(Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from Mike Sando’s Pick Six on December 18, 2023.)
Sean Payton blew up the quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline, then suggesting that he was just upset about officiating, invited all kinds of speculation.
It’s hard to blame Payton for losing his cool when the officials wiped out a Broncos touchdown on an offensive offside call that seemed indefensible. As one former head coach put it, the officials “lost their minds” finding penalties associated with Philadelphia’s tush-push plays.
It’s just hard to understand why Payton would take any of that anger out on his quarterback.
DEEP
Sean Payton downplays sideline flare up with Russell Wilson
The nature of Payton’s relationship with Wilson faded into the background during a five-game winning streak fueled by opponent turnovers. With Denver losing two of its past three, including 42-17 at Detroit on Saturday, tensions appear to be flaring up again. The topic is fascinating because the Broncos must decide after the season whether to fully guarantee another $37 million in Wilson’s contract.
A search of Payton’s in-season media sessions turned up some slightly positive remarks about the quarterback he inherited, but not much. This doesn’t mean the coach and quarterback are headed for divorce, but Payton seems fine with letting the public wonder, a departure from how he treated Drew Brees during his tenure in New Orleans.
Some of this may be an old-school approach to motivation and control. But the disdain Payton showed for Wilson earlier in the season and again on the sideline Saturday appeared pointed.
While Wilson may have suggested that Payton should have initiated a replay challenge or should have gone for it on fourth down instead of attempting a field goal, inviting an angry reaction from Payton, two coaches familiar with Wilson’s tenure in Seattle offered another possibility. They noted that Wilson changed plays in Seattle to get into rhythm, and if he changed Payton’s plays during the drive in question, the coach could have delivered a strong verdict.
“I don’t think Sean is with anybody there,” another coach said, “so he’ll let everybody know when he’s pissed off. He’s just not that pissed off all the time in New Orleans. They won.”
(Photo: RJ Sangosti / MediaNews Group / The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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