Sean Payton is ready to flip the bird at critics
By Lior Lampert
After a disappointing result in his first year returning to the NFL head coaching ranks, doubters have questioned Sean Payton. Many feel he and the Denver Broncos will fail miserably this upcoming season. Sportsbooks have their 2024 regular season win total set at 5.5.
Regardless of the critics, Payton and Denver are only concerned with what they can control. While addressing the media on Tuesday, the Broncos coach acknowledged the outside noise, admitting he hears the naysayers loud and clear. However, instead of rolling over, he is prepared to use obscene hand gestures to talk for himself and his team.
Sean Payton: “I have two middle fingers, I've gotten better with age not using them. … you got X amount of battery life and energy and try to use it where you think it's best to help the team and so you learn over time to not spend as much on the things you can't control.” pic.twitter.com/bhOlGZNEjV
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) June 11, 2024
“I think that I have two middle fingers,” Payton jokingly told reporters when asked to share his thoughts about the dialogue surrounding his coaching.
Sean Payton is ready to flip the bird at anyone who doubts him or the Broncos
"I think it’s more -- and I would say this changed for me -- it’s more inward focused relative to our own team and what we’re doing. As you get older in this, you don’t waste the calories on certain things that I might’ve back in 2006, ’07, ’08."
“I don’t play a lot of video games, but you have ‘X’ amount of battery life and energy," Payton added. Moreover, he expressed how the goal is to use the finite mental/physical stamina you have left to "help the team." "If that concerned me, we wouldn’t have drafted Bo Nix where we selected him if I was paying attention to that," the Super Bowl-winning coach proclaimed.
We can only commend Payton for his mindset and approach to the widespread public criticism of him. Nonetheless, he will be susceptible to skepticism until the Broncos become a formidable foe in the AFC under his watch -- if that ever happens.
As Payton points out, the team would have steered clear of choosing Nix with their first-round pick if he factored in the opinion of cynics. Many forecasted the quarterback to be a Day 2 selection. However, he could be thrust into action sooner than anyone in Denver anticipated amid worrisome rumors involving teammate and fellow signal-caller Zach Wilson.
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