Denver, CO
Kiszla: Coach Sean Payton is now on the clock in Broncos Country, where we’re all out of patience for losing
Sean Payton, we don’t give a hoot if you were the toast of Bourbon Street. In Broncos Country, you’re officially on the clock. Win, or else we’ve got a hot seat waiting with your name on it.
“The main message for Broncos Country that I would have is we’re just as impatient as you are to win here,” franchise owner and CEO Greg Penner said Tuesday. “We understand that we have a lot of work to do.”
While preparations for the Super Bowl tournament began in earnest from Miami to San Francisco, the Broncos management team fitted another season with a toe tag during a meeting with media members. Two days after their season came to an end, they talked mealy out of both sides of their mouths about how the relationship with quarterback Russell Wilson was irrevocably and awkwardly broken over money after the biggest victory of the season.
If the Broncos flushed Wilson and beaucoup bucks after only 30 starts in a Denver uniform and “Huggy Bear” Hackett was tossed into an orange-and-blue dumpster after going 4-11, how long does prickly Payton get to prove that his let-’em-eat-cake approach wins football games?
What did Payton establish during his first season in Denver?
No. 1: He is indeed a better coach than a man he labeled one of the worst head coaches in NFL history.
And No. 2: He despises the way Wilson plays quarterback so much he would rather have no viable NFL starter than Wilson.
But has Payton really built anything resembling a foundation for winning football with the Broncos, especially on the offensive side of the operation, where his expertise is supposed to shine brighter than the Colorado sun?
“I don’t know if you’d say, ‘Laid the foundation,’” said Payton, who admitted these Broncos were stuck in the muck of parity in the middle of the NFL, citing the fact his team couldn’t win a single game this season if it failed to win the turnover battle.
“Were we as good as we expected or wanted to be offensively this year? Absolutely not … (It’s a) heavy-duty work in progress. I would say we’re not building on that foundation yet. We’re still putting the friggin’ pilings in, based on what I saw.”
But rather than addressing the attributes Payton needs in his next signal-caller, the Broncos are still playing the silly charade that the volcanic rift between this team and Wilson could heal, claiming the door’s open to his return, even though we can all see the police tape strung across the entrance for a dead QB walking.
Know what’s worse than the game mismanagement in the Christmas Eve loss to the Patriots that left a pit in the stomach of Penner and everyone in Broncos Country?
When Payton should’ve sat down with Wilson after a stirring victory against Kansas City and told him man-to-man that he couldn’t work with him, the coach left it to minion George Paton to unsuccessfully bluff the veteran quarterback’s agent into contract concessions with what was perceived as a threat to bench a Super Bowl champion for financial reasons.
So now there’s a matter of a messy divorce with Wilson before the Broncos can really get down to the serious business of ending an eight-year playoff drought.
“I felt like we had a chance, and this team had a chance to get into the postseason,” Payton said. “I feel that same way now. I’m disappointed because of that.”
I’m not so certain, however, Payton has fully grasped we’re so sick and tired of losing NFL games around here that the Emperor of Bourbon Street has no clothes in Broncos Country, especially when he now backs off a bodacious preseason vow to be ticked off if this team failed to make the playoffs.
Starting to feel the heat, Payton proved there might be a heart somewhere beneath his prickly exterior by sending a holiday treat to the media wretches who cover the Broncos: Five quarts of Jenni’s ice cream, with gourmet flavors ranging from Brambleberry Crisp to Salty Caramel.
My gift was packed in a big orange box with dry ice and specific instructions to open immediately because there was ice cream inside. Unfortunately, it arrived Saturday, after I had already departed for Las Vegas, where the Broncos barely put up a fight in a 27-14 defeat to the Raiders.
When can ice cream be a metaphor for another football season that was a crying shame in Denver?
Payton made a brilliant play call.
But his yummy ice cream turned to lukewarm soup, going rotten on the stoop, the result of either poor execution, operational issues, or both.
Me? I blame the quarterback.
Penner said he expects the team to win more games next season.
Hey, we’re all fresh out of patience.
The Broncos don’t need to pay Payton $18 million per year to miss the playoffs.
Fangio, Hackett or any bum off the street could do the same for a fraction of the cost.
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Denver, CO
Packers monitoring their backfield entering key game in Denver
True to form, Jacobs pushed to practice but said team doctors told him to chill and be smart about it. The goal is to reduce the inflammation as much as possible to increase his chances of playing.
In his pre-practice news conference on Thursday, Head Coach Matt LaFleur praised Jacobs for “doing everything in his power to get ready to go.” From his perspective, Jacobs said he feels more relief than frustration.
“I’ve been in this league a long time, and it’s not too much that really gets me discouraged or anything like that,” Jacobs said.
“We still know what’s ahead of us. Now, if we were having this going into the playoffs, it would be a little weird, but at that point I wouldn’t care because it’s either do or don’t. But for me, I know my body, there’s nothing structurally wrong, so I don’t feel like it’s something I have to overly think about.”
If Jacobs can’t go Sunday, Wilson would be in line to make his second NFL start against the team with whom he broke into the league back in 2023.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of NCAA Division II Fort Valley State (Ga.), Wilson spent just three days with the Broncos before he was released. Ten days later, he signed with the Packers and later made the team’s 53-man roster.
The 5-foot-10, 226-pound Wilson has since rushed for 938 yards and seven touchdowns on 205 carries (4.6 yards per carry) in 37 games, highlighted by a gratifying career day against Minnesota a few weeks ago.
“I still got that mentality to go out there and do it again,” Wilson said. “If (Jacobs) is going, he’s going. If I get my opportunity once again, I’m going to take advantage of it.”
Whoever starts against Denver understands the challenge its defense presents. In addition to the Broncos pacing the NFL with 55 sacks, they also boast a No. 2-ranked run defense that’s allowing just 89.0 yards per game.
Denver hasn’t allowed a running back to gain more than 100 yards since Jonathan Taylor’s 165-yard effort powered Indianapolis to a 29-28 victory in Week 2.
As much as Jacobs enjoys practicing, he doesn’t feel it’s a requirement in order for him to play in Denver. It all comes down to how his body is feeling and whether the team doctors give him the green light on Sunday afternoon.
“I always plan to play,” Jacobs said. “They gotta kinda tell me I can’t play for me not to play. For me, that’s where my head is at, but I’m also realistically just day-to-day right now.”
Denver, CO
Game Thread: Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings. December 11th, 2025. – Denver Stiffs
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Denver, CO
Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/11-12/14 – 303 Magazine
Where: Fight Club – 1959 16th St Mall Denver
Cost: Price varies
The Lowdown:
Guests have the option of $39 bottomless flatbreads, which includes the price of their oche reservation for Social Darts®. The bottomless flatbread menu features Smoked Salmon Flatbread, Four Cheese Flatbread, Breakfast Flatbread, or Garden Vegetable Flatbread. Guests can also order off the á la carte menu, which includes a fresh-cut fruit plate, breakfast sliders,, avocado toast, and Flight Club’s famous churros.
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