INDIANAPOLIS — Sean Payton stepped up to the microphone and answered the biggest questions in Broncos Country.
Yes, he handed over primary responsibility of the game to newly promoted offensive coordinator Davis Webb.
Yes, Payton will still be involved. Yes, this is a big change. Yes, he wondered if his hands would feel empty after years of carrying that playsheet.
Yes, yes and yes.
Heading into Tuesday night’s press conference at the NFL Combine, those who know Payton best were split on whether they thought he would actually take action, let alone admit it directly and publicly.
But there he was, candidly after a bout of severe food poisoning, explaining why he believed Webb. He wasn’t angry or confused by the questions. It may not have been easy for the veteran coach to get to this point, but he admits that sometimes the world doesn’t go according to the schedule you want.
This was what was best for the Broncos, Payton decided. This gives Denver the best chance to win the Super Bowl.
As the dust settles and the league’s 32 teams return to their bases across the country, one major problem has been resolved.
Now, another player will dominate what will be an interesting remainder of the season for the Broncos: How much will Denver’s offense change with Webb at the helm?
There is no indication that the Broncos will make any major changes. In fact, general manager George Paton downplayed his impact.
“The scheme will remain the same,” Paton told KOA radio after his press conference Tuesday. “We’ve been with Davis for three years. It doesn’t seem like he came from another team. We know what we’re looking for as a team. Position standards, prototypes, what we’re looking for at offensive line and receiver. We kind of know. That’s not going to change much.
“There might be a change here or there, but really it was Sean’s offense. They put it together.”
Big shoes to fill
It’s possible the Broncos won’t change much, but the ins and outs between game days are at least somewhat different.
If Webb was the coordinator and lead caller, logic would suggest he would also lead the offensive game planning process. Payton will be directly involved and this part of the operation has always been collaborative, but it’s hard to imagine a head coach will dictate exactly how to structure all the personnel groupings and turnover patterns or how to run meetings or what, ultimately, the initial third-down calls are.
At the very least, Payton wanted the autonomy to make such decisions when he was an up-and-coming coach under Jim Fassel and Bill Parcells.
“I remember being in that situation,” Payton said of Webb’s new station.
Payton, of course, doesn’t always agree with his boss. Nobody does. Webb wouldn’t do either. Payton’s own rise puts him on both sides of the coin – he was once in Webb’s shoes and now he is in Parcells’ shoes.
“(Parcells) would always — he would say, ‘Why did you do that?’” Payton recalled. “I don’t care if I do the opposite, he will always challenge your thinking in a good way.”
Payton would surely do the same.
Would Webb, even in the same general scheme, want to change the pie chart? Will he want to direct the running game more toward a Shanahan-style outside zone play? Or lean on power and duo? The Broncos have struggled to run the ball this fall without JK Dobbins, of course, but they’ve also struggled to find a true identity in the Payton era.
Would Webb be free to mine it in a different place? Maybe he’ll see Marvin Mims Jr. as a major contributor rather than the 50 targets, 35% playing time he experienced in his first three years in Denver. Or maybe he wants a slightly different style of running back, wants quarterback Bo Nix to read plays in the zone more often, or wants to employ more pre-snap movement and less personnel grouping.
The mass departure would be a surprise. After all, Webb and Payton have been together for three seasons and have laid out their plans for Nix’s entry into the NFL together.
If Webb has strong feelings about who the final receiver on the roster should be or how to decide between rated tight ends in the middle rounds of the draft, what will Payton do?
To be clear, this is still Payton’s decision. That’s his team. He and Paton ran the draft and were responsible for assembling the 53-man roster and practice squad in August.
But will Payton make his usual decisions? Or will he respect Webb’s preferences?
Again, there is no reason to think that these people would have a large gulf between them on any or many issues. But there are 100s of decisions to be made in any category: Roster, scheme, structure, approach, installation and so on. The answer cannot be the same for everyone.
So, the big question is answered.
A new era in Payton’s coaching career has arrived.
Now, what will it look like?
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