Sean Payton has been meant to be in the game of football. His coaching journey began in 1988 as an offensive assistant at San Diego State University. After a few stops at other colleges, Sean got his first coaching job in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles as the Quarterbacks coach. A year later, he was hired by the New York Giants as their Quarterbacks coach then a year later, he was promoted to Offensive Coordinator. His tour through the NFC East took him to Dallas where he was the assistant Head Coach under Hall of Famer, Bill Parcells. After three seasons with the Cowboys, Sean finally got his shot to be a Head Coach and was hired by the New Orleans Saints in 2006 and he was paired up with a Quarterback named Drew Brees. After 16 seasons in New Orleans, he decided to step away from the game and became an analyst with Fox Sports. This off-season, I knew he would be a big name that teams with vacant head coaching openings would target. Today, it was announced that he will be named the next Head Coach of the Denver Broncos.
For years, I always considered him one of the best Head Coaches in the league. He’s a brilliant offensive minded coach that did wonders with the Saints all those years and they were always one of the best offenses in the league under his tenure. In his first year with the Saints, he led them to a division title, the two seed in the NFC Playoffs and had them a game away from the Super Bowl when they played in the NFC Championship. I often say he saved Drew Brees’ career and years from now; Drew will have a gold jacket in the Pro Football Hall of Fame because of Sean. His offensive scheme consisted of a spread formation and if you were able to free yourself and get open, you were getting the football. I’ve watched him for years and he has such a calm demeanor on the sideline, but in the locker room, he will turn it up and celebrate with his guys! Along with Drew, Sean helped turn the Saints into a powerhouse in the NFC. 2009 was hands down the best year of his coaching career. The Saints won their first 13 games of the year and ran away with the NFC South and top seed in the conference. They would go on to win the NFC title and weeks later, upset the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. When I think of Sean, the first word that comes to mind is gutsy. Yes, I’m talking about the infamous onside kick off he elected to call back in the Super Bowl all those years ago. He also had the guts to take the Saints job with the team coming off a 3-13 record in the previous season. His players absolutely love him and leave everything on the field for him. That’s when you know the locker room respects him and they want to play for the Head Coach.
To be honest, Sean taking this job is somewhat like the New Orleans situation. Just as the Saints were, this Broncos franchise is in disarray. After acquiring Russell Wilson last off-season from the Seattle Seahawks, Denver had some high expectations to compete in the AFC. They struggled and could never get it going. Yes, Russell struggled significantly, but he wasn’t used correctly. He was turned into a pocket passer and that’s not his game. Russ depends on his mobility and a moving pocket to throw the football. If anybody can get him back to playing at a high level, it’s Sean Payton. He has his work cut out for him with a franchise that hasn’t reached the playoffs since the 2015-16 season when they won the Super Bowl.
