Sean Payton completely torched Nathaniel Hackett over clock management

New Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton threw some shade towards Nathaniel Hackett during his introductory press conference.

The Denver Broncos took a huge swing in hiring former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their head coach last year. After 15 games, they admitted that they struck out badly on the hire, and announced his firing after Denver suffered a 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas. This offseason, the Broncos targeted a big name to be their head coach, and were able to acquire Sean Payton from the New Orleans Saints.

On Monday, the Broncos officially introduced Payton as their new head coach. After the presser ended, Payton fielded questions from the media. When asked about his game management, Payton threw some shade towards his predecessor in Hackett, saying he won’t need the crowd to count down the play clock for him.

Sean Payton throws shade at Nathaniel Hackett at Broncos introductory press conference

Broncos fans know all too well about Hackett’s issues with game management. Payton was referencing how fans inside Empower Field at Mile High counted down the play clock as Hackett and the Broncos were unable to effectively manage the clock during the team’s Week 2 game against the Houston Texans. This happened one week after Hackett opted to run down the clock in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks to attempt a 64-yard field goal.

Shortly after this game, Hackett brought in Jerry Rosburg as a senior assistant to help out with game management. Ironically, after Hackett’s firing, Rosburg was named the interim head coach for the rest of the season.

Even though Hackett was fired, it didn’t take long for him to find a new gig. Prior to Payton being traded to the Broncos, Hackett agreed to terms to become the new offensive coordinator for the New York Jets. Replacing Mike LaFleur, Hackett will have the task of leading a Jets offense that was held back by the quarterback position. The question that remains is who will be their starting quarterback next season? Will it be Zach Wilson? Or will they bring in an outside option like Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr, or Jimmy Garoppolo?

Payton is assuring that with him on the sidelines as Denver’s head coach, there will be no need for fans to participate in counting down the clock.