It's safe to say that Sean Payton's brief tenure with the Denver Broncos hasn't gone according to plan. Despite talking a big game about his predecessor's failings and immediately trying to place his stamp on the organization, the head coach has only overseen three regular-season wins since arriving in Colorado.
That reality, though, won't stop him from pulling out all of the stops ahead of a Monday Night Football meeting with the Buffalo Bills.
With a tricky trip to Western New York in the cards, the bench boss apparently took his preparation to a "maniacal" level. What does that actually entail? If we take Payton at his word, there was a Bills logo and some specific theme music involved.
Let's break it down.
Payton Has Broken Out the Bells and Whistles
Over the grind that is a professional sports season, head coaches occasionally need to spice things up. Payton's pre-Buffalo prep is a perfect example.
Before flying to New York state, the Broncos practiced on a field adorned with the Bills logo. That may sound silly—how much can some paint on the turf really matter? Payton insisted that it's a regular part of his playbook.
"I've done that for years," the head coach explained, according to Pro Football Talk. "It was always to acclimate our players. We used to do it all the time in New Orleans. Our equipment guys had it down pat. It's all computer generated. If I could have made it 48 degrees with a 10-mph wind, I would've done that, too. ... [W]e're going on the road. We've done that forever. In New Orleans, I don't think I've ever [been] asked by [media]—not once. You guys are on top of it."
But, according to the coach, the logo doesn't have anything to do with the Bills themselves. Instead, it's about getting mentally prepared for a big game.
"It's nothing to do with the opponent, it's more of us just getting in the mindset. This is the logo, and we're on the field trying to simulate," Payton continued. "We started doing that. When you start building something, everyone wants to help. ... A lot of it has to do with just getting prepared to play on the road. You'll see it the rest of the time I'm here, and any time we're playing an away game. Then we don't have to answer any more questions. It'll just be the logo."
But, in this case, there's more to the preparation than just a logo. Pro Football Talk also noted that the coach was playing the Monday Night Football theme music during pre-practice warmups.
Will the players actually hear that iconic tune? Probably not, since they'll be in the stadium. But everything is fair game in the name of preparation.
"If I could put us 50 feet below sea level because that stadium in Buffalo is 50 feet below sea level—1972, 30 million dollars, it's been named four different times—I'd do it," Payton added. "Every detail matters. If every detail matters on the field, then every detail matters around the field, in the facility, in the locker room, in the parking lot. You just become maniacal with preparation. Every once in a while, someone has a good idea, and we'll just add it."
Payton Has Something to Prove in Buffalo
As mentioned above, this isn't the first time Denver's head coach broke out some unique ideas. During the preseason, Payton not only criticized his predecessor, Nathaniel Hackett, but instituted some rules about what his players could wear.
Those efforts, however, didn't pay off. After a 1-2 preseason, the club started out 2-4; if anything, Payton ended up with egg on his face.
But now, things are (slightly) different. The Broncos don't look like world-beaters, but they won back-to-back games against the Packers and Chiefs before the bye week.
A trip to Buffalo is a tough test, but the Bills haven't dominated the competition this season. And, after limiting the defending Super Bowl champs to nine points, Denver shouldn't fear any opposition.
To be clear, this single result probably doesn't mean much for the Broncos; even a victory would only elevate the club's chances of postseason qualification to around 10 percent. With that being said, though, the AFC West club's performance could speak to Payton's grasp of the locker room.
Denver is, again, coming off both a confidence-boosting win and a bye to play a nationally televised game. If the head coach can't get a big performance in those circumstances, that doesn't bode well for his chances of turning the club around. By that same token, though, a strong outing could suggest that Payton has finally gotten things moving in the right direction.
At this point, we'll just have to wait and see how things play out. If nothing else, though, the Broncos should be prepared for what they'll (literally) see on the field Monday night.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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