No One Knows What Game-Day Payton Will Look Like This Year

It’s tough to find an in-game photo of Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton without his ever-present menu of plays, but this season he’s handing over the football version of the car keys to new offensive coordinator Davis Webb. 

No one knows what that’s going to look like given that a huge part of Payton’s coaching identity comes from his talent as a play caller, but Jeff Legwold of ESPN asked some relevant questions about the transition at Broncos practices this week. 

"I guess it's to be determined," said tackle Mike McGlinchey as he reportedly started to smile.  

That was apparently as far as any of the players or coaches would go on the record about this, so Legwold used an anonymous former assistant coach who’s seen the specific dynamic.  

"Look, everybody knows there's 'Game-day Sean,' that intensity in games, that's no secret," the coach said. "I'm sure [Webb] is going to see that because he's already seen it when Sean was calling plays -- we all have if you work for him. But Sean may not even know how it will go when it's two-minute, need-a-field-goal-to-win."

The coach added a joke among the assistants about how many times he and his colleagues were “fired” during games for making mistakes, and according to Legwold, “multiple players have said they try to exit the field on the opposite side of the bench area from where Payton is standing if a mistake is made.”

Webb looks a lot more under control on the sidelines, but McGlinchey said he’s not exactly mellow when the action gets heated. 

"Davis is a fiery guy, he's very competitive, he loves what he does," McGlinchey said. "I fully [expect] Davis to carry himself with a lot of intensity as he always does, but he's always controlled, he never crosses the line. Because as a playcaller you have to have your wits about you and he does. I'm excited to see the energy that he brings ... he sets a great tone."

The transition is a work in progress to date, but we really need to see it on game day to know if it’s actually going to be successful. Practices are different, as Payton himself noted in his comments. 

"Normally at practice, I'm not giving the quarterback the play," Payton said. "On game day, though, it's different. But during practice, whoever is the coordinator is in the helmet with the play, and so you observe it. I think the bigger change is as it relates to in-season."