Sean Payton admits he had an ’embarrassing’ moment as Broncos coach

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton was candid about how his season went when he reflected during his end-of-season press conference Tuesday.

Starting with a moment where he admitted that he didn’t call the right play. literally.

“I want to get my eyes fixed, so I call the right play and I don’t mess up and call the wrong play on a play that happened one time this year,” he said. “That was embarrassing.”

Sean Payton talks about things he would have done differently this season, says at one point he called the wrong play. “That was embarrassing.” pic.twitter.com/1EJcge0c5D

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 9, 2024

Of course, this isn’t the first error to which Payton has copped. Following the Broncos’ loss to Kansas City, Payton admitted to what he called a “boneheaded mistake” — calling a timeout after Russell Wilson was sacked with 22 seconds left in the first half. Now, Kansas City still had all three timeouts remaining, and they would use two of them on their subsequent 2-play drive to a 60-yard Harrison Butker field goal as time expired.

Nevertheless, Payton citing these moments serves a reminder of just how many things were slightly off from time to time to contribute to the 8-9 finish — even, at times, the head coach himself.

BUT SEAN PAYTON SAYS CALLING SOME TIMEOUTS WASN’T A MISTAKE

Specifically, the timeouts he called at the end of the first half in Las Vegas last Sunday and the ones he called late in the Broncos’ 26-23 loss to the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve. In both cases, Payton called timeout in the expectation that his team’s defense would make a stop, thus allowing the offense more time with which to operate.

It’s a perfectly sound tactic — IF your defense gets the opposing offense off the field. It happened in neither case. New England marched to a game-winning field goal that effectively ended the Broncos’ playoff hopes, while Las Vegas stormed to a touchdown that capped a 98-yard drive.

Sean Payton: “Half-yard line at end of the first half against Vegas I’m calling that timeout again, 99 (times) out of 100. Just look at the statistics or field position. The same one (vs.) New England, really. I would say we have to be great with the details …” pic.twitter.com/pkrASHWoxL

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 10, 2024

“I know some of you had questions about a couple timeouts, but half-yard line at end of the first half against Vegas — I’m calling that timeout again, 99 (times) out of 100,” Payton said. “Just look at the statistics or field position. The same one (versus) New England, really.”

GRADING HIS BRONCOS SEASON

As for how Sean Payton would evaluate his season, it comes to one thing: the record. And Payton’s Broncos were 8-9, giving him his fifth losing season in 16 years as a head coach — and his first since 2016.

“I said this the other day, and I just know how my peers and how I looked at it. Everyone would look at it as 8-9. That’s just how we’re wired,” Payton explained.

“Specifically, there would be a number of things that, ‘Ah, I know better.’ There’s a notepad right now. I think, for me, fresh off the season—what are things as we get ready, so that this time next year, I’m not trying to remember. There’s kind of a notepad I keep of things that we’ll address or change or do differently heading into the season. As head coaches, we’re graded on our team’s success, as we should be. That means sometimes we’re over-graded, and then sometimes, we’re under-graded.

“Ultimately, it’s about winning. That’s always been pretty clear and clean and actually refreshing.”

And beyond the record, there’s a simple goal: Don’t have your end-of-the-season press conference too soon. Alas, this has become the norm in Denver since Super Bowl 50.

“The fact that we’re having this on Tuesday in whatever week in January is not the right week,” he said. “Certainly, it’s not the right week for us and for when we’d like to be having this meeting.”

AND THESE WERE SOME OF THE THINGS PAYTON LAMENTED …

First, there was the team’s performance in goal-to-go offense, which Payton described as “awful.”

“I have to look closely at my sequencing and what I’m doing and calling. What I mean by that is goal-to-go. Our red zone numbers are past the 20. How many touchdowns, percentages, etc. Our opportunities, I think, were decent. I think we were 50-something [percent], and that measured ninth or tenth. Inside the ten, first and goal-to-go, that wasn’t good enough.”

Then there was the team’s third-down offense.

“There were a handful of things, and many of you have asked great questions about ‘Your offense, your offense.’ Overall, we collectively—starting with me — it wasn’t good enough. We didn’t take advantage of enough field-position opportunities in games.”

Ultimately, Payton believes, it all comes down to details.

“I would say we have to be great with the details, and obviously, we weren’t good enough with the details if there were certain mistakes that were repeating themselves,” he said. “That starts with the teaching, our coaching. Are we saying the right things?

“… I’m sure as we go through this process, there are going to be a number of other things, but I think that I’m comfortable and far enough along doing this, that I can easily be swayed or moved. Even coaches. It’s one thing to be somewhere where everyone tells you what you want to hear, but the value of a coach that tells me sometimes what I need to hear, I appreciate.”