Sean Payton is making a strong case for NFL Coach of the Year
Dec 2, 2023, 8:11 AM
The Denver Broncos have been struggling to find success since 2015, when Peyton Manning retired after winning Super Bowl 50. Since the post-Manning era began, the Broncos organization has been a revolving door for coaches and players year in and year out.
The Broncos organization has undergone five different head coaches, five defensive coordinators, seven offensive coordinators, 11 quarterbacks, a new general manager and an ownership change since the championship season.
It’s been one giant mess in Broncos Country for years. And it’s been horrendous to watch until now.
Over the offseason, general manager George Paton knew it was essential to find a competent coach after the disastrous season with previous head coach Nathaniel Hackett. It was one of the worst coaching decisions the Denver Broncos have ever made in franchise history, and Paton needed to redeem himself.
Instead of looking for another first-time, young and inexperienced head coach, Paton took the opposite approach and hired one of the best coaches the NFL has ever seen. He brought in Sean Payton.
When Payton got hired, the expectation was to turn this organization around overnight and create a team worthy of the Super Bowl. Payton took little time to start making his mark on the organization.
One of his first decisions as head coach was to change how the team handled themselves and address the weakest positions. He enforced his “anonymous donors” policy and immediately spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in free agency to address the team’s weaknesses.
Payton’s goal was to change the culture within the building and bring back that winning mentality that’s been missing for so many years. While the start of the season for the Broncos was slow and painful to watch after going 1-5, Payton found a rhythm and made one of the most impressive mid-season turnarounds we’ve seen.
The defense has been playing incredible football and is the primary reason that they’ve been winning in the first place. They’ve been dominating in takeaways over the last several weeks and went from one of the worst in the league to one of the best in just a few weeks.
The offense has made massive strides since last season, with Russell Wilson playing at an elite level again. He’s found his confidence under Payton’s leadership and he’s excelling in the offensive scheme. One of the biggest reasons they’ve been finding success offensively is because of the offensive line and how great they’ve been playing so far this season.
After winning five straight games and taking out some of the best teams in the league, the Broncos have put themselves back on the map and are in the hunt for playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Payton’s singlehandedly responsible for this team’s success over the last few weeks and has already made his case for being the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year. No other head coach has impacted an organization in such a short amount of time as Payton has.
There is an argument for Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans because of the success with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, but that will be determined in Week 13 when the Broncos face the Texans in what could be the most crucial game of the season for each of these teams. This game could possibly determine who’s going to make the playoffs this season or not.
Payton has already made his mark on the Broncos’ organization and is proving himself week after week to be one of the best coaches in the NFL. He’s a great candidate for AP NFL Coach of the Year, and if he continues to win and make playoffs this season, he’ll have made his case to win without a shadow of a doubt.
