Broncos preaching situational football in Week 3 of OTAs
The Denver Broncos are already preaching situational football before training camp even kicks off.One of the most important things is knowing what to do in certain situations, which the Broncos were terrible at last year. But hey, that's Nathaniel Hackett's team, not Sean Payton's. Out with the old; in with the new.This year will be […]
The Denver Broncos are already preaching situational football before training camp even kicks off.
One of the most important things is knowing what to do in certain situations, which the Broncos were terrible at last year. But hey, that's Nathaniel Hackett's team, not Sean Payton's. Out with the old; in with the new.
This year will be different. That goes for the practices and preparation, and hopefully, the outcomes of the games will be much different as well.
“We spent all of the walkthrough—you guys saw it—on about eight different situations,” Payton told the media Thursday.
Often times when teams practice situational football, it's situations like the end of the half or even the end of the game. They struggled with that last year a lot. Literally the first game of the season, they displayed bad situational football to end the game.
They are preparing for everything, though. They are prepping for things you probably wouldn't even think of. That's just what separates Payton from other coaches.
“There’s a board where there are 43 things that are unique end of the game, end of the half, and sometimes middle of the game situations,” Payton said. “They may come up once every four weeks—maybe once every two years… If you don’t address one because it doesn’t come up until every two years, then you’re going to be faced with it, and no one’s going to know what to do,” Payton said. “They have to know those cold, and they have to know what we’re thinking so that when they come up, we can execute.”
This is definitely something that is unique to Payton. Some coaches don't do this, and if they do, they cover it in season or in training camp. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton only confirmed that it's a pretty unique thing to do.
“I’ve had a lot of coaches here over the past few years,” Sutton told reporters. “Coach Payton is a guy that’s been very firm on his emphasis on his attention to detail. It shows us that he understands and knows what to do when we get into these games. Everything to him is very intricate.”
To me, this alone shows that Payton was not only a great hire but the right hire for the Broncos based on how last season went for them. He is here to turn their franchise around, just like he did with the New Orleans Saints once upon a time.
But it starts with the small things, just like this. Then, do it all again, but during the game. Sure, Payton is coming to fix the franchise, but it all starts with having good habits in the offseason.
“Throughout the season, we’re going to repeat and repeat.”
Featured Image Via Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
