Sean Payton slams narratives on Russell Wilson following $245,000,000 QB's poor show in 2022

Russell Wilson's shocking regression in his first season as a Denver Bronco was the stuff that many analysts liked to discuss very much throughout the 2022 season. There are already many articles that go in more depth about it, but new head coach Sean Payton wants the talk to end.

Speaking to The 33rd Team's Trey Wingo, he said:

"The movie script has to be right, you know. And so it requires the right actor, the right producer, and then the right script for him to excel and for us to win as a team.

"I'm not a believer that, 'oh, he hit a wall and his time has come.' I'm not in that camp."

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Russell Wilson's current coach Sean Payton reflects on "Ambush" play in Super Bowl XLIV, appearance in Kenny Chesney music video

In the same interview, Sean Payton also discussed the New Orleans Saints' stunning Super Bowl XLIV victory over Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts - more specifically, the "Ambush" onside kick that began the second half. After a scramble for the ball, the Saints gained possession and took the lead for the first time that night on the ensuing drive.

Reflecting on the play, he said:

"That came during the week of - we just felt Peyton and the Colts were playing so well. (Bill) Parcells talked about that 49ers game where they faked a punt. We're trying to steal a possession, basically. And so we started with the idea of a fake punt.

"...It was just a way to flip the script and also a way to inject confidence in your team. 'Hey, we're not just - you know, we're going to win the game. But we're going to be smart when we call it.'"

Payton was also asked about his appearance in the music video for "The Boys of Fall" by country singer Kenny Chesney. Said video opens with him delivering a speech before a group of what appear to be high school football players:

He recalled how it initially materialized:

"I get a call from (Chesney), and he actually played me the song on his bus a couple months prior to the video shoot. He said, 'Hey, if we fly into your high school, we're gonna incorporate, like, four schools, four high schools'. The one in Chicago or Naperville was my high school, and he said, 'We'll do your high school game, and we wanna shoot you talking to the team."

Payton was initially hesitant about participating in the shoot, given its timing, but ultimately he agreed:

"This is the training camp before we win the Super Bowl, it's just coincidence. We have an open date; we had a scrimmage. That evening, I flew there, and then the next morning, I woke up at the hotel, did the speech and everything, and then flew back that night."

Sean Payton's Broncos open their campaign against the Las Vegas Raiders on 11 September 2023. If Russell Wilson plays as he did in his peak years in Seattle, another Super Bowl may be in their sights.