The Denver Broncos have not had the season that fans may have envisioned when the organization brought in veteran head coach Sean Payton. Despite the struggles, Payton seems optimistic that they can turn things around by the end of the season.
Payton has a track record of success, most famously winning the Super Bowl in 2010 when he was the coach of the New Orleans Saints. He doesn’t have much experience coaching a team struggling this much. But it seems like he is taking some notes from one of his former assistant coaches as he tries to turn the Broncos team around.
Current Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell coached under Payton from 2016 to 2020. He is now experiencing a ton of success with the Lions, but he also didn’t have too much success to begin his tenure in Detroit.
The Lions struggled out of the gate in their first season with Campbell at the helm last season, starting the year with a 1-6 record. However, they were able to turn around their season, just missing out on the postseason with a 9-8 record.
Payton spoke candidly about the Broncos’ struggles this year, where he detailed that he believes that they can turn things around like the Lions did under Campbell last season.
“There’s a fine line here between a groove and a rut,” Payton said via Pro Football Talk. “You take a look, and I’ll give you an example — Detroit. A year ago, I watched it as a media member, covering a handful of tough losses. They were 1-6. I know Dan [Campbell] well, and you keep fighting. There’s a grit element involved. Some mental toughness that’s involved. Pretty soon, here they are at the end of the season. They were eliminated, but they were in contention. Here they are now as one of those teams. We’re kind of in that position. We’re bowing up, and we have to.”
Only time will tell whether Payton and the Broncos can turn things around. But it is very clear that Payton has not given up on this team just yet.