Broncos: Sean Payton leaning on Zach Strief to help Broncos' offensive woes
Sean Payton knows how to make an entrance. The talented head coach has wasted no time turning the franchise into his own. It seems as though the second it was announced that he would be taking over, he put his fingerprints all over the team. Payton, in a slew of moves both on the field […]
Sean Payton knows how to make an entrance.
The talented head coach has wasted no time turning the franchise into his own. It seems as though the second it was announced that he would be taking over, he put his fingerprints all over the team.
Payton, in a slew of moves both on the field and off the field, is looking to make marked improvements from last season and is leaning heavily on his New Orleans roots to make that happen.
Recently, Payton has brought in Zach Strief to be an offensive line coach for the team. Strief was a seventh-round pick from Payton in New Orleans and quickly cemented himself as one of the very best. Strief, surprisingly, was active for a whopping 158 games from 2006-2017 which included 94 starts, team captainship, and All-Pro honors. Furthermore, Strief helped Payton secure a Super Bowl victory in the 2009 season.
After his NFL career, Strief transitioned to commentating as a part of the New Orleans Saints and even joined Sean Payton on the coaching staff during his last season in New Orleans. Strief was an assistant offensive line coach under Payton so he will have more than enough familiarity with the new role as offensive line coach.
Payton is deploying a strategy that has worked well for the organization in the past. This isn't the first time a former player has taken control of the offensive line. In fact, with Mike Munchak at the helm previously, he enjoyed so much success he's now in the hall of fame. While not apples to apples, Payton would be ecstatic to get similar results.
The Broncos' head coach gushed over the acquisition of bringing Strief onto the coaching staff, praising the former player as an "achiever."
The Denver Broncos struggled on offense last year in part to their inefficiencies on the offensive line. Payton is going to lean heavily on Strief along with some recent acquisitions to take the offensive line to the next level.
Payton has done his best to load up Russell Wilson with talent on the line and entrusted Strief to help protect their franchise quarterback. Let's see how it pays off. If things don't go well, Broncos fans will be quick to voice their displeasure.
