Sean Payton to use preseason to shift Broncos culture after disastrous season

It's clear head coach Sean Payton will continue to address the Denver Broncos' culture during the preseason that begins for the club with a road game at the Arizona Cardinals this Friday night. 

"[You] want to see guys who are playing full speed, they know what to do and you are able to evaluate them versus a different scheme," Payton explained about his approach to upcoming exhibition contests, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "We’ve been seeing the same offense or defense, so now we get to see a different opponent. Hopefully, mental errors are reduced. It’s a game always with mistakes, so I keep talking to them about getting onto the next play. That’s important." 

The Broncos hired then-Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their head coach in January 2022 and subsequently landed star quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in March of that year. Wilson largely failed to impress on the field and (allegedly) behind the scenes, and Denver dismissed Hackett in late December when he held a record of 4-11. 

The franchise then turned to Payton this offseason, and the 59-year-old who spent the last campaign working as an NFL analyst for Fox generated headlines this summer via controversial comments he offered about Hackett and the 2022 Broncos. Despite that potential distraction, Denver linebacker Josey Jewell recently noted how Payton has already improved the club's culture. 

On Monday, Payton referenced a well-known television show from the 1960s while expanding on his expectations starting with Friday's matchup at State Farm Stadium.

"It’s probably just as easy to answer the question as to what I don’t want to see," Payton continued. "I don’t want to see 10 guys on the field. I don’t want to see uniforms off after we’re done playing [with] sunglasses on and Gilligan hats on and interviews during the game. That’s what I don’t want to see, but we will communicate all of that." 

Payton plans to play Wilson and other starters against Arizona, perhaps to send yet another message about the team's new identity after a season most associated with that edition of the Broncos would prefer to forget.