Sean McVay Can't Wait to 'Steal' From Broncos' HC Sean Payton
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Sean Payton has covered many bases during his well-attended media engagements at the Annual League Meeting in Arizona. Payton's brutally honest answers to a broad range of Denver Broncos-related issues left few in doubt that he means business.
Figuring out how to resuscitate the Broncos' dismal offense was a big reason why the stars aligned for Payton to land the top job in Denver. But, in order to successfully turn the ship around, Payton has admitted that it will require some heavy lifting, starting with the team's offseason conditioning program.
Performing his detailed overview has led Payton to admit how trawling through last season’s tape was not a particularly enjoyable experience, but it was a necessary evil all the same. The enormity of the task at hand is something that other experienced head coaches, like Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions, believe Payton is expertly equipped to deal with.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay went as far as to admit his plan to thieve some ideas from the new Broncos' offense next season, once the film is available.
“I’m looking forward to flipping on that Broncos offense every week and seeing what we can steal from them,” McVay said.
McVay's somewhat tongue-in-cheek confession is telling of how obvious it is that Payton still dines at the top table of NFL head coaches — even if he did have a one-year sabbatical away from the grind of the pro game.
Not to be outdone by McVay, Detroit's Campbell gushed about Payton.
"I think you're about to get the best version of him that there's been in a while,” Campbell told reporters in Arizona. “I can't speak highly enough of Sean."
Payton has returned to the NFL head-coaching ranks with a reinvigorated spring in his step, despite having to deal with the challenges of assuming control of a five-win team. Other head coaches around the league seem genuinely pleased to have Payton back in their ranks, and as Campbell admitted, his former mentor has always been a model for an up-and-coming coach like himself.
"I don't know what I didn't learn from him... He's always ahead of the curve,” Campbell said of Payton. “He's always thinking outside the box. I think he's a stud."
It seemed like all media eyes were focused on Payton this week at the Annual League Meeting. But as we all know, having a former Super Bowl-winning coach like Payton carries a great deal more weight and gravitas than pure novelty.
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