season.

“I’m going to say in the last three months, there have been multiple teams call about Courtland,” Payton told reporters Monday. “… It’s a little bit of a stretch relative to the specifics. I read the same thing you read, and I would say we didn’t get nearly as far down the road as what may have been reported.

“… For me to comment on every call that comes in to (general manager) George (Paton) or myself would be ludicrous.”

Sutton has been a trade target in recent years. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams showed interest earlier this year after Denver rejected an offer from the Baltimore Ravens during the 2023 offseason.

Sutton, 28, has 298 receptions for 4,259 yards and 24 touchdowns over six NFL seasons, all with the Broncos. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2019 and had a career-high 10 TD catches last season.

–Field Level Media

May 23, 2024; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton addresses the media after organized team activities at Centura Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Payton calls Broncos’ quarterbacks ‘orphaned dogs’

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Denver coach Sean Payton didn’t use the most flattering metaphor when describing the Broncos’ three quarterbacks.

Payton called the trio, which consists of Bo Nix, Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham, “orphaned dogs” Thursday.

“They’ve all come from somewhere, but they’re doing well. It’s a good room,” said Peyton, who will be entering his second year as Denver’s coach.

The Broncos selected Nix with the 12th pick in this year’s draft after he threw for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns in his final season at Oregon. He completed 77.4 percent of his passes and threw only three interceptions in 470 attempts.

Two days before the draft, the Broncos acquired Wilson, who was the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, and a seventh-round pick from the New York Jets for a sixth-round pick. Wilson struggled with the Jets in his 34 games, throwing for 6,293 yards with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions while completing 57 percent of his passes.

Stidham appeared in three games last season for the Broncos and started the final two after he was signed by the club in March 2023. He threw two touchdowns and one interception during the two starts after Denver suddenly decided to bench Russell Wilson. The Broncos, who finished 8-9 last season, released Wilson in March two years into a five-year, $245 million contract.

–Field Level Media

Dec 25, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett reacts in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett: Sean Payton violated coaching code

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Nathaniel Hackett owns his professional mistakes with Broncos, the errors that led to being fired last December before his first season as a head coach was over.

Hackett was 4-11 when he was fired by the Broncos before Christmas 2022.

But Hackett, in his first season as offensive coordinator of the New York Jets, wondered aloud Tuesday whether the new man in Denver, Sean Payton, understands the depths of the wounds inflicted by taking his review of Hackett’s run with the Broncos public.

Hackett, son of longtime NFL coach Paul Hackett, said Payton clearly violated coaching code.

“I’ve been involved in this business my whole life, 43 years, and as a coach, as a coach’s kid, we live in a glass house. We know that,” Hackett said Tuesday. “… And it’s one of those things that there’s a code, there’s a way things are done in that house. This past week, it’s frustrating and it sucks, but we’re all susceptible to it. There are things you do, mistakes you make, and it costs you time on the field, costs you your job, all those things, and I own all that stuff.”

Payton made the comments to USA Today last week, labeling Hackett’s coaching performance last year in Denver “one of the worst” jobs he’d ever seen in the NFL.

While Payton said he regretted the comments soon after the interview details were published, Hackett said he expected to hear some sharp criticism before the teams meet in Week 5. The game is in Denver.

“I’ve got no excuses,” Hackett said. “That’s how we live here at the New York Jets, that’s how we’ve lived everywhere I’ve been — no excuses. So I own all those things. It’s unfortunate that that had to happen, that the comments that were made, but hey, they did. I’ll tell you: I was probably more surprised that they happened now. (I) was definitely expecting them in Week 5, so I’m almost thankful that we got that out of the way. We all understand where certain people feel and think. I’ll tell you, you can always look at that silver lining, and … man.”

Hackett said the comments galvanized the team in some respects. He immediately heard from owner Woody Johnson and head coach Robert Saleh, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers took his defense of Hackett public.

“Everybody has been unbelievable. I think that’s something that is just awesome,” Hackett said. “It’s brought our team together, even the old players that I’ve coached very recently, just being able to hear them. It makes you realize that you do this for a very specific reason — for the love of the game, for the love of teaching, for the love of watching people grow. There’s up and downs. Never get too high, never get too low. Gotta love this stuff.”

–Field Level Media

Jul 22, 2023; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in drills during the New York Jets Training Camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Rodgers blasts Sean Payton for being ‘insecure’

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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers came to the defense of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett after the latter recently was on the receiving end of some pointed words from Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton.

Payton referred to Hackett in an interview with USA Today on Thursday as doing “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL,” during Hackett’s 15-game stint with Denver last season. The Broncos were 4-11 when they fired Hackett and finished 5-12.

Payton also criticized the way the Broncos’ organization handled the lead-up to the 2022 season after it acquired quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. He then took issue with the Jets for attempting to win the offseason on the heels of obtaining Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers.

Payton apologized for his comments on Friday. However, Rodgers wasn’t going to let it end there.

