INDIANAPOLIS – In another time and place, you could have bet your bottom dollar that there’s no way Sean Payton would willingly give up calling the plays.
Not him. Payton has for a long time been one of the NFL’s sharpest minds when it comes to designing and running an offense. A former quarterback, he was made for the challenge of drawing up some scheme and then springing it to life at the perfect time – like Bill Walsh, Mike Shanahan or Mike Holmgren used to do – and absolutely loved it.
Advertisement
It seemed like a lifeline for Payton.
Yet as the Denver Broncos coach explained his decision to turn over the play-calling to rising coaching star Davis Webb during his media session at the NFL combine this week – the most shocking news to emerge as powerbrokers gather to formulate the league’s epicenter in the ramp-up to the draft and free agency – it was apparent that this is clearly a different time and place in the arc of Payton’s journey.
Someone asked why and Payton didn’t stutter. He didn’t dismiss the influence of wanting to ensure that Webb remains on his staff. At least for now.
“You have coaches that you definitely want to retain,” Payton said, mindful of the interest in Webb on an NFL landscape that, fair or not, continues to favor young, offensive-minded coaches. “It’s never going to be quite on your timeline.”
Advertisement
The more he talked about Webb, a 31-year-old former quarterback with a lot of swag, the more he sounded like he was describing a younger version of himself.
1 / 4
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa’s effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
1 / 4
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown…
..
[ad_2]