(Editor's note: This is an excerpt from Mike Sando's Pick Six from December 18, 2023.)
Sean Payton beats up the quarterback Russell Wilson standing on the sidelines and then suggesting he was just annoyed with the officiating sparked all sorts of speculation.
It's hard to blame Payton for losing his temper when the officials nullified a Broncos touchdown with an offensive offside call that seemed unjustifiable. As one former head coach put it, officials “lost their minds” and looked for penalties related to Philadelphia’s tush-push plays.
It's just hard to understand why Payton would direct so much anger at his quarterback.
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Sean Payton downplays sideline flare-up with Russell Wilson
The nature of Payton's relationship with Wilson faded into the background during a five-game winning streak fueled by opponents' turnovers. After Denver lost two of its last three games, including 42-17 at Detroit on Saturday, tensions appear to be rising again. The topic is exciting because the Broncos will have to decide after the season whether they want to fully guarantee Wilson's contract for another $37 million.
A search of Payton's media sessions during the season turned up a few mildly positive things about the quarterback he inherited, but not much. That doesn't necessarily mean the coach and quarterback need to divorce, but Payton seems okay with leaving the public wondering, a departure from the way he treated Drew Brees during his tenure in New Orleans.
Some of this might simply be an old-fashioned approach to motivation and control. But the disdain Payton showed Wilson early in the season and was again on the sidelines Saturday seemed clear.
While it is possible that Wilson suggested that Payton should have initiated a replay challenge or addressed it on fourth down instead of attempting a field goal, prompting an angry response from Payton, two coaches familiar with Wilson's tenure in Seattle were familiar, offered another option. They noted that Wilson changed plays in Seattle to get into a rhythm and that the coach might have made a forceful judgment if he had changed Payton's plays during the drive in question.
“I don't think Sean owes anyone there,” another coach said, “so he'll tell everyone when he's mad.” He just wasn't always very mad in New Orleans. They have won.”
(Photo: RJ Sangosti / MediaNews Group / The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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