Sean Payton Explains Broncos' Outlook on Riley Moss' Penalties

Broncos Aren't Losing Sleep

As you can see, the Broncos aren't losing sleep over Moss' penchant for the penalty. Why? Because of everything else he brings to the table for this defense, and because many of the flags have been unfair.

One thing you can't take away from Moss is that even when he gives up a play or gets penalized, it doesn't keep him down. His short memory is a necessity, as it allows him to jump right back into the fight on the next play.

Moss' big issue is how grabby he gets at the catch point, and how, in some situations, he doesn't always turn his head to look for the ball, which makes any contact with the receiver a green light for a ref to throw the flag. After that three-penalty Chiefs game, the Broncos hit their bye week, and he was willing to go to great lengths, including putting boxing gloves on his hands in practice, to start rewiring his brain away from grabbing.

“In practice, it’s going to be a big emphasis. We are going to put the boxing gloves on me, we’re going to tape them up. So there’s no chance," Moss said on November 18. "It’s a repetitive thing. People can have their opinion on it, but me, as a professional athlete, I need to be able to realize that, 'Okay, this has happened multiple times.'"

Moss has drawn 11 total flags this season, with nine of them being enforced. Nine of the flags were for pass interference, one for facemask, and one for illegal contact.

That illegal contact penalty was a doozy. It came in that closely contested Chiefs game, and it wiped a Jahdae Barron pick-six off the board.

Questionable Calls

At the same time, many of the penalties that have been called on Moss, including that illegal contact foul, have been dubious or extremely ticky-tack. It shows, though, that he has built up a reputation with the officiating crews, and he has to accept and understand that, and work backwards to re-earn the benefit of the doubt, much like Broncos' left tackle Garett Bolles did several years ago.

As Payton has said, it's hard to coach Moss up on technique when you don't agree with the flags. It's easy for Payton to say that, as he has skin in the game, but in Moss' case, it happens to be true.

"There are a few calls where we look at, and it’s tough to try to clean up or correct something if you don’t agree with it," Payton said a few weeks back.

In terms of clear, actionable points of emphasis, all the Broncos can do is try to help Moss continue to be hyper-aware of himself at the catch point, and whether through boxing gloves or some other technique, work to iron out the grabby wrinkles from his game. If he can do that, he could quickly distinguish himself as one of the NFL's best cornerbacks.

The good news is, coming out of the bye where we know he spent time working on it, Moss was not penalized in Week 13. The Las Vegas Raiders are next up on the docket, but this time around, Moss will have Patrick Surtain II on the field with him to help hold down the fort.

The Takeaway

Moss deserves a lot of credit for leading the Broncos' cornerback group for those three weeks Surtain was out, serving as the No. 1 corner for three games. In two of those games, Moss went unpenalized (Weeks 9 and 10) and didn't give up a touchdown.

Moss has started all 12 games this season, and while he's still looking for his first interception of the year (as are many Broncos), he's broken up 12 passes, notching 56 tackles (41 solo), and one tackle for a loss. He's a big-time asset to this defense, but he'll become even more valuable if he can continue to minimize the penalties.

Week 13 was a good step in the right direction.

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