Daly Doses: Sean Payton filled his staff. Should Broncos Country be concerned?

New Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has finally filled out his coaching staff, and none too soon. Payton took plenty of time to compile the group that he is hoping will get this franchise back on the winning track again. ‘

Was the delay in filling out the staff due to being very selective in the process? Or was it more of a sign of desperation?

Broncos Country is very concerned.

Is there a reason for their trepidation?

After the past seven years, how could you blame us?

And yet…there are reasons for positivity.

Payton has named Joe Lombardi his offensive coordinator. Lombardi played his college ball at the Air Force Academy for Fisher DeBerry. Following his playing days, he joined the coaching ranks. In 2007, Lombardi was hired by the New Orleans Saints as an offensive assistant under Payton, and was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2009. The Saints would go on to win the Super Bowl that season. Most recently, Lombardi was the offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers, and worked with quarterback Justin Herbert.

And yes, he is the grandson of the legendary Vince Lombardi.

Payton also brought in John Morton, who had served under Payton in New Orleans as a wide receiver coach. Morton will be the Broncos pass game coordinator. This past season, Morton was the Senior Offensive Assistant with the Detroit Lions, where he helped the Lions average nearly 27 points per game.

Payton chose to hire Ben Kotwica to coach the Broncos special teams unit. Kotwica has now coached special teams in the NFL for 15 seasons, having stops with the New York Jets (2007-2012), Washington Redskins (2014-2018), Atlanta Falcons (2019-2020), and last season with the Minnesota Vikings. Prior his career in coaching, Kotwica served in the United States Army as a helicopter pilot. In addition to missions in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Korea, he is a veteran of the Iraq War.

Finally, there was the appointment of Vance Joseph as the Broncos defensive coordinator, which was met with the most disparagement of all of the coaches hired.

We all remember Joseph being named the Broncos head coach back in 2017, following the departure of Gary Kubiak. Joseph lasted just two seasons at the helm, as the Broncos produced a paltry 11-21 record, and finished with their first back to back losing seasons since the early 1970’s. The Broncos struggled on the road, they committed far too many penalties, and there was a prevailing feeling of chaos around the team in those two seasons.

Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, that seems to be a common theme among inexperienced head coaches, in their early years as head coach.

But Joseph won’t be the head coach this time around. He will be the defensive coordinator, a position that he has proven to be more than capable of handling.

While the defensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins in 2016, Joseph’s defense forced 21 turnovers. His most recent stint with the Arizona Cardinals saw the defense improve from 28th in 2019 to 12th in 2020, and 11th in 2021. Sure, the Cards defense struggled this past season, but so did the entire team. He can’t be blamed for all of it.

Maybe Joseph will eventually be a head coach again, or maybe he is another one of those coordinators like Wade Phillips or Vic Fangio, that is more suited to just being a coordinator.

And while Broncos Country is currently highly skeptical of every coach, coordinator, and quarterback that comes to town, it might help to remember who is actually at the controls.

Sean Payton won a Super Bowl with a franchise that was known for years as the “Aints”. In the 40 seasons prior to Payton taking the head coaching job, the New Orleans Saints had posted just seven winning seasons. Payton had nine winning seasons in his fifteen years there.

It is understandable to be highly cautious after the last few seasons with this franchise.

Sean Payton’s track record should make us feel some sense of confidence.

Daly Dose 02-22-23 Our questions for the coming NFL offseason

This week on the Daly Dose, it was the first full weekend without football, and it wasn’t easy, but at least the Daytona 500 ended with a bang, and NBA All Star Weekend was not all that much to watch.

The NFL hired a few more coaches, the NBA claims their officials are held accountable, but is the league headed for a lockout?

Plus Tiger Woods made a joke that had many in the sports media world clutching their pearls.

We take a look at some of the top winners and losers in the NBA after the trade deadline, and then we preview which College Basketball teams are on track to earn the No 1 seeds in the March Madness tournament.

We also have a few questions for the NFL offseason that are going to be highly impactful on the 2023 NFL season.

Finally, with all of the controversy surrounding the officials in Super Bowl LVII, our Daly Dose Top 5 counts down the Top 5 most controversial referee calls in Super Bowl history! 

Daly Dose YouTube 02-22-23 The Top 5 controversial referee calls in Super Bowl history

This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, with all of the controversy surrounding the officials in Super Bowl LVII, our Daly Dose Top 5 counts down the Top 5 most controversial referee calls in Super Bowl history!

Daly Doses: In Sean Payton we trust

It was the first full weekend without any football.

How did you spend your time? And where did you do most of your sobbing?

