Drew Brees Sounds Off on Russell Wilson's Outlook With Sean Payton
How new Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton approaches the repair of starting quarterback Russell Wilson will be the fulcrum for subsequent success or failure. Payton is bound to be aware of just how high the stakes are when it comes to his key project of resuscitating the nine-time Pro Bowler.
Wilson's presence certainly didn't deter Payton from accepting the Broncos' head-coaching job. Payton won a Super Bowl with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, the other undersized but prolific quarterback he coached.
The pair's well-documented success together in the Big Easy turned Brees into a perennial All-Pro. It also brought the first World Championship to New Orleans, which desperately needed a boost after suffering the deathly ravages of Hurricane Katrina.
Replicating the winning formula in Denver will require all the stars to align perfectly, but it’s also an ideal opportunity for Wilson to flourish. That sentiment was put forth on Wednesday to ESPN's Ed Werder by the man who benefited from Payton's coaching knowhow the most — Brees himself.
“He’s really excited,” Brees said of Wilson. “He can speak for himself, but I think the idea of having Sean Payton come for what he’s hoping is the rest of his career, I’m not sure there’s a better scenario for him.”
Wilson has already said that working with Payton is a project he's both 100% committed to and enthusiastic about embarking upon. Creating the same kind of chemistry Brees and Payton shared together might be a stretch, but that's where the notorious work ethic of the Broncos' new head coach/quarterback tandem should compensate immeasurably.
Make no bones about it; Brees feels that in the Payton-designed offense, Wilson should suddenly find himself in a particularly advantageous position.
“To me, this is set up to be Russell Wilson’s prime — especially with Sean Payton and a system that’s going to be built around him… This is a great opportunity for Russell Wilson,” Brees told Werder.
Payton is already going to be busy concentrating on the exact composition of his team of coaching assistants to help him reboot Wilson. Piecing that complex jigsaw puzzle together will be an incremental process and one that will come down to how many of his previous allies and trusted lieutenants will want to join forces with the new head coach in Denver.
Interestingly, a few names with considerable past history with Payton have become available just recently. In particular, Former Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who served as Payton's QBs coach in New Orleans, could be one hire that made with minimum fuss.
Brees, of course, has plenty of first-hand knowledge of exactly how Payton can establish his own culture when he takes command.
“He’s a culture-changer. Not to say that they have a bad culture there, but he establishes that very quickly,” Brees explained to ESPN. “He makes everyone in the building feel like they have to prove themselves — in a good way.”
Most folks in Broncos Country would wholeheartedly agree that the team needs a cultural reboot.
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