The Denver Broncos made a lot of coaching changes last week, and the clear winner in the shuffle is new offensive coordinator Davis Webb. Give credit to head coach Sean Payton for recognizing that Webb was getting enough interest to leave, and while the way Payton made changes was ugly, he was able to keep Webb in the fold.
The conversation surrounding Webb now is about whether he’ll be allowed to call plays for the offense he’s supposedly been running. This is always an intriguing transition when experienced coaches finally give up the menu and hand it over to a subordinate, and it’s especially noteworthy given Payton’s near-maniacal attachment to this task.
So how will Webb’s play-calling be different? The best way to answer this question might be to look at Payton’s best and worst tendencies as a play-caller, then consider changes that might be beneficial.
Three words come to mind when describing Payton’s best traits in this area: brilliant, stubborn and quirky. The brilliant part is obvious. This is a coach who once won a Super Bowl by calling for a surprise onside kick after halftime, and that’s a call that encompasses both brilliant and quirky.
Opponents always had to be ready for that quick strike play that came from out of nowhere, and the latest example of this was the 52-yard throw from backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham to receiver Marvin Mims Jr. early in the AFC championship game, and it feels like it would be almost impossible to ask Webb to replicate that level of surprise initially.
But Payton could also be stubborn beyond reason. That trait surfaced down the stretch as the Broncos offense struggled, and a lot of those struggles happened because Payton insisted on running the ball without a lead back who could carry the load. RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin were simply too small to run the ball between the tackles, and Payton’s refusal to change but the Broncos in some tough spots.
Look for Webb to focus on the basics with this sort of thing. Hopefully Denver will go out and get at least one big back with the experience to run between the tackles effectively, which would allow the Broncos to take advantage of the road graders they have up front in their offensive line. This might be the best example of a change Webb could make by adapting their play calling to the actual talent on the field, rather than make backs like Harvey and McLaughlin do things they’re not equipped to handle.