HC Sean Payton discusses Broncos’ depth amid injuries: ‘It has to be the next man up’

HC Sean Payton discusses Broncos’ depth amid injuries: ‘It has to be the next man up’

Sean, I’m wondering if you just reflect on Alex Singleton’s week and and kind of seeing seeing what you go through and the reaction from Yeah, I was there. Look, there was a meet meeting Bo had with George, myself, Alex, his wife, and um and they went through everything and um you know, at that very moment there was there’s more certainty or clarity now, but at that moment, you know, you um you know, you it puts kind of everything in perspect perspective relative to, you know, our players health, our health, and uh you know, I’ll let him speak on behalf of the procedure, but um the news has been real positive and uh and um you know, he he’s he’s obviously one of the important leaders of our team. He wanted to talk to the team first and he did that at the start of the week and uh he’s he’s got our full support. Coach, how surprised or what was your reaction when when he told you he wanted to play on Thursday night games? Um wow. Um well it it was strictly his decision and I I think he had discussed that with the doctors and he felt like um shut up you know that that was going to be fine and then you know immediately after then he was going in for more tests and then eventually a surgery. um that’s just who he is and uh our our questions or comments were more of how can we help support you know that’s the approach that George and I took it sounds like coming back with with Will Jordan which went into that process I think just as we’re into this run um having depth um we we know the player really well um one of one of his strength strengths is his football IQ. He can play a lot of different spots and um and I and I think it was uh you know we we had that roster availability so we’ll we’ll see how that plays out. Um Mike Bandy’s done a great job for like we wanted to make sure that that during this stretch we had the depth uh at that position and um but you know exactly what you’re getting from him and that’s a real good trait to have as a player. Then you can put him in these places where he can excel and uh um it was unusual seeing him on, you know, the opponent’s sideline um a few weeks back, but um we’re glad to have him back. Sean, you potentially could be without some players on Sunday. just how do you feel about the depth of your team and your resilience heading into such a big game? I you know I think um it’s it’s our league. You’ve heard me say that and we’ve played teams uh earlier in the season that have been in this position. Um, you know, I won’t get into any of the individuals, but um it’s it has to be the next man up and and uh you know, we just finished a stretch, a pretty good stretch. Um, now we’ll play one game in 23 days, I believe it is. Um, so yeah, I mean that’s it is what it is. Coach, is that a good thing playing one game in 23 days, but the rest is going to be too much rest? Is that Well, when I say I mean, I I don’t know how many games we we just finished playing in a short period of time. I um those are the things that when I was, you know, you can’t control those things. So, I I think, you know, I think you normally look for a buy in the middle of the season somewhere. Sometimes you get an early one. I think last year we had the last like the last weekend of buys. Um you can’t control that. You know, the things that I look at when the schedule comes out just um travel, you know, Monday night, Cincinnati, Philly, you know, those those are the things you you start to pay attention to and how you want to handle them. Sean, are you guys still evaluating potential for JK? Yeah, nothing nothing’s been decided yet. and at some point, you know, um there’ll be more clarity with him and and some of these other players. I always appreciate how you look at numbers. Bo Nicks is arguably the best quarterback in the league in on the in the fourth quarter. First three quarters, he ranks near the bottom of a lot of stats. How do you see I listen and what is the key, I guess? No, I I a little bit. Well, look, I I think um it’s our jobs, you know, to to offensively um put ourselves in a position of starting faster and and you know, when I discussed this after the game, you know, there aren’t many times when a game’s over when you win even where you’re fully satisfied. You know that there’s there’s something bugging you. There’s something and and certainly um you know getting that balance um and and the time of possession also to help our defense. Um and so I like that this year we’re doing better in these one sore games. Um, and I think you gained some confidence and if you tried to pick when did that turn, you might look at Philly. Um, but um, to go where we want to go, there has to be improvement and and certainly we understand that. Can you make it easier for him? Um, specifically, well, you’re I I think it’s it’s it’s not just a it’s not bow. I mean, I I think it’s part of the whole process offensively and and constantly uh in our game planning this week. Um certainly opponents vary what they do scheme wise. This this is a pressure team, you know, and so um our job each week we’re always looking to find easy completions. Yeah. You know, when we look at when I look at the touchdown reel on Mondays, I’ve said this to you before. Sometimes you’d look at a play and you’d just say player, you know, he went up, made a great play. Then sometimes someone’s wide open and you click that button, you save it. And that was scheme. And so we’re constantly looking at, you know, how can we find, you know, those throws that um that fit the scheme in the defense you’re attacking. Um, obviously we the penalties we we’ve gota we’ve gota, you know, we’re doing a great job of not taking sacks, but when we’re all of a sudden, you know, first and 20, we we we’ve got to eliminate those. You play a game against the reigning division champs and obviously they’ve won many years in a row. Do you address that that the stakes of the game with the team? Well, I think it’s a good question. Um, look, every the players are aware of division games and certainly there’s great respect um for a team that’s had the staying power that they’ve had. So, um, you know, you you’ve worked hard to put yourself in a position um to play a game like this at home. Um, we’ll play in bigger games. You know, I say that all the time. We’re going to play in bigger games, but this is the next one. And um and you know this is this is a team that’s playing really well right now. You you can see that. So um you know we’re going to have to be on point. Sean, have you found constants over over the offense? Say it again. Have you found constants over the years in terms of what gets an offense in rhythm early in the game or does that change? It can change it can change based on you know are you playing a man-to-man defense? Are you playing a zone defense? Um and and it can change um based on your personnel, you know, and uh and so you know, as you as you look at every one of your play in in the offensive line, man, man is doing a good job. Throck’s doing a good job at guard. And then you start identifying like what are what