I guess there was still some XFL football. You could have watched former Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch get benched in his debut with the Orlando Guardians.

I’d personally rather watch a video of Nathaniel Hackett’s greatest time management strategies.

Speaking of the Broncos, it looks like one of new head coach Sean Payton’s next moves could be hiring his defensive coordinator.

Former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph, who spent the last four years as the defensive coordinator for the Cardinals, and former Jets and Bills head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan interviewed for the position in Denver over the weekend. They seem to be the leading candidates.

And while both of those names may fill Broncos Country with some very mixed emotions, I am looking at either of them with my new creed.

“In Sean Payton I trust.”

After the abysmal coaching failures that we have seen over the past seven years, I am ready to put my faith in a proven head coach.

Sean Payton is that guy.

We may look at Rex Ryan like a blow hard that went on Hard Knocks and played to the television cameras far too much. And yes, he may or may not spend too much time looking at women wearing open toed shoes. Yet, make no mistake, Ryan can coach defense. He was the defensive coordinator behind the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, a team that made a strong case for the best defense in NFL history, while winning a Super Bowl.

And while Vance Joseph failed in his head coaching debut in Denver, as a defensive coordinator he has been very solid. He improved the Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins defenses before coming to the Broncos and struggling as a head coach. He then improved the Arizona Cardinals defense in his first three seasons too.

If Sean Payton wants to hire either of these guys, that is good enough for me.

He has already shown patience and wisdom in his coaching staff hires to this point.

One of the most important jobs on the staff will be the offensive line coach, and Payton is bringing in his former player Zach Strief. The former NFL-veteran offensive lineman spent 12 years in the league with Payton as a member of the New Orleans Saints, where he was also a team captain.

Payton also brought in former Saints tight end coach Declan Doyle to improve the development of young ends Greg Dulcich and Albert Okwuegbunam.

Strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple joins Payton again after spending 16 years with him in New Orelans. I think we can all agree that after the constant injuries of the past five seasons, this is an area with massive room for improvement.

Payton has now also brought in Logan Kilgore, who served as the offensive coordinator at Isidore Newman School, working with Peyton and Eli Manning’s nephew and Texas commit Arch Manning. Kilgore will be tasked with the job of returning quarterback Russell Wilson to his previous glory.

I suppose we can question some or all of these moves. We can all also wonder why Payton is looking at guys like Rex Ryan and Vance Joseph to lead his defense.

But Sean Payton coached 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, a perennial doormat.

He had just four losing seasons. He won his division seven times. He went to the playoffs nine times and he won Super Bowl XLIV.

If Payton believes in these coaches, then that is good enough for me.

In Sean Payton we trust.

Daly Dose 02-15-23 The Chiefs reign in Super Bowl LVII

This week on the Daly Dose, we are joined by an esteemed panel of NFL experts, to break down what was an exciting and unpredictable Super Bowl LVII!

We discuss how the Kansas City Chiefs were able to come back from down 10 points, and sneak past the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, in a tightly fought game.

Did the slippery playing surface affect the game? Did Andy Reid simply win the game with his coaching? What happened to the Philadelphia defense in the second half? Did the officiating tip the scales in favor of Kansas City? Was Patrick Mahomes truly injured? We answer these questions and many more!

We also talk about the best commercials, the Rhianna halftime show, and begin to look forward to next season! Which teams should be considered the favorites next year?

My most beloved in-person sports moments ever

By Jimmie Searfoss

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It’s the season of love, and the Valentines section of Target got my sports-wired brain churning to think about my most loved moments in sports.

In my 20 years of life, I’ve had the privilege to see some great sports moments. I picked my favorite three of the bunch and put them here in no particular order. I’ve kept this list to games I was present for. While moments that I see on TV matter, these ones just mean that much more because I was able to enjoy them commercial free with the people I was with, who made the moments just that much better.

In the end, the people you’re with play just as much into the moment as the people on the field do.

What’s the point of enjoying a game if there’s no one to enjoy it with?

Mike Napoli’s home run in Game 4 of the 2011 World Series

I am not tall. I was even shorter at nine-years-old in 2011 and fought for every glimpse of the field I could get when I got to attend game four of the World Series when the St. Louis Cardinals took on the Texas Rangers.

My family and I had gotten to the game early enough to tailgate. I vividly remember running into other people’s barbecues, chasing after dropped football passes from my dad. By the time the gates were opening we were ready to move in and see batting practice. We walked around the stadium and waited for the balls to be hit in the center field batter’s eye. I watched as other kids ran out and wrestled for the ball. I did not participate in wrestling because as I stated earlier, I wasn’t exactly a big person at the time.

