An 18-point lead and last-second Hail Mary touchdown couldn't propel the Broncos over the Commanders on Sunday. Now, coach Sean Payton is gearing up to make changes in how his offense operates. Addressing reporters after Week 2's loss, he bemoaned Denver's slow communication and suggested quarterback Russell Wilson could soon be required to wear a wristband for play calls.
"Gosh," Payton said when asked about late-game sluggishness. "It was more than just one drive. There (were) a number of drives where we're late with personnel, getting out of the huddle we took a while. I mean, that's gotta change. We had to burn timeouts in the first half (and) I'm not used to doing (that). We've gotta be better. I've gotta be better. Russ has gotta be sharper with getting the play out, and then we've gotta look at how much we have in. But, you know, if we need to wristband it, we will."
Payton's final remark is perhaps the most notable, considering Wilson's history -- or lack thereof -- with a wristband.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made a special emphasis of the wristband, which can be used to more quickly relay calls from the sideline, when discussing Geno Smith's surprise 2022 emergence. In the process, he appeared to take a subtle jab at Wilson, who spent a decade in Seattle but apparently preferred to retain more say in the play-calling process.
"If you notice, Geno's going off the wristband," Carroll said last November, "and that's a big help. It's smoothed things out, sped things up, cleaned things up. ... We never did that before. There was resistance to that, so we didn't do that before."
Wilson later downplayed the apparent dig, telling reporters he "won a lot of games there without one on my wrist." But his debut as the Broncos' QB, finally split from the Seahawks offense, resulted in the worst season of his NFL career.
Wilson was much more productive for Denver on Sunday, throwing three touchdowns and finding Marvin Mims Jr. for several deep shots. But once again, he and the Broncos stalled for much of the second half, resulting in an 0-2 start for Payton. It remains to be seen if and when Payton will actually implement a change in the offensive communication. Denver's next matchup comes Sunday against the Dolphins, who are 2-0 after edging the Patriots in prime time.
