Colrado’s Deion Sanders defends Sean Payton in wake of historic Broncos loss to Dolphins. What did he say?

The start to life as the Denver Broncos coach has been anything but ideal for the former New Orleans Saints tactician. Indeed, following a historic loss to the Miami Dolphins, the only thing probably stopping the lynch mob at this point is the fact that the team is about to face the beleaguered Chicago Bears.

Deion Sanders defends Sean Payton

Last Sunday, the Miami Dolphins bestowed a humbling and brutal beating upon the Denver Broncos that ended with a 70-20 score line. If you didn’t know, the Dolphins’ points haul almost equaled the NFL record for most points scored in a single NFL game which was achieved by the 1940 Chicago Bears who beat the then-Washington Redskins 73-0. The point is, head coach Sean Payton has since become the target of extensive critique and the butt of several jokes, a fact not helped by the idea that he recently criticized the job done by the man he replaced, Nathaniel Hackett, the current offensive coordinator of the New York Jets. “It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL,” Payton said at the time. Now three games into the season, it would be fair to say Payton isn’t doing any better.

This brings us to Colorado coach and Hall of Famer, Deion Sanders who came to the defense of the Super Bowl-winning coach. Speaking during a session with the media recently, Sanders was asked about personnel decisions during his team’s last game - a 42-6 mauling at the hands of the Oregon Ducks - and whether it was similar to what Payton faced in his NFL game against the Dolphins. Clearly not about that line of thinking, Sanders responded sharply. “Hey, leave my guy alone. Leave my guy alone,” Sanders said of Payton. “I love the Broncos. I love their coach, and Sean Payton’s my guy. He’s going to get it right, I promise you that. I believe in Sean Payton.”

Is Deion Sanders right about Sean Payton?

Before we get to that, it’s probably worth noting that Sanders is in fact a Broncos fan and fried of Payton’s. Already seen at a Broncos game in a luxury suite with his sons this season, Sanders has not hidden his love for the team and its coach. This is to say he may not possess the most neutral voice. On the other hand, that’s irrelevant. While it’s true that Payton is a proven winner as seen with the Saints, the reality is he’s currently coaching a team that is 0-3, has a misfiring Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the former of Russell Wilson, and has generally looked like it’s out of ideas on to how to improve. This is after Payton took the step of ripping his predecessor. Ultimately, it would be fair to say the clock is ticking in Denver, which means starting with this week’s game against the Bears, Payton and Co. will need to start getting things right.