The Broncos were “anonymous donors” all offseason until this week
Jul 30, 2023, 10:35 AM | Updated: 10:39 am
The Broncos are back and what a week it’s been for the team. Training camp has begun, and we got our first look at a revengeful Russell Wilson and Sean Payton in action.
👋, #BroncosCountry …
Let #BroncosCamp officially begin! pic.twitter.com/QIjAvXqqrx
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) July 28, 2023
Training camp had a very different feel from last year. Payton has the team actually practicing and not just running through the motions. He even had the team do conditioning at the end of practice, which would have never happened under Hackett’s leadership. It’s an entirely different environment, and it was refreshing to see.
As most people expected, we saw a lot of runs and quick passes from Wilson, and it wasn’t his best day, but overall the team looked really good. Wilson looks like he’s in great shape; Javonte Williams is back from his injury and took reps all day which is excellent news; Riley Moss is showing a lot of potential; Tim Patrick was looking fast, and Caden Sterns had a fantastic diving pick. It’s still early on, but the excitement is rising after the first day of training camp.
The noise and hype for the Broncos are back after an extremely quiet offseason, however. And of all people, Payton was the one to break the silence.
They were silent all offseason, and Payton made a point to the media that they would be “anonymous donors,” and he stayed very true to that. It was radio silence for months.
Until this week, Payton broke his own rule and let it all out during an interview with USA Today. He was in the headlines three different times this week and said some pretty interesting things.
Payton went after the previous head coach, Nathaniel Hackett.
Sean Payton shared his thoughts on Denver's coaching last season 😳 pic.twitter.com/qyptvlrdYN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 27, 2023
Payton later apologized for his comments and said that he regretted saying it.
Sean Payton said he maybe still had his FOX hat on during his interview with @JarrettBell and not his coaching hat. Payton said the Broncos had a great off-season outside of that interview. He regretted it 40 minutes after the interview. pic.twitter.com/SftDtwGNnU
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 28, 2023
He also had a strong opinion about the NFL and its lack of communication with players and coaches about the gambling policies put into place.
In an interview with USA Today in the wake of Enyi Uwazurike’s suspension, Broncos coach Sean Payton unloaded about the material given by the NFL to explain its gambling policy to players and staff | by @MaseDenver https://t.co/l16ajUwcQH
— Denver Sports (@DenverSportsCom) July 26, 2023
It’s evident that Payton was holding back his comments all offseason and finally had to get it off his chest. He’s outspoken and loves the spotlight, and he finally broke.
This week, Broncos country got to see what Payton’s really like. He’s not some laid-back coach coming out of retirement for a challenge; he’s got a fiery urge to return and get back into the action. Payton and Wilson are on a revenge comeback tour right now.
“Coach Payton has been the best in terms of just really stepping in and really leading our football team,” Wilson said. “He’s a world championship coach, Super Bowl champion. He’s won a lot of games, been in a lot of playoff situations. I’ve played against him before — (there have been) been great matchups over the years. We’ve had a lot of respect and regard for each other. He coached me at the Pro Bowl with me and Drew (Brees) and different guys we got to be around. It was always a gift, and always had high regard for who he is as a coach, as a man, as a competitor as well. He’s leading our football team in the right way. I’ve got a lot of love and respect for Coach Payton and where we are right now.”
It’s a work in progress, but Payton has the respect of all the players and is leading this team in the right direction.
The Broncos were almost “anonymous donors” this offseason, but Payton broke his own rules. He took responsibility for it and said he would work through it the right way. He’s a leader leading by example. Payton has brought a very different energy to this team, and he’s ready to bring back the winning culture once again.
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