Broncos OL Coach Reveals Inside Reason He Followed Sean Payton

Respected analysts in the national media suppose that Sean Payton will get a free pass in his first year with the Denver Broncos. On the flip side, pressure is a constant in the NFL. After all, Payton takes home a monster salary, he cost the Broncos draft capital to acquire his rights, and he's inheriting a five-win team.

Factor in the desperate organizational need to resuscitate the career of quarterback Russell Wilson in short order, and the temperature rises. The first order of business in effectuating a Wilson renaissance is piecing together a serviceable group upfront to protect the Broncos' expensive QB investment.

Unquestionably, that puts significant extra pressure on new Broncos offensive line coach Zach Strief. Having followed Payton to Denver, Strief is going places in coaching terms, despite his relative inexperience. Strief's mission has been greatly assisted by the Broncos' moves to sign guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey early on in free agency.

Strief is well aware that dealing with pressure comes with the territory, but he also knows that Denver's expensive new additions only add to the feeling that he must produce results. But these are expectations the coach relishes.

"Now listen, there was always going to be pressure no matter what. I'd rather have the pressure of getting these two really good players [in McGlinchey and Powers] to play with the other three really good [starting] players, you know? I think that this group is doing that,” Strief said via Aric DiLalla of the team website. “The pressure on the line always exists, because our failures become team failures, and our successes fortunately are team successes. If you get to the end of the year and it doesn't go well, it was probably us. We've addressed that in the room, and yeah, there's stress with that. But wouldn't you rather have that on your shoulders rather than be reliant on the other group to do it?"

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Buying into the process is the core DNA of coaches at any level. Therefore, Strief — a former decorated offensive tackle turned coach — is embracing Denver's comprehensive rebuild with Payton, his long-time mentor Payton.

"The other thing that was really big is this has been a chance for me to see building a program from the backside," Strief said via DiLalla. "I've seen him do this from the front side, and you don't like it as much from the front side. It's a lot more fascinating from where we're at right now. I'm a young coach and the ability to get to see that from somebody like him is invaluable. But at the end of the day, Sean's my guy, and if Sean called, there's no way I'm telling him no. I would be here, and it's a huge honor to get here. Me and my wife say all the time that we're so glad we were able to do it. We love it here, and we're excited for the future here."

The Broncos appear to have a professional group of coaches looking to seriously dig in for the long haul. Finally, and after the disaster that was Nathaniel Hackett, ascending assistant coaches like Strief are going the extra mile to join forces with Payton out of respect and admiration

"Obviously, I had a long relationship with him," Strief said via DiLalla. "I was with him as a player for 12 years and then as a coach in New Orleans and, really, after playing as a friend. There are certain things about him that I think when you get away from him for a year that you really appreciate. There's a lot about our personal relationship that made me know that if he asked, I was going to come. I wasn't going to say no to him."

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