Sean Payton recently made some bold statements about a former Green Bay Packers coach. Payton, who is in his first season as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, was not impressed with the shape of the team his predecessor left it in.
Nathaniel Hackett, who excelled as the Packers’ offensive coordinator, was hired by the Broncos last season in the hopes he could lure Aaron Rodgers to Denver. Instead, the Broncos traded for Russell Wilson. Hackett lasted 15 games before he was fired, and the Broncos finished with a 5-12 record.
Sean Payton slams former Green Bay Packers OC
Hackett was heavily criticized for his in-game decision-making last season. Payton, who is overhauling the organization this year, suggested in an interview with Jarrett Bell with USA Today that Hackett’s incompetence reached far beyond Sunday football games. Payton said Hackett’s performance might have been the “worst coaching” job in NFL history and that his staff allowed a culture to takeover that hurt Wilson’s performance:
“Oh, man,” Payton began. “There’s so much dirt around that. There’s 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms. The offense. I don’t know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn’t just Russell. He didn’t just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn’t get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball.”
One can’t really argue with Payton’s point about Hackett last season. He looked overwhelmed in his first season as a head coach. Hackett wasn’t ready for that job yet.
Nathaniel Hackett is a good offensive coordinator
Larry Radloff (Icon Sportswire from Getty Images)
Hackett might not be head coaching material. But he is a good offensive coordinator. It’s clear Aaron Rodgers respects his judgment as the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets.
Hackett proved he could be a good offensive coach without Rodgers. He helped lead the Jacksonville Jaguars, with quarterback Blake Bortles, to the AFC Championship Game for the 2017 season.
Unfortunately, Hackett fell on his face last season. He became a national punching bag early in the season, primarily after much of the media focused on the Broncos after the Wilson trade.
Now it’s up to Payton to change the culture in Denver after Hackett wrecked it. Payton thinks the Broncos can be a playoff team this year. But we’ll see if he also took the wrong bet on Wilson.
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