Our tickets were standing room only, and I was determined to watch the game any way I could. Through the backs of heads I watched the Ranger’s starting pitcher Derek Holland toss a dominant 8.1 innings, giving up only two hits and no runs in the process. The stadium was electric, and the pitching performance would have been my favorite memory of the night, but I got a clear view of another that stood above it.

With one out in the bottom of the sixth inning I crept down into the stairs because of who was stepping into the box, Mike Napoli. I knew the Rangers starting lineup front to back that year, and I also knew the potential of what was about to happen. Napoli had been hot all postseason, and with a man on first and second, I wasn’t going to miss a potentially game changing moment. The Rangers were only up by one at the time and needed some insurance in the last third of the game. The usher had already gotten onto me about creeping into the stairs for a better glimpse, but his words of criticism turned to cheers along with over 50,000 people as Napoli smashed the first pitch he saw into the left field corner, right in front of the Sonic sign. I saw the ball leave the bat, I saw Napoli finish his swing, and then I saw thousands of arms fly into the air blocking the rest of my view.

That time I was OK not being able to see.

10/23/2011: Mike Napoli's three-run dinger extended the #Rangers' lead in Game 4 of the #WorldSeries. #StraightUpTX (via MLB) @lonestarball @RealKentMurphy pic.twitter.com/9tAw9d08EI

— MLB Daily Dingers (@MLBDailyDingers) July 4, 2021

Colorado beating Arizona 2022

Being in places you’re not supposed to be is always a thrill. In this case it’s me, a student, in a spot I’m not supposed to be, on the basketball court, alongside all other students because our team just took down the No. 2 ranked Arizona Wildcats, and it wasn’t close.

Despite being down going into halftime, the Buffaloes out-scored Arizona 47-26 in the second half. The sixth man of the Colorado student section was contributing to put it in the nicest way possible. In the spirit of sport, thousands of students chanted not-so-nice things to Arizona, and once it became clear the Buffaloes were going to win, the loud mouths began counting down as everyone’s focus shifted to getting on the court.

For those who have never rushed a field or court, the moments before are similar to a crowd surge. Survival instincts combine with happiness as everyone lurches forward towards the entrance of the area that will be rushed. Then once the final buzzer blows, chaos ensues. Players are ambushed, photographers struggle to get out of the way, and drunk students have the time of their lives. Me and thousands of my closest friends were having the time of our lives.

The defeat over Arizona was so special for two reasons. It was against the No. 2 team in the country, and it was senior night, and Evan Battey’s last regular season game in Boulder, Colorado as a Buffalo.

Battey was a senior who had been repping the black and gold as one of Colorado’s best players to ever step foot onto Sox Walseth Court. The city of Boulder loves Battey. He is the feel-good story from a movie. After suffering a stroke his freshman year, he worked his way back onto the court for the team, and never missed a Colorado game in his four year career on the team. He became a leader on and off the court, especially within the CU community. He became known around campus as the “Mayor of Boulder”.

Battey climbed onto the stage to give his senior night speech surrounded by thousands of students that were chanting his name. He was already overcome with emotion by the time Colorado head coach Tad Boyle handed him the microphone. Boulder’s favorite person thanked everyone that helped him get to where he was, and vowed to be back.

He went on to play one more home game, a first round NIT loss to St. Bonaventure in Boulder, but the Arizona game will always have a special place in my, and Colorado fans heart.

https://twitter.com/markkiszla/status/1497777424565555200

Nathan MacKinnon scorches the St. Louis Blues for the hat trick

This one is bittersweet, because much like the goal scored, my emotions ran from one end to the

complete opposite in a matter of seconds. I was lucky to get amazing tickets that sat right behind the goal for game five of the second-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs between the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche.

From there I saw the Avalanche go up three goals in the first 35 minutes of the game, only to completely implode, giving up three straight unanswered goals to the Blues to tie the game in the final five minutes. The air had been sucked out of Ball Arena. The only good to come out of the Blues run was the short time my voice got to heal from the excessive cheering.

The Avalanche looked lost. This team that had steamrolled everyone so far into the playoffs looked more than beatable. The first two games of the series were close, with the Avalanche losing the second game, but the dominant 5-2 win in the third game had Avalanche fans feeling like the series would be a cake walk the rest of the way.

And after a fast three goals to open up this fifth game, Colorado looked to be cruising on their way to the Stanley Cup final.

Now it’s tied, and fans were feeling the blues.

Avalanche center and all-star Nathan MacKinnon already had two of the Avs three goals in the game, and the team turned to him with three minutes left to