Sean Payton Teases Plan to Keep Up With Red-Hot Dolphins Offense

There's a lot to like about how confidently Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is running his explosive, high-scoring offense in South Florida. Indeed, it could be said that Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is playing serious catch-up to McDaniels, who very much now represents the new wave of young, offensive-minded NFL coaches at the tender age of 40 years old.

Of course, Payton has seen plenty of bullish coaches come and go over the years, but in McDaniel, he sees much to admire in his play-calling acumen.

"He's doing well," Payton said on Friday of McDaniel. "I would say, obviously, calling the plays, but just as important is the design of what you're getting ready to call. You can see it on tape. You get a lot of different presentations that you have to really work through defensively. They've done a really good job. Mike has done a fantastic job."

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McDaniels might welcome getting in an old-fashioned shootout with Payton's 0-2 Broncos on Sunday. But Payton is savvy enough to know that his offense has to be exceptionally smart when picking their spots to attack.

"Part of it is playing complementary football, and part of it is the type of defense we are seeing," Payton said. "We have to be good on third downs. That's the one thing that will be important. Then, I would say red zone. [Dolphins Defensive Coordinator] Vic [Fangio] has always done a good job of playing good red zone defense. They don't give you a lot, but they play it very well."

The sheer extent to which Payton is still working overtime on his team's limitations and deficiencies is quite clear. That's not ideal ahead of a matchup that the Broncos can ill afford to lose. Falling to the 0-3 mark would create a hole nearly impossible to climb out of.

On defense, Payton has little choice but to keep leaning on the under-fire Vance Joseph as he endeavors to sort out the litany of shortcomings that have popped up through two games, not the least of which being Denver's porous run defense and discipline issues.

"I think early down fits. I think our tackling is one of our keys in this game," Payton said. "These guys get the ball into space, so you have to populate, break down, and be able to space tackle. They do a really good job. It's not just in the running game, it may be a pass that is just like a run that's completed quickly. You have to pursue, shimmy down and play with good leverage. I think that area is something I know Vance and our staff has been working on."

Much now rests on Joseph's ability to get the more basic elements, like sound tackling technique, drilled into his defensive players. Friday's deflating news that All-Pro safety Justin Simmons will miss Week 3 with a hip injury only makes Joseph's task all the more complex.

Furthermore, using the Broncos' offense to protect his depleted defense puts Payton in a troublesome position, especially this early in the season. It's also a major tip of the cap towards McDaniel for the exceptional job he's doing with the rapidly ascending Dolphins.

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