When Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was building his coaching staff this offseason, some fans and pundits were perplexed by how long the process dragged on.
Payton explained in February that he has a philosophy of being slow to hire and quick to fire. We know the first part is true, but the second part of Payton’s stance hasn’t come true in Denver yet.
Buy Broncos TicketsThe Broncos are not firing defensive coordinator Vance Joseph despite his unit allowing 70 points to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.
Payton was clearly frustrated with the defense after Sunday’s loss — just like he was in Week 2 — but he’s not giving up on Joseph.
“Listen, we knew we were playing a really good offense,” Payton said after Sunday’s game. “But we’ve got to look closely at what we were doing. When someone runs the ball up and down the field like those guys did, throw it up and down the field, it’s not acceptable. We can’t — well, we just got to get to the tape. Next question.”
Payton has preached accountability and establishing a winning mentality since arriving in Denver, but so far, there have been no consequences for the defense’s underwhelming performances. Payton was slow to hire, but he hasn’t been quick to fire, and that could end up burning him in the end.