are the things that these players do best? And then we’re always looking at, all right, how do we put them in those positions? that have you have you felt like you’ve had a good sense of even if it hasn’t always worked of like what what early in a game should get your Yeah, I I Yeah, and there’s times where like look the you know the I think the I can’t recall if it the first series of the Cowboys game, you know, I think a lot of people felt like the route was off and it was just a an errand throw and and then and that that can happen sometimes, but Um certainly when you put together those opening plays, there’s a rhyme and reason as to what you’re doing. You know, how are they going to play certain personnel groupings? You know, this team plays a lot of nickel. Um and they’ll play base and then well, are they going to play base to this personnel? And so you want to find that out early in the game. Uh, so you understand when you when you put that personnel on the field, you’re planning on getting one or the other and and the defense has become different. Sean, what is your confidence level now in RJ Harvey? And if he needs to have more carries, you think he’s ready for Yeah, listen, he he was when we drafted him, it was his running skill set and, you know, man, he had a lot of touches. I was just kidding with him earlier. Um then you have experience in a guy like Jal who’s explosive and and uh and has been chomping at the bit and and so um yeah I I I think uh you know sometimes players are not held back but when you you know you’re watching Pat Bryant grow right in front of our eyes and and you’re starting to see that with RJ and obviously he’ll have more more opportunities here um in this game. So um yeah, I I he’s built when when when you when you see his frame, he’s he’s built to last and that’s that’s important. Sean Tman, after another good return, if he’d play tight end, if given the chance to see has tight end background, is there ever any thought of a guy that obviously athletic and can do that? We always we we always look at our defensive personnel relative to like and have a goal line full, you know, those kind of things. Um some teams maybe don’t carry a fullback, so they use a defensive tackle or um but yeah, you pay attention to I think you got to block them all for him to score though. Um but he’s Listen, it’s been uh it’s been fun to watch. Coach, you talked about how winning is contagious. when you’ve built an appetite for winning. How do you continue to motivate the guys to be more hung up to continue? Well, I I think it becomes addictive a little bit like, you know, um there there’s you there’s nothing like it, you know, and and and then the the alternative, you know, when you when you spend the hours you do in the practice, um one of the toughest things to do is come back in Monday and uh and then, you know, pull your drawers up and get ready. You know, it’s And so, yeah, it and it starts with really it starts with the the right type of DNA that you’re bringing in, you know. Um, you’re bringing in these guys with grit, toughness. Um, football IQ is important and um, generally speaking, those are hardweathered players that can withstand the storms that come in our league and they come every season. You pick a team, uh, pick a Super Bowl team any of the years there. There’s there’s there’s storms and, uh, and you generally fare better. So when everyone asks or talks about culture or I speak on culture, it starts with the procurement of the right players of it really does. And um that means sometimes in the draft you pass on someone that you’re like ah but um you know in the long term it’s going to it’s going to serve you well. Troy Franklin has led you guys pretty couple main targets the last few weeks. Is that more a function to you of his development this offense or what? Yeah, I think he’s he’s getting more snaps and um one of the things he can do well is transition and you know a lot of teams are using this turbo motion. Um he’s explosive. You know, it’s one thing to say run fast sideways and then make a left-hand turn and then run a route and and so um it used to be just turbo. Now we got a name after each. I mean, he he can he can bend and transition and it’s a little bit like last year. Um, and remember in training camp, you know, will we see the the progression that we saw kind of like Mims a year ago? And I think we’re seeing in a in a in a real good way that that um year two for him. feel like defenses are keying more in on Courtland. Um we we get some Courtland double Philly near the end of the game, man. We had a play we liked and shoot the safety went right to him and and we ended up throwing it away. Um so it a lot of it depends on the defensive coordinator and and Steve’s done this long enough. He’ll take away or try to take away your targets uh certain situations. Um la last week we got some safety lean and so when you’re looking at the the pictures you know you’re discussing the coverage and you know a handful of it was lean 14 and and they were still playing man and so then you you got to make some hay either opposite of that or you got to move 14 and put him in positions where it’s a little bit difficult more difficult to do that if you just put him at X you know, you can you can easily remove a split end. Uh, you know, but but if he moves, if he jets, you know, if if they’re matching, some teams match corners. Um, so we’ve had a few of those. Um, and then some teams are right and left. And uh so yeah, I think I think a lot of it’s depending on the defensive coordinator and it may be red zone or it may be third down. Um but we’ve certainly seen it. Sean, how different do the Chiefs look on either side of the ball from last year for these years of this year? Man, they’ve been so consistent. Um and and start with Steve uh Spa Spags. Um there’s been players in and out of that defense and he’ll have new new packages. Um they’re very detailed in their assignment. They’re outstanding with their technique. Um they give you a lot of looks, you know, um a lot of pressure looks, a lot of fire zone looks and and and we’ll play cover zero. um maybe you know a tick more than some people. Um so they’re aggressive. Um their numbers are are fantastic. We looked at I mean um I don’t know how many trips in the red zone they’ve had had to defend. So they’re playing really good complimentary football. Um you know I asked Rzzy what’s the punt return tape look like? And he’s like well all the punts are going in. you know, that that means offensively they’ve taken the ball from their end and and certainly with the way the kickoff rule is. So, um I I think they’re playing as well. Uh and I think, you know, having four come back, you know, has really helped. He’s he’s been something. Uh so there listen this is this is there’s a reason this team has won uh for a long period of time and it’s talent, it’s coaching, it’s a program, it’s a GM, it’s ownership and that’s where we’re aspiring to to go.

Head Coach Sean Payton speaks with the media about Denver’s Week 11 matchup with the Chiefs, Alex Singleton’s recovery and how the Broncos are approaching injuries at multiple positions.

Subscribe to Broncos » https://www.youtube.com/broncos