Sean Payton Reminds NFL World Who Russell Wilson is

On Monday, the Denver Broncos officially introduced Sean Payton as the team's new head coach. The 20th man in team history to hold the head coach title, Payton's first order of business will be figuring out how to get quarterback Russell Wilson back on the horse.

Enter Payton, whose quarterback resume is solid gold. On Monday, Payton revealed his outlook on Wilson and perhaps hinted at what it'll take to return him to his All-Pro form.

“I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players [is deciding] what are the things that they do really well," Payton said. "Then, let’s try to put them in those positions. At least that’s the starting point, and I think that it is important to highlight their strengths and minimize maybe any weaknesses."

Payton pointed to Wilson's reputation for having an unrelenting, nearly obsessive work ethic. The coach also reminded everyone that it wasn't oh so long ago that Wilson was viewed among the upper echelon of NFL signal-callers, leading the Seattle Seahawks to eight playoff berths in 10 seasons.

"Here’s what I know. I know that he’s a hard worker," Payton said. "I know he’s an extremely hard worker, and that’s important. You take that and you understand the skill set. He’s won a lot of games in Seattle."

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Wilson become a bit of an NFL meme last year. It was nice to hear Payton remind the NFL world that, indeed, Wilson has won a lot of games. He's been to the top of the NFL mountain and was one of the winningest quarterbacks of his era.

At the end of the day, Payton is known for catering his offensive scheme to the strengths and weaknesses of his personnel. One of the most maddening aspects of watching Wilson last season with the previous coaching staff was how often he was put into situations that didn't fit his skill set.

And most frustrating of all was the coaching staff's obliviousness in the face of negative results. At no point, while Nathaniel Hackett was still in the building, was there any presence of mind to recognize what was working, and implement more of it, or recognition of what wasn't, and steer clear of it.

Payton won't make the same mistakes.

"I kind of was taught early on, ‘Hey, what is it they do well? Let’s have them do those things.’ None of us want to go—I don’t like singing, period, but none of us want to be at a karaoke bar with a song we don’t know the words to," Payton said. "How do we get them comfortable and highlight their strengths? That’s the process that’s going to begin right now. I’m learning about every one of these players, not just Russell.”

A nine-time Pro Bowler in 10 seasons in Seattle, Wilson arrived in Denver on the heels of a blockbuster trade wherein the Broncos relinquished multiple premium-round draft picks — including two first and two second-rounders — plus multiple players. On the doorstep of the season, Wilson garnered a lucrative contract extension from the Broncos worth $245 million.

Then the Wilson train proceeded to jump the track as he regressed to career-low numbers virtually across the board under Hackett's coaching stewardship. After Hackett was fired, Wilson played much better in Denver's final two games of the season, giving hope that the 34-year-old QB is not washed up, and also implying that the Hackett coaching environment was a big reason for his regression.

Time will tell exactly what the future holds for Wilson, but if Drew Brees' Hall-of-Fame resume isn't enough, look at what Payton and the New Orleans Saints got out of cast-off quarterbacks like Teddy Bridgewater, Taysom Hill, Jameis Winston, and even Trevor Siemian. If there's a problem in Denver next season, don't expect the source to be the quarterback position.

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