Sometimes Sean Payton is willing to give a message to a player that comes with a little honey
Other times there’s no room for sweetener.
“We’ll never take the stinger out of them being confident,” Payton said recently. “… Players by and large want to know how they can improve.They want that information, and itap our responsibility as a coach to give it to them.
“Sometimes the message is with a little sugar and sometimes, itap just what it is.”
Broncos fans want information, too, and insight into the team they root for. As reporters get to know Payton and ask him in some way, shape or form about nearly every player on the roster over the course of the offseason, patterns start to develop.
Everybody has their own way of describing things. Of saying things without saying them. Or maybe of saying the thing very bluntly.
Payton’s no different, and his words can guide some level of understanding about how he views certain players and positions as mid-August approaches.
Payton saying “this is an important camp” for wide receiver Kendall Hinton means he’s still very much in prove-it mode. Is he going to separate himself in a crowded group of pass-catchers?
The head coach said nearly the exact same thing of second-year outside linebacker Nik Bonitto: “This will be a big training camp for him.”
Bonitto, a second-round pick in 2022, is a surer bet to make the roster, but he, too, has much to prove after modest production and too much inconsistency during his rookie year.
If Payton says there’s a “clear vision” for a player, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s made the team or is going to play 60 snaps a game, but it does mean the staff has figured out exactly how it would use him should he make the team – a key ingredient for a head coach who prioritizes roles.
Over the past week, Payton has unveiled another turn of phrase that is perhaps his most complimentary yet.
It wasn’t lavished on quarterback Russell Wilson, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, defensive lineman Zach Allen or cornerback Pat Surtain II.
In old school offensive football coach style, Payton applied his own subtle form of praise on fullback Michael Burton and tight end Chris Manhertz on separate occasions.
Consider the following answers to questions from The Post about each players:
On Manhertz’s role: “You can have a lot of things going for you relative to running the football, but you end up playing jumbo tackles, maybe, if you don’t have a blocking tight end. He just does a lot of those things well. You know exactly what you’re getting from him which allows you to gameplan easier on Wednesday and Thursday nights.”
On Burton’s versatility: “It doesn’t really affect your play-calling flexibility, but it probably affects your play design flexibility a little bit. I’ve been with ‘Burt’ before. He’s smart. You know exactly what you’re getting on Wednesday night. You’ve heard me say that, and thatap a really good trait.”
The Broncos doled out more than $255 million in total contract value via free agency this offseason. They guaranteed more than $145 million, of which $81 million is allocated to right tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Ben Powers alone. They’re obviously central to Payton’s offensive plan, too.
But training camp has made clear how much the first-year head coach is relying on Burton and Manhertz – who have a combined $4.4 million guaranteed, – to implement his offensive vision.
You don’t have to witness a day like Tuesday, when Burton hauled in a half-dozen passes, or Aug. 4, when second-year tight end Greg Dulcich said he and the other young players come out to practice early because Manhertz does.
You just have to listen to Payton.
Itap hard to do better than making his Wednesday and Thursday nights a little easier.
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