Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton had a big complaint following his team’s Week 2 loss to the Washington Commanders, and he hinted that he may force quarterback Russell Wilson into a significant change as a result.
Payton felt that the Broncos moved too slowly at various points in the game, and that it took the team too long to break the huddle and getting plays called. He then added that if it continued, he was prepared to make Wilson wear a wristband to get plays called more quickly.
“There (were) a number of drives where we’re late with personnel, getting out of the huddle we took a while. I mean, that’s gotta change,” Payton said, via Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports. “We had to burn timeouts in the first half (and) I’m not used to doing (that). We’ve gotta be better. I’ve gotta be better. Russ has gotta be sharper with getting the play out, and then we’ve gotta look at how much we have in. But, you know, if we need to wristband it, we will.”
The talk of Wilson wearing a wristband brought back memories of one controversy that bubbled up in 2022. Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll implied that Wilson had been resistant to the idea, which prompted a pointed response from the quarterback. Wilson did eventually wear a wristband later in the 2022 season, though it failed to change Denver’s fortunes.
The Broncos did play notably slowly while in comeback mode in the fourth quarter. Considering how blunt Payton has been with Wilson, one has to figure that the quarterback will not have much of a choice in wearing a wristband if Payton decides it is necessary.
