Sean Payton Doubles Down: Russell Wilson's Private QB Coach is Out
On the heels of his introductory press conference as Denver Broncos head coach, Sean Payton was pulled aside for an auxiliary audience with local media. Some might call it a scrum. According to Payton, Broncos PR czar Patrick Smyth calls it a "gaggle."
It didn't take long for someone to ask Payton whether he'd allow quarterback Russell Wilson to allow his private passing coach — Jake Heaps — into the building at Broncos HQ with the same unfettered access he had under the previous coaching regime. Payton seemed surprised by the question, but quickly said, "We're not going to do that here."
During his appearance on the Rich Eisen Show on Radio Row at the Super Bowl, Payton was asked again about the Wilson/Heaps thing, and he elaborated on his thoughts. But he stuck to his guns.
"Look, I was asked the question about—so we had this 'gaggle,' which means more questions," Payton told Eisen. "And so we're talking, and somebody just said, 'Hey, Russell's had a coach in the building helping him. Your thoughts on that?' And I was honest. I said, 'I'm unfamiliar with that. I'm unfamiliar with what that looks like, which means I'm probably not going to do that.' In fact, we're not going to do that."
There's your confirmation. It might seem like Wilson is being knocked down a peg or two, but Payton, as a veteran coach who's been to the top of the NFL mountain, knows well that too many cooks ruin the broth.
Heaps followed Wilson from Seattle to Denver last year, but it doesn't sound like he'll be welcome at Dove Valley anymore. Payton made a decision that might be painful to Wilson in the short term, but it's what's best for the team in the head coach's estimation.
Make no mistake, Wilson will get plenty of coaching. In fact, it'll be of the world-class variety. It sounds like Wilson can't wait.
"He said to me last night, 'I want to be coached hard,'" Payton said. "So creating that environment that's best for the team, and the accountability is best for the team. There were a lot of things they didn't do well last year and that falls on a lot of different people. And a lot of different people are gone."
Nathaniel Hackett? Gone. Justin Outten, Klint Kubiak? Both gone.
Jake Heaps? Adios.
There's a new sheriff in the Mile High City, and he doesn't suffer incompetence.
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