Sean Payton gives insight into what makes Broncos offseason successful

The next time we hear or see from the Denver Broncos, it’ll be for training camp. Now it’s a matter of evaluating how the Broncos did in OTAs and minicamp. There are some definite takeaways from Denver’s minicamp, but the only person whose opinion matters is Sean Payton.

When asked by the local media on Thursday what makes a successful offseason, the Broncos head coach said:

“We’re probably the only team that stays in Phase One for five weeks. So, I would say the most important thing we do is lift, change our bodies, run, condition. We’ll have plenty of time for football. There’s a reason we spend five weeks and we don’t even go near (football). I don’t want them pulling into the parking lot in April thinking they’re coming to football practice. I want them coming here knowing that they’re going to get a good workout in, good lift in. So that would be the most important thing.”

As with most things, Payton learned and took his philosophy on strength and conditioning from Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells. Given how strong, pun intended, in that area Denver has been since Payton’s and Beau Lowery’s arrival, it’s worked.

“I remember, I had the quarterbacks and receivers,” Payton said to the Denver media. “First week, they’re lifting, and I got them out on the field. Now they’d been with us four days. He walks to the door outside the practice field, and he’s just looking at me. He says, ‘If one of these receivers gets a hamstring [injury], I’m going to have another quarterback/receiver coach.’ And he was right. In other words, we don’t know at that moment where they’re at from a conditioning and strength standpoint. So, I would say that was him.”

Payton said that assignment and alignment are really important in evaluating his players without pads.

“That can keep a player from playing,” he said. “We always talk about the three ways you’re being evaluated. Does the player know what to do? Is he trying to do what’s being coached? Then lastly, how well does he do it? So, assignment, alignment, technique. Those things.”

Now that this phase of the offseason work is behind them, how does Payton feel about the Broncos compared to a year ago? Since people love comparisons, and with how successful last season was, there are expectations (and hope) that Denver can take the next step toward competing for a championship.

That’s especially true with quarterback Bo Nix going into his second year, a dominant defense, and the players the Broncos added in free agency and the NFL Draft.

“That’s hard to answer,” Payton said. “You hope that we’re further along because we played a lot of young players a year ago. Ninety-one million dead cap is two-thirds of an operating budget. So, a lot of young players got a chance to play. So, you hope quite naturally that those guys are further along.”