The term “debrief” has become a favorite in Sean Payton’s glossary. By simple definition, it’s the act of reviewing individual or team performance on a gameday by digesting tape in the hours and days to come.
This week’s “debrief,” after the Broncos’ shaky Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans, left Payton with one unmistakable conclusion.
“I don’t know how many games I’ve called,” Payton told reporters Wednesday. “But that’s one of those where I came away from it like, ‘Man, I’ve gotta be a lot better.’”
Indeed, it was not one of the more surgical performances across a 276-game career as an NFL head coach. Particularly early, as Payton said. He already issued a mea culpa Monday for a skewed run-pass distribution, as the Broncos threw the ball 14 times in their first 17 plays. But the Broncos’ substitution patterns also looked muddy at times Sunday, with second-year quarterback Bo Nix needing to motion receivers to their correct formations.
Nix, of course, disseminated no blame for his rough opener: 25-of-40 passing, 176 yards, a touchdown, two picks.
“Thought our receivers did a really good job today,” Nix said postgame. “They were in and off the field, did what they were in supposed to do, were in the right spots. Won in man, and that’s what you want to see.”
Rather than pointing the finger at Nix, Payton looked in the mirror — in his own way — on Sunday. Denver’s late fourth-quarter play-call was the most obvious head-scratcher of any decision against the Titans, as Nix dropped back and fired off an incomplete go-ball to Marvin Mims on a fourth-and-eight with a minute left. Nix, though, fully supported Payton’s decision to take a shot instead of boot a 54-yard field goal.
That wasn’t the issue, Payton made clear Wednesday. The offense was “all comfortable” with that call, the head coach said.
“But it’s more, some of the early plays in the first half,” Payton said. “And then it’s also cleaning up the details within the framework, of, whether it’s run or pass.”
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