Sean Payton is raring to go ahead of the new NFL season, with the Denver Broncos new Head Coach aiming to add to his Superbowl ring collection.
Payton took a year off after a 15-year stint as HC of the New Orleans Saints, having led the team to a Superbowl in 2009.
The break was welcome for the 26-year NFL veteran, who started his career at the highest level at the Eagles as the QB coach. His first HC position was at the Saints in 2006, and he is excited to be back as head coach for the Broncos.
Payton has a regular season 152-89 record and a postseason 9-8 record.
The sabbatical looks to have reinvigorated the coach and his approach this time out means a new camp vibe, a more football-focussed one.
The Broncos are more than the Russell Wilson show and the QB did not look flash out on the fields, blending in with the team more than ever.
Payton has set out his stalls early as he looks to lead the Broncos to a winning season. The Denver team went 5 and 12 last campaign and were the bottom feeders of the AFC West Conference.
The season before though, they were slightly better at 7-10 but finished bottom, nonetheless. In fact, they finished bottom the year before as well with a 5-11 record. Not since 2015, under Peyton Manning’s watch had the Broncos been competitive.
“I go back to New Orleans in ’06, my first year with the program, this is a 3-13 team that had trouble. They were displaced because of Katrina, they were moved to San Antonio, and because of that, we had a training camp for six and a half weeks in Jackson. We had to play our preseason on the road,” he says.
“Man, I didn’t know what that team was going to be like. But week 1 we beat Cleveland on the road. Then we had a huge win … and beat Green Bay, down 13.
“And then opened at home in Atlanta, and the next thing you know, it’s 3-0. And confidence is born …”
The Broncos are hoping Payton (the coach) can lead the team to a winning season, and the play-offs.
