For detail-obsessed Sean Payton, abnormal Broncos training camp has been a challenge

Corey Masisak, The Denver Post on Aug 12, 2025

Published in Football

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DENVER — Sean Payton is a noted stickler for details, even beyond the normal standards of an obsessive group like professional football coaches.

That has made this Broncos training camp a different kind of challenge for Denver’s head coach. The Broncos went to the Bay Area last week for a joint practice and preseason game with the San Francisco 49ers. They are hosting the Arizona Cardinals for a joint practice and exhibition contest this week.

It’s a curveball for Payton and his staff.

“This is the first time for me and for us (with) back-to-back joint practices,” Payton said. “When you have a joint practice, you lose a day. The day before, you have to be smart. When you get the calendar at the start of preseason and you lay it out, you see where your games are and when you add a joint practice, it’s a little different the day before and the day (after). So when you have two of them, it can maybe cut into your installation and your normal camp routine.

“This is the first time for us doing two. We’ll see if we ever do it again.”

That didn’t sound like a resounding endorsement. The team’s experiences while in the Bay Area might not have helped, either.

While the Broncos did win the exhibition game, 30-9, against the 49ers, Payton said he had written down 14 things that he was “pissed off about.” He was asked to expand on that comment after practice Tuesday.

“When you take your first road trip and you’re seeing it through my eyes, there’s certain notes you make,” Payton said. “It could be (on the) sidelines. It could be at the hotel. It could be 2 a.m. there’s a music festival outside the hotel. It could be the travel. It could be a number of things that you want to clean up, but I’m not going to go through all 14 of them. There was probably 17 by the time I got home.

“All of them can be cleaned up and easily corrected. They weren’t necessarily game-related. It’s just that when you do that, and you haven’t done it in a while and you’re doing it with a new group of people, a lot of interns — you can’t assume anything.”

While it might say San Francisco on the schedule, the 49ers play in Santa Clara, which is just a few minutes north of downtown San Jose. The Broncos stayed at a hotel just off Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the centerpiece park downtown, and ended up adjacent to San Jose Jazz Summer Fest.

Payton also mentioned the team’s plane had issues when the Broncos were trying to fly home after the game. That played a role in adjusting the schedule for this week, giving the players an unplanned day off Monday.

Add in the extra joint practice, and this is a very atypical week for a coach who loves routine and repetition and seeks perfection in the smallest of areas. Payton noted that he may not keep the starters in for as long as he normally would in a second preseason game.

While the coaches do not love the disruption, it might be a slightly different view for the players.

“Just looking to get a step better,” said Pat Surtain II, who will line up across from Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. during the joint practice. “It’s always good to go up against a new opponent, especially in a practice setting. You can try different stuff, try new things as well. You can see a new look, different personnel. … I’m looking forward to it.”

What Payton is looking forward to is what comes after the second preseason game. The Broncos will finally have a typical week of practice. Six normal days leading into the exhibition finale against the New Orleans Saints. It will be a grind for the players — just the way their coach wants it.

“I think there’s a mental and physical toughness of fighting through the fatigue and soreness,” Payton said. “It’s also training the body to get in season. That’s how it feels in season.”