Sean Payton slammed by Zach Bye on Broncos critics

Sean Payton has a lot of critics, and that’s probably fair given his checkered past, and the Denver Broncos have a lot of doubters right now, which is probably justified given their recent losing streak.

Payton’s problems have never been about winning. The Super Bowl-winning New Orleans Saints signal-caller has already shown he’s committed to success in his second stint as an NFL head coach. He improved the Broncos with three wins in his first year in charge. His ways may confuse many people, as Denver has finally decided to take the bold step and do a bit of rebuilding. A much-needed fresh approach at Dove Valley, both from the coach and the organizational philosophy, has drawn criticism, but most of the changes have.

And if the Broncos weren’t willing to change, they likely would still be stuck in the post-Super Bowl-winning malaise that has followed them since Peyton Manning retired.

The host of The Drive on 104.3 The Fan, Zach Bye, asked Payton about some of the reactions he has received.

“Apart from that, do you have a separate compartment or a personal chip on your shoulder, you play in the NFL and you want to win every game,” Bye asked. “They talk about national team information and coaching lists, like you have a separate compartment for your middle finger, like a personal list?”

“No, look, I have two middle fingers, I got better with age because I don’t use them.” Payton replied. “And I think it’s more than that, and I would say it’s changed for me, it’s more inward focused compared to our own team and what we do compared to as you get older, you don’t waste calories on certain things that might happen to me.”

Payton took the opportunity to boast that he was able to land his favorite future quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft, dropping Oregon’s Bo Nix to 12th overall.

“I don’t play many video games, but you have X amount of battery life and energy, so try to use it where you think it’s best to help the team, so over time you’ll learn not to spend so much on things you want you can’t control or yes, certainly less or,” Payton continued. “If it were me, we wouldn’t have drafted Bo Nix where we drafted him if I had been paying attention.

Many predicted Nix would leave later, with some predicting a second or even third round. Payton’s bet on Bo was big, but given his reputation around the league, he has a lot of job security with the Broncos, to the point where Nix will be more likely to start the season on the outfield than at center. The 24-year-old is having an unreal year with the Ducks, where he threw for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns with just three interceptions and then threw for another 234 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

“It’s that NFL train where no one knows who’s driving and you have to pay attention to it but you just don’t want to get on it, or you just start making decisions but you still don’t know who’s driving it,” Payton explained decision-making process in the league. “Really paying attention to your intuition, your experiences, and what you see – those are the things that motivate me right now.”

If Payton is right about Nix and is right in his unique way of thinking, this could be just what the Broncos need to break out of their nearly decade-long rut.