“It made me feel bad that someone who has accomplished a lot in the league is that insecure that they have to take another man down to set themselves up for some easy fall if it doesn’t go well for that team this year,” Rodgers told NFL Network. “I think it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.”

Rodgers and Hackett worked together with the Packers from 2019-2021 when the latter was the team’s offensive coordinator. Hackett is currently the offensive coordinator for the Jets.

–Field Level Media

Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Payton rips Nathaniel Hackett for job with Broncos

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Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton took aim at the team’s embarrassing performance last season, most notably the coaching it received under Nathaniel Hackett and his staff.

Payton went so far as to tell USA Today that the 2022 Broncos received “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.” He also defended Russell Wilson after the veteran quarterback endured his worst season of his career and added that “everything I heard about last season, we’re doing the opposite.”

Wilson, 34, threw for 3,524 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while taking a league-high 55 sacks in 15 games last season. The disappointing year led to the firing of Hackett after 15 games, with Payton being hired out of a brief retirement to take over the job.

“That wasn’t his fault,” Payton said of Wilson, a Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowl selection. “That was the parents who allowed it. That’s not an incrimination on him, but an incrimination on the head coach, the GM, the president and everybody else who watched it all happen.”

Added Payton: “But everybody’s got a little stink on their hands. It’s not just Russell. It was a (poor) offensive line. It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That’s how bad it was.”

Payton didn’t stop there, noting that the New York Jets — Hackett’s new employer — acquired a decorated quarterback in the offseason (Aaron Rodgers) just like the Broncos did in the previous year.

“It doesn’t happen often where an NFL team or organization gets embarrassed,” Payton said. “And that happened here. Part of it was their own fault, relative to spending so much (expletive) time trying to win the offseason — the PR, the pomp and circumstance, marching people around and all this stuff.

“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. Remember when (former Washington Commanders owner) Dan Snyder put that Dream Team together? I was at the Giants (in 2000). I was a young coach. I thought, ‘How are we going to compete with them? Deion’s (Sanders) there now.’ That team won eight games or whatever. So, listen … just put the work in.”

The Broncos will host the Jets on Oct. 8.

Payton, 59, coached the New Orleans Saints to one Super Bowl victory and will try to work similar magic in Denver.

–Field Level Media

November 13, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos hire Joe Lombardi as offensive coordinator

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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced 15 additions to his coaching staff on Saturday — eight with ties to his tenure in New Orleans, including offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

Lombardi was fired after two seasons as the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator.

Lombardi spent 12 seasons with the Saints as an offensive assistant (2007-08) and quarterbacks coach (2009-13; 2016-2020). He also was the OC for the Detroit Lions in 2014-15.

Vance Joseph, as previously reported, returns to Denver as defensive coordinator after serving as the Broncos’ head coach from 2017-18. He spent the next four seasons as the Arizona Cardinals’ DC.

Payton reached back to his time as the Saints’ head coach (15 active seasons 2006-2021) to relationships formed with seven former New Orleans staffers and one player, Chris Banjo.

A 10-year NFL defensive back, Banjo played in New Orleans from 2016-18. He appeared in 13 games as a safety last season for Arizona. Banjo begins his coaching career as Denver’s assistant special teams coach.

In addition to Lombardi and Banjo, those with ties to Payton in New Orleans are assistant head coach Mike Westhoff, tight ends coach Declan Doyle, pass game coordinator John Morton, offensive line coach Zach Strief, outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite and head strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple.

Dalrymple joined Payton’s initial Saints staff in 2006 and spent 16 seasons there through 2021.

Denver also announced the hirings of special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica, wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, inside linebackers coach Greg Manusky and Paul Kelly as assistant to the head coach.

Payton has retained Marcus Dixon as defensive line coach and Christian Parker as defensive backs coach. Korey Jones remains the assistant strength and conditioning coach.

–Field Level Media

Jan 31, 2021; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Team Kai head coach Rex Ryan reacts on the field during the first half against Team Aina at the Hula Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Broncos interview Rex Ryan for DC position

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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton interviewed Rex Ryan for the team’s defensive coordinator position last week, FOX Sports reported Sunday morning.

FOX Sports had the inside track on that story given Payton is concluding his responsibilities with the network on Sunday.

The Broncos recently let defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero out of his contract to pursue other opportunities. He assumed the same position with the Carolina Panthers.

Ryan, 60, currently works for ESPN as an analyst after a career in which he served as the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.

After various coaching roles with the Baltimore Ravens from 1999-2008, Ryan took over as head coach of the Jets in 2009 and was at the helm until 2014. He then spent two seasons with the Bills and was relieved of his duties as head coach following the 2016 campaign.

In his eight seasons as a head coach, Ryan compiled a 61-66 regular-season record and led his teams to a 4-2 mark in the playoffs. He also helped the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XXXV as the team’s defensive line coach.

While Payton and Ryan have yet to work together, the former worked with the latter’s twin brother. Rob Ryan was the New Orleans Saints’ defensive coordinator from 2013-15.

–Field Level Media