Has Sean Payton Been Outpaced by NFL This Season?

After two weeks, the Denver Broncos’ offense looks old and boring. Sean Payton is one of the most well-respected coaches in the game’s history, but there are looming questions surrounding him and his team.

Sean Payton and Masterminds get Mastered

The Denver Broncos organization has seen the glory of Super Bowl champions with Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and John Elway both leaving the game with a Lombardi trophy in their back pocket. The Broncos have also seen what it looks like to have a coach who can scheme and prepare unlike any other. Former head coach Mike Shanahan was light years ahead of his peers as he stared down the sidelines for 13 years.

Shanahan won back-to-back Super Bowls and earned the right to be called the Mastermind.  For as innovative and dominant as the offensive system Shanahan created was, in the end, it wasn’t good enough. He was removed from his saddle in Denver, and he never again experienced the same level of success as he did with Denver.  The NFL caught up with Shanahan and mastered his scheme.

NFL Has Had Lot of Offense-Led Minds

The NFL landscape is littered with innovative coaches who have seen their days come and go. Although he never won a Super Bowl, Don Coryell and his system, “Air Coryell,” were a dominant force for years. Bill Walsh, the father of the West Coast Offense, won multiple Super Bowls but in the end, retirement tackled the icon. With every retirement and release, there is an opportunity for new coaches to make their mark on the league.

Although not young, Andy Reid has redefined the meaning of what it means to play offense in the NFL. He has Patrick Mahomes, the best player in the league, at his disposal. But Reid certainly has found a way to use motion and diversion to confuse and destroy opposing defenses. He is not the only coach, however, who is making his mark on the game today.

Shanahan, in San Francisco, has picked up the scheme from his father (the aforementioned Mike Shanahan) and built upon the family legacy to create his own version of what a dominant offense looks like. Sean McVay in Los Angeles, Mike McDaniel in Miami, and others are stamping their names into NFL history as well.

Payton Has Something to Play For Now

Sean Payton has something to play for this week. He and the Broncos are not only playing for a victory in Tampa Bay and to turn their season around, but they may also be playing for Payton’s legacy. The question that surrounds Payton and the Broncos is ultimately, can he mold a rookie quarterback into the franchise player the Broncos need? Or has the NFL, like it has time and time again, simply and unceremoniously passed up the brilliance of Payton?

There is a season on the line and there is a legacy on the line. Week 3 will not be the ultimate factor in determining a season or a legacy, but it will go a long way in telling the story of Payton and the Denver Broncos.