The Stakeout.

February 3, 2023 Filler

The Stake Out

The Cast

By The Fillerbuster

February 3, 2023

Sagman, Bennett, Robbins, Oppenheim and Taft…

Payton, Paton, Walton, Penner…

Law firm from Seinfeld. Leaders from the Broncos. I just wanted to pass along, from a non-Broncos fan point of view, my thoughts on this new coaching hire. Everyone thought the search was disorganized, failing, and desperate. In reality, it was secretive, on point, and successful. They were silently staking out (Seinfeld episode I am referencing is The Stakeout) the big name everyone wanted, and providing misdirection or silence while Broncos fans shuffled their feet in nervousness. Yes. There is probably a good reason why these non-football knowing, bottomless pocket owners are where they are. They had the target acquired the whole time. My thoughts on this important hire.

This will work. Well, actually, it HAS to work. If not, either Paton, Payton (my, this is going to be confusing), or Wilson will go away. My two cents on the hire…

WORK ETHIC:

Sean Payton worked at Fox after he left the Saints. The typical coach will get the job and cash in. Their name, their experience, and their expertise will get them through their daily tasks and media appearances. Sean did not do this, although he could have. Word is from inside (caught an interview with Brock Huard on The Fan) that he applied himself, worked very hard at the new gig, and earned the respect of others. True, some of his nonstop prep was also to stay in touch for his next coaching job, but that is neither here nor there.

RESPONSIBILITY:

He might look at face value as a pushover, but he is not. People who worked with or near the Saints talk about his demand for holding yourself accountable and being a good teammate. This will hit home in Denver. The conversations with Hackett and Wilson were probably about being best friends and feel free to stay distant, Russ. Build your brand, buddy. Sean will put an end to that game. If Russell had played at a high level, this idea would be different, but I would argue that if he played at a high level, the Broncos wouldn’t have just gotten a new coach, so this point would be moot. I bet you Russ has a new persona to the media, public, and teammates (and has his social media team and wife keep building his “brand”), and he probably knows that he has to right the wrongs of this past year. Not everything was Hackett obviously. To reference another Seinfeld topic, George complained about never “having hand” in his relationships. Russ had hand with Hackett. He does not with Sean.

RING:

Simple. Sean has one. No trump card can be thrown by Russ for more rings, as he is equal, and they will both unite for a second run. You can say that Sean “only won one” with a HOF QB. But, folks, it is hard to win a Super Bowl. Sean can’t go out on the field and make the plays. He had them in the position annually and very close, completing the mission once. That is enough. And much more than the past coaches.

ORGANIZATION:

I don’t think we will hear the Broncos crowd helping Sean with the play clock any time soon. Sean is locked on and in control as a coach.

BIG NAME:

The Broncos needed it, I think. You can dance around all of the up and coming coaches you want. Someone who never had a head coaching role wouldn’t have been smiled about internally or externally. The last three coaches were new head coaches. They didn’t want to make that mistake again. Three strikes and you are out is in baseball, but they needed a seasoned vet heading up this team. Or, as Walton said, a CEO of Football Operations. They got that.

DRIVE AND SITUATION:

Simple. Russ will be more driven so as to not make Pete Carroll look like a genius about trading a future HOF’er. Sean knows his QB spot is set, and will expect the best out of him too. Sean left a situation with no QB, and he wanted a job where that was not a decision.

MONEY:

The Broncos have the richest owners in football. Sure, the salary is big for a coach. But, it is mattress/couch money to them.

DRAFT PICK:

Miss Bradley Chubb, folks? Want Paton out of there? Well, him trading Chubb midseason got them the capital to get this big name. It might not have been strategic at the time for this, but let’s just smile and move on. And Paton can keep his job for another year.

FIXING:

We will never know if Drew Brees would have become a HOF’er with the Chargers if they kept him. But, they didn’t. And they let him go. And what happened? Some guy named Sean Payton might have fixed him and propelled him to stardom. True, Russ is later in his career, but the point holds water and there should be hope in Denver.

COMMUNITY:

Sean Payton, when he won that Super Bowl in New Orleans post-Katrina, literally put that city on his back. He came across as caring to the community, and it made the victory that much more special. He understood his role in a non-football town (they were perennial losers, as we know before him). He sure as heck will understand his role in a football town. He will be a god here…until he loses a few games in a row. But, I don’t think he will.

DESTINATION:

Draft picks, free agents, and players thinking they have wanted to leave are now wanting to be here. That is special. The Broncos seemed clueless in the search, but they were fooling us. Denver IS a destination.

THE STORY:

People are excited about Deion for very good reason. He changed the paradigm of the Buffaloes football team. Now, the Broncos weren’t quite THAT bad, and Sean might not be as cool as Prime, but he will keep the excitement with the Broncos.

CONCLUSION:

Feel sad about the draft capital, but spin it to the “title window.” Feel sad about last year, but know it can’t get any worse. Feel sad about the team’s ridiculous losing run over the past years, but droughts have endings. Feel sad about the division, but know you now have the ammunition. Feel sad about last year’s offense, but feel happy that the defense is still top tier.

Payton, Paton, Walton, Penner. Sagman, Bennett, Robbins, Oppenheim and Taft. The owners staked out the coach and got the date. Let’s hope that Payton lasts longer than all of Jerry’s girlfriends.

So, I put myself on a time limit when I write these things so as not to take hours and hours away from my dogs and wife. In closing, I could probably end this in various ways, but will just simply say…Broncos Country…Let’s Ride…uuhhhhhh…Again.

Dad Joke: Why didn’t fans know about the Payton talks? Because they put up a Wal-Mark.

Here is the summary of that Seinfeld episode for you weird people who aren’t addicts. Jerry Stakes Out A Law Firm To Try And Meet A Girl | The Stake Out | Seinfeld – Bing video