Sean Payton Uses Bills Logo To Motivate Last Place Broncos During Week Of Practice
Sean Payton has found a surefire strategy for his Denver Broncos to beat the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.
No, he didn't acquire a whole new roster or send Tonya Harding to bash Josh Allen in the kneecaps. But he did have a Bills logo painted on the Broncos' practice field!
"I've done that for years," Payton told reporters on Saturday. "It was always to acclimate our players. We used to do it all the time in New Orleans. Our equipment guys had it down pat. It's all computer generated. If I could have made it 48 degrees with a 10 mile an hour wind, I would've done that, too."
Yes, that is the exact weather forecast for kickoff Monday night.
Jokes aside, it's actually pretty common practice for coaches to use an opponents' logo to motivate their players. During Training Camp, the New York Jets taped their division rivals' logos on their tackling dummies.
"It's nothing to do with the opponent, it's more of us just getting in the mindset. This is the logo, and we're on the field trying to simulate. We started doing that," Payton said.
"When you start building something, everyone wants to help. ... A lot of it has to do with just getting prepared to play on the road. You'll see it the rest of the time I'm here, and any time we're playing an away game. Then we don't have to answer any more questions. It'll just be the logo."
If the strategy works and Denver gets the win Monday, Payton might regret not doing it sooner with the Broncos — who are 3-5 and last place in the AFC West.
"I hadn't gotten to it yet," Payton said.
For Sean Payton, It's All In The Details
In addition to featuring the Bills logo on the practice field, Payton also blasted the Monday Night Football theme song during warmups.
"Every detail matters. If every detail matters on the field, then every detail matters around the field, in the facility, in the locker room, in the parking lot," Payton said. "You just become maniacal with preparation. Every once in a while, someone has a good idea, and we'll just add it."
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Apparently that maniacal preparation also includes memorizing the complete history of the opponent's stadium.
"If I could put us 50 feet below sea level because that stadium in Buffalo is 50 feet below sea level—1972, 30 million dollars, it's been named four different times—I'd do it," Payton said.
Calm down, Encyclopedia Brown.
Maybe the Super Bowl XLIV champ does this for every game. Or maybe Monday night is just special.
"I'm 59," Payton said. "Monday Night Football wasn't only the game you got to see, but as a kid, your parents wouldn't let you stay up for the second half unless, you know, I had to take a nap.
"The other thing is, it was the only time we all saw highlights. We didn't really have a grasp as to the other games until you had that two-minute highlight at halftime. I can remember being able to stay up for the halftime highlights and then having to go to bed. Monday Night Football. That was huge."
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
On paper, Monday night's matchup doesn't seem like a game worth staying up late for. The defending AFC East champs are 7-point favorites to beat the lowly Broncos.
But anything can happen. After all, Denver is coming off a shocking win over the Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo is attempting to rebound from a disappointing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Better start blasting that theme song, Sean McDermott! Lest you be woefully unprepared.
Follow Amber on X at @TheAmberHarding or email her at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.