Payton Reveals Solution to Fixing Russell Wilson's Communication Issue
Communication problems in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage defined the Denver Broncos' painful incompetence last season under former head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Fast forward to this past Sunday, and the old problems returned.
In the Broncos' Week 2 loss to the Washington Commanders, precious first-half timeouts were burnt at a rate that made head coach Sean Payton uncomfortable, as he and quarterback Russell Wilson failed to get their line of communication on point.
Late substitutions also became part of Denver's issue as the game progressed, and Payton admitted on Monday how ironing out these recurring communication problems might lead to Wilson's adopting a wristband.
"I think, No. 1, the first thing that we always try to look at—but we have to do a better job of as coaches—is reduce the verbiage," Payton said. "If we have a longer play, then we can easily get to a wristband. We just have to reduce the variables."
Installing a new offense always presents assimilation issues, especially when it comes to communicating the call in the huddle. Who exactly is to blame for these communications has been a hot topic of debate for fans and media alike this week.
Cheap soundbites aside, the smooth operation of the Broncos' offense is fundamental to any future success the team might hope to have. Payton's early-season woes don't end there because costly penalties and general bouts of ill-discipline have blighted the Broncos during these first two weeks.
While some good news arrived that the NFL won't suspend safety Kareem Jackson after his costly ejection on Sunday, Payton is now drawing a line in the sand.
"We're currently tied for a league-high 19 penalties," Payton said. "We have to be better and more disciplined in that area, and that starts with us as coaches."
The Broncos coming road trip to face the Miami Dolphins means that Payton and his coaching staff have a lot of work to do in a short span of time. For what it's worth, Wilson appeared far less concerned than Payton with the communication issues post-game Sunday.
"I thought we've done a really good job of getting in and out of the huddles," Wilson said on Sunday. "I thought we had two or three plays where we could've been a little bit faster. In the first half, we called a timeout on one of them. We have to be cleaner. We'll be cleaner next time."
Football is as much about the nuances as it is about the fundamentals of tackling, blocking, running, and catching. The Broncos need to master those finer details in order to rise out of the NFL doldrums, and Payton was supposed to be just the coach to make that happen.
Thus, don't be surprised to see Wilson wearing a wristband in Week 3 as Payton searches for a quick and easy fix to what's become a nagging issue.
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