Four things we learned about Sean Payton’s new coaching and football staff

INDIANAPOLIS — On one end of the experience level on Sean Payton’s staff sit special-teams assistant Chris Banjo and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb. Not only have neither coached before, but both just played last season.

And then at the other end you have assistant head coach Mike Westhoff. Payton’s second-in-command who has 41 years of coaching experience, including 32 in the NFL coaching special teams.

And then you have coaches somewhere in between.

It has the owner’s approval.

“I would say this — and Greg [Penner] texted me this the other day — Mr. Penner: He said, ‘I really like the makeup of how this staff is coming together, relative to experience and relative to a number of things,” Payton said Tuesday.

So, it didn’t end up being a staff of entirely old hands.

1. SOME YOUTH ON THE STAFF IS HOW PAYTON’S MENTOR LIKES IT

Payton won’t hesitate to cite the wisdom of Bill Parcells, under whom he worked for three seasons (2003-05) with the Dallas Cowboys.

“Parcells wanted to be around younger coaches,” Payton said. “He talked about it all the time. So I like being around younger coaches now.”

That said, Payton still thinks of himself as a “younger coach.” Then he comes to the Combine and realizes differently.

“It is funny you come to this combine — it’s been three years for me — and there are a lot of younger faces. Every year, you recognize fewer and fewer [faces]. Then pretty soon, you just don’t come anymore.”

2. WHAT DREW WESTHOFF BACK TO COACHING?

The long-time special-teams guru last coached in the NFL under Payton with the Saints in 2017 and 2018. He’d taken four seasons off after being with the Jets before joining Payton’s staff. Now, he’s back with Payton after the same gap he had before his last stint.

“He’s fishing on the Gulf Coast of Florida, and I give him a call,” Payton said. “It’s the same call I gave him a few years ago.”

And the response was the same.

“I wouldn’t do this for everybody, but all right. When does it start?”

Payton has Ben Kotwica as the special-teams coordinator, but Westhoff will be involved — in addition to “a number of roles.”

“I always enjoy the veteran teachers. The guys that I consider to be real special. He will serve in a number of roles as we put in not only our special teams, but we put in our program. I think he’s got a great background, and he’s a great teacher.”

3. BEAU LOWERY IS A “GAME CHANGER”

The Broncos’ new vice president of sports performance will supervise player nutrition, strength and conditioning and training. Payton said Lowery’s name arose during the interview process for the job — which fit hand-in-hand with CEO Greg Penner’s desire to overhaul that area of the team in the wake of a multi-year injury pattern.

Enter Lowery, who worked with Payton in New Orleans until leaving for LSU in 2021.

“It’s hard to have a great training room,” Payton said. “In the 32 teams, there is always that feeling that there is a better training room somewhere else. I watched our transition when Beau came to New Orleans and how the players responded. Not only just the veteran players, but some of the younger players. If you just Google searched the amount of players that sent him congratulations or sent comments, it gives you an idea how he was thought of.

“It’s kind of hard to have that. When you have it, like you recognize that it’s special, because he’s firsthand [when] dealing with the injuries and dealing with the setbacks. It can be a lonely place if you’re a player while you’re missing time. He’s very much respected.”

Both Payton and general manager George Paton used the term “game changer” to describe Lowery’s arrival. Paton added that he expected Lowery to bring a “data-driven” approach to the position, although when asked about the difference in Lowery’s style compared to what previously existed, he didn’t get into specifics.

“We’ll see. I have not worked with Beau, but just the way he describes it, (it’s) more data-driven,” Paton said. “He’s going to be over the top, so he’ll be able to integrate all three (areas}: strength and conditioning, nutrition (and equipment). He’ll bring it all together.”

4. RETURNING POSITION COACHES SAT IN ON INTERVIEWS

Just two position coaches from Nathaniel Hackett survived the transition: defensive-line coach Marcus Dixon and secondary coach Christian Parker. And in a twist, both were in the room for the second round of interviews with the defensive-coordinator candidates, Payton said.

“Those two have been real instrumental in the defensive coordinator interview process,” Payton said.

The new head coach said he “heard a lot of good things” about Dixon and Parker. He wasn’t disappointed.

“I wanted to visit with those guys. They were real bright when I visited with them. You don’t want to lose good talent, and it’s the same thing with your locker room. You don’t want to lose players that are possibly leaving.”

Payton specifically praised Parker’s ability to break down coverages and how they fit with the defensive fronts.

“They are both young and extremely talented coaches that the first impressions were immediate for me,” Payton said. “Then knowing about how others in the building felt, all of that helped me make a decision pretty quickly.”

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