Payton Issues Veiled Threat to Broncos Offensive Players

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton issued a subtle but cryptic warning to his offensive players following Sunday’s 33-32 comeback victory over the New York Giants.

Step up or get sat down.

“I think you start with who,” Payton told reporters Monday when asked about evaluating the offense. “Who is it we’re asking to do certain things from a personnel standpoint? There may be some guys [whose] playing time goes up and some might begin to diminish. You look closely at the personnel, then you look at the scheme and does it fit us? There’s a lot to that question, but it’s a good question.”

Payton failed to name the players apparently in danger of having their snaps reduced. But he did rue several breakdowns — including on defense — against the Giants, in which Denver committed 12 penalties, surrendered nearly 400 yards, and converted only four-of-13 third down opportunities.

Not to mention taking a 19-0 deficit into the fourth quarter.

“Well players haven’t been in yet. When they come in, we’ll have a chance to go through the tape,” Payton said Monday. “We gave up five or six third-and-10 or fourth-and-long conversions defensively. That’s nuts. Offensively, we really didn’t amount to anything until we got into the end of the game, fourth quarter. Mental errors, mistakes, snaps, wrong reads, you name it. I thought we were better in the kicking game. We’ll have a chance to watch that tape with them, and kind of go through the whole game and then go from there.”