CINCINNATI – There is no mildness to his method.
Aggression defines Sean Payton.
He craves touchdowns like Homer Simpson does Duff beer. He defended his end-of-first-half clock management against the Chargers with exclamation points. Run out the clock? No chance. He had 17 seconds to go 55 yards for a field goal. Made perfect sense to those who know him.
Payton has changed the culture and posted a winning record. Saturday represents his Santa Claus game. If he delivers this one time in December, they might as well start commissioning his pillar for the Ring of Fame.
The idea that a playoff berth hinges on the final two weeks speaks to the Broncos’ remarkable turnaround and the fragility of success. Payton needs to be in his bag Saturday. This game will be decided by offense. And Payton loves his play sheet, struggling to show patience, admitting in an ESPN interview in 2023 that “I’ll unwrap the present before Christmas.”
Everyone wants Payton to run, especially with Audric Estime emerging from hibernation. But it rarely works out that way. Payton loves passing more than the Greenbrier Resort. And when you watch some of the route concepts he draws up and turns into scores for Nate Adkins, Adam Trautman and Troy Franklin, it is easy to understand why.
Weather willing, this is a chance for Payton to clear the cache, to empty the iPad. No reason to hold back given the likelihood this will be a shutout. Payton is not Mike Shanahan. But he reminds me so much of him. Payton is creating an identity in Denver as a fearless leader who embraces the spotlight.
Saturday represents a chance for him to put his mark on the franchise. He could do it on the ground. Or, he could smirk and go to the air. Buckle up (and hope the sleigh has an airbag). Ho, ho, ho is about to become Bo, Bo, Bo.
Wishful thinking: After his classic confrontation with Steph Curry, LeBron James declared, “I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day.” Not quite. The NFL’s average audience for two games was 24.2 million. The NBA? Try 5.25 million. The NFL moving the games to Netflix so viewers could not easily switch channels was another master flex.
What Could Have Been: There were whispers last summer that the Nuggets would have considered trading Jamal Murray to the Bulls for Alex Caruso. Looking at how Murray has played and the defense Caruso brings, it’s fair to wonder if that bold stroke would have served them best. Caruso landed in Oklahoma City and signed a new four-year, $81 million contract this week.
Mail Time
Loved your article in the post regarding Nikola Jokic and the extras. But I’m surprised that it’s taken so long for anybody at The Post to state the obvious. To me, it is all about Calvin Booth. He let KCP (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) go. He let Reggie Jackson go. He drafted Christian Braun number one. All three big mistakes. In the meantime — whatever they do, they should not trade Michael Porter Jr. He is the key to winning games beyond Jokic.
John, Email
Your passion for the team is palpable, John. Calvin Booth has made mistakes — the Zeke Nnaji contract, adding Dario Saric, believing too much in young players Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther. I don’t blame him for letting Bruce Brown and KCP go. Those were ownership decisions, given the desire to avoid luxury taxes. And Reggie Jackson had reached his expiration date. As for Christian Braun, he started out simmering but has become a human Otter Pop from beyond the arc. The Nuggets already have enough poor shooters; they cannot afford for him to remain on that list. I like MPJ. He is a walking mismatch. But it sure feels like he has reached his ceiling, which is concerning for a player who rarely gets plays run for him in the final five minutes, if he is even on the floor. The Nuggets need a shakeup. Maybe it is as simple as adding a backup center. As constructed, the Nuggets are going nowhere this year.