New Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has wasted no time making his mark on this franchise.
First, he released longtime kicker Brandon McManus.
Last week, he was vocally critical of the previous coaching regime and the front office.
Payton told USA Today that his predecessors had done "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL."
He was just getting started.
Payton went on to voice his disgust at the way veteran quarterback Russell Wilson was handled.
"There's 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms. I don't know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn't just Russell. He didn't just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn't get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball."
Wilson suffered the worst season of his career last year in Denver, finishing with 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and only 3,524 yards passing.
Payton added "That was the parents who allowed it (to happen). That's not an incrimination on him, but an incrimination on the head coach, the GM, the president, and everybody else who watched it all happen."
The comments were disliked by many, including Hackett's current employer. Hackett is now the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets, whom the Broncos will face in Week 5.
Payton walked back the comments on Friday, saying that he simply "still had my FOX hat on and not my coaching hat on".
Am I the only one that feels the apology was unnecessary?
Critics may say that Payton shouldn't have taken the coaching staff and the front office to task for last season.
"You just don't say those things."
However, I have yet to hear anyone calling Sean Payton a liar.
Payton simply said what a good portion of Bronco Country has been thinking for years.
The Broncos front office has botched a number of drafts and personnel moves. Multiple coaching staffs have now failed to develop the players that they have been given.
We have all been thinking it.
Payton just said it.
And he's not wrong.
In the seven seasons since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2015, the Broncos have gone 44-70 without a single playoff appearance. They have been through eight head coaches, 12 different starting quarterbacks, and have finished dead last in the AFC West division four times.
Payton is the bad guy for telling it like it is?
I'll take the honesty.
You know who else was honest? Mike Shanahan when he told Shannon Sharpe to shape up, and when he stated that he hated the Raiders, and wanted to beat them every chance he got.
He didn't always say what people wanted to hear, and sometimes that is exactly what is needed.
Sean Payton has come to Denver, and said what we've all been saying for the past seven years.
If he upgrades this team, and actually starts winning, no one is going to remember any of these comments for long.
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