The hints dropped about what this moment would be like were hard to miss over the past few months. Payton looked at last year's 5-12 record not with compassion or understanding, but disgust. He has taken shots at the offense —"It was hard to watch" — and special teams. He has praised the defense, while acknowledging NFL teams must play complementary football to achieve their goals.
In assessing the 2022 mess, Payton is doing something completely different: owing to his resume of 152 wins and a Super Bowl ring. When the Broncos gather this week, the plan is to lift and work out. For a month, even though the NFL permits a veteran minicamp April 24-27. The arrival of a new coach brought new faces to help avoid missed games. Payton brought in former Saints strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple and hired Beau Lowery as the team's vice president of player health and performance.
This will take pressure off quarterback Russell Wilson — clearly this is Payton's plan to help the veteran rebound after his worst year — and control the clock, which should make a strong defense even better.