The Jets have been headline machines this offseason but apparently to the dislike of Sean Payton.
The Broncos’ head coach landed some jabs on Gang Green on all things surrounding their offseason in an interview with USA Today.
Payton shared his thoughts on the buzz generated by HBO’S Hard Knocks featured team after adding four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers to a promising young group this offseason and also had some words for their new offensive coordinator.
“It doesn’t happen often where an NFL team or organization gets embarrassed,” Payton told USA Today. “And that happened here [in Denver last season]. Part of it was their own fault, relative to spending so much f–king time trying to win the offseason — the PR, the pomp and circumstance, marching people around and all this stuff.
“We’re not doing any of that. The Jets did that this year. You watch. ‘Hard Knocks,’ all of it. I can see it coming. Remember when [former Washington owner] Dan Snyder put that Dream Team together? I was at the Giants [in 2000]. I was a young coach. I thought, ‘How are we going to compete with them? Deion [Sanders is] there now.’ That team won eight games or whatever. So, listen … just put the work in.”
The 59-year-old bashing of the Jets didn’t stop there as he had some thoughts on Rodgers’ old/new play caller.
Nathaniel Hackett was hired as the Broncos head coach last offseason before being fired 15 games into the season with a 4-11 record. Payton, who is “replacing” Hackett, said the 43-year-old was a part of “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL,” and “everything I heard about last season, we’re doing the opposite.”
Jets’ head coach Robert Saleh responded to the critical comments made by the 2010 Super Bowl-winning head coach
“I’m not going to acknowledge Sean on that He has been in the league for a while, he can say whatever the hell he wants,” Saleh told reporters Thursday. “But as far as what we have going on here, I live by the saying, ‘If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t popping.’ So hate away. Obviously, we are doing something right if you gotta talk about us, as we don’t play until Week [5] and I’m good with it. The guys in our locker room they’ve earned everything that’s coming to them. I’m really excited about what’s going on.
“I think Hackett is doing a phenomenal job here and the coaching staff is doing a phenomenal job and we’re focused on us. I get it, there’s a lot of external noise, there’s a lot of people hating on us, a lot of people looking for us to fail. There’s a lot of crows pecking at our necks. All you can do is spread your wings and keep flying high until those crows fall off and suffocate from the air and the inability to breathe.”
The Broncos will host Hackett, Rodgers and the Jets on Sunday, Oct. 8 in Week 5 of the NFL season. It’s safe to say, Payton just provided bulletin board material for Gang Green as the matchup is likely circled on their schedules.
