Sean Payton makes disappointing move after his bold comments

Feb 6, 2023; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton speaks at the UCHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Payton made a disappointing move on Friday, a day after some bold comments he delivered went viral.

Payton trashed the previous Denver Broncos coaching regime while talking up his squad in an interview that USA Today’s Jarrett Bell published on Thursday. The comments made headlines and also set the expectations high for his first season as the Broncos’ head coach.

On Friday, Payton spoke with the media and expressed regret over his comments to Bell.

“I had one of those moments where I still had my FOX hat on and not my coaching hat on,” Payton said, referencing the role he held as an NFL analyst for FOX prior to returning to coaching. “It was a learning experience for me. It was a mistake obviously. I need a little bit more filter. … I said what I said and obviously I needed a little bit more restraint, and I regret that.”

Sean Payton said he maybe still had his FOX hat on during his interview with @JarrettBell and not his coaching hat. Payton said the Broncos had a great off-season outside of that interview. He regretted it 40 minutes after the interview. pic.twitter.com/SftDtwGNnU

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 28, 2023

What’s disappointing about Payton trying to walk things back? He should have no regret and be making no apologies for what he said. What he said was the truth, and we loved every word of it.

The Broncos’ previous coaching staff was ill-prepared and put the team in a bad spot. They made Russell Wilson look like a bust. Payton is trying to instill confidence in his team going into the upcoming season. What better way to set the tone than by promising a big season? The few reasons why he probably felt he needed to apologize have to do with putting a target on his team’s back for 2023. The other issue is he made his bosses — the team’s ownership and front office — look bad by saying how poorly run the team was last year.

But as Payton said, as long as the team starts winning this season, it will be easy to overcome all those negative feelings. Just don’t tell the New York Jets.