Sean Payton is Mike Shanahan with cooler sneakers.
He is abrasive and volcanic. He is also obsessive and brilliant.
On Wednesday, the Broncos head coach addressed reporters on the first day of training camp and admitted that talking about the Super Bowl with his players “has to be a comfortable topic.”
Finally, a coach who gets it.
This franchise is defined by playoff appearances and its three Lombardi trophies. After ending an eight-year postseason drought, the Broncos are back. And Payton knows it.
It was Broncos vs. Everybody last summer, the team an afterthought with many experts pinning them at six or seven wins. Now, 10 victories is the floor.
My prediction, with chest out, is that the Broncos will win the AFC West. Rather than use the media as the enemy, reminding us of our dim forecast a year ago, Payton’s comments about prosperity were revealing.
Just like a year ago, he believes in his team more than the rest of us. And that’s a good thing.
“You can’t be afraid about talking about the end game,” Payton said.
It gave off Shanahan vibes from 1996. Payton is not running from the spotlight. He views his team as a threat. In two seasons, he has overseen a startling metamorphosis. Do you remember how badly the Broncos needed strong leadership? Or how desperate they were for a boss capable of creating a culture?
Nathaniel Hackett was the equivalent of a class valedictorian who was home-schooled. Hiring the winner of the Take-Your-Kid-To-Work contest didn’t exactly work out. Owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner sought experience with the next coach. And when the aim is to hoist a trophy in February, it helps to employ someone who is a former Super Bowl champion.
Payton is not for everyone. Talk show narratives are already developing that if the Broncos fizzle, it’s on him. You think this bothers Payton? He wants all the smoke.
Have we forgotten how far the Broncos have come? ESPN ranked Denver’s roster 31st before the 2023 season. They recently pegged them at No. 6 entering this season. The Saints were dead last. That is not a coincidence.
The year-over-year improvement speaks to Payton’s eye for talent — and how well he has blended with general manager George Paton. It is also a testament to a staff full of strong teachers. Nobody wanted this group a year ago, and now they are special?
Folks, this is what effective player development and coaching looks like. Payton, for my money, ranks as the second-best coach in the division. He is also the second-best coach in the league, ahead of Sean McVay, the Harbaughs, Mike Tomlin and Kyle Shanahan.
How many coaches can take over a team with no draft capital and absorb the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history by cutting Russell Wilson … and get better? Payton pulled it off. He also pulled back the curtain on his process when asked which is harder: Building a team or sustaining success?
“You can be hindered in a negative manner if things aren’t in place, if there is not a willingness to make change. And fortunately, that wasn’t the case here. And one of the important things about this job,” Payton said. “In some places, it is impossible to (turn things around). But it also becomes mentally more challenging in keeping an edge with your team.”
That is why Payton moved between drills Wednesday like a shark. No wasted movement. He was looking for someone to miss an assignment or stop a route a yard short so he could snap his jaws.
The Broncos improved last season. And Payton’s fingerprints were all over it. He found his franchise quarterback in Bo Nix and successfully strengthened the lines on both sides of the ball.
Taking that next step no longer lies in fundamentals, but smaller details. This is where Payton carries immense value.
He has the type of voice to drown out the noise. He has the type of power to keep his players motivated and uncomfortable. His anger can be explosive. Working with Penner, as such, has been good for Payton. Just as Payton has taught Penner about the business, Penner has harnessed Payton’s intensity in a more positive direction.
There are still blow-ups over losses and over questions from reporters. But Penner appreciates the dynamic tension, knowing the reason behind it.
The crane in the sky hanging over the new team headquarters represents ownership’s ambition. Where some see excess, fans, starting Friday, should see a desire for excellence.
Payton knows his team, like the building above the berm, is under construction. But entering his third season, the conversation is more about shutters and doors than the foundation.
“Briefly, (Tuesday) I outlined a few things that are coming. It starts more with the division and seeding. We have to start faster than we have the last two years,” Payton said. “You try to point at the nearest goal, and some of these ones that are more visible. (But the end goal)’s gotta be a comfortable subject.”
And nobody’s more comfortable than Payton. Especially in those shoes.
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