NEW ORLEANS — This game between the the Broncos and New Orleans got circled on the NFL calendar because of the past: Sean Payton’s past with the Saints and what he accomplished alongside quarterback Drew Brees and many others over 15 years.
As those memories and stories came rushing back over Denver’s short stay here in the Bayou, Payton felt the weight of them.
But he also reminded himself about the memories being made now.
Boy, did his Broncos put together one for the scrapbook Thursday night.
Their 33-10 drubbing of New Orleans in primetime not only got the team to 4-3 and cleansed the palette of a bitter loss to the Chargers on Sunday, but it also gave Payton the chance to step back a bit. It gave him a chance to take in the Superdome scene and appreciate not just what was before, but what is now.
His first head coaching chapter and his second.
“(I) came over here early just to kind of get started going through the game plan again,” said Payton, noting he slept in late after the short week of prep before briefly crashing Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame ceremony at a nearby hotel. “It meant a lot because there were a lot of moments here. And you get a chance to see old players that are here.”
After Denver polished off a resounding victory, he sought out some of those former players and coaching staff members and reserved particularly big hugs for long-time Saints Alvin Kamara and Cam Jordan.
Then Payton retreated to the cramped visiting locker room, where Broncos CEO Greg Penner gave Payton a game ball in the locker room.
“To be here with this team and this ownership group, it’s the reason you miss it,” said Payton, who spent one year doing television work between resigning as the Saints’ head coach after the 2021 season and getting hired by the Broncos after 2022. “The one year out, you miss relationships and you miss making memories.”
He said he told his team not to take these times for granted and used All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II’s 100-yard interception return touchdown along the Broncos’ sideline in Week 5 against Las Vegas as an example.
“There will be a day when I don’t remember his name and I’m having applesauce out of a straw, but I’ll remember that play,” Payton said. “And that part of it, being around young people and having a chance to be part of their journey and coach them, is a pretty good job.
“It was kind of emotional.”
Payton noted that in beating the Saints he’s now got wins over all 32 NFL teams.
Does that mean he’s just old?
“It means you had two jobs,” Payton quipped before a hint of sentimentality. “I’m glad I’m here.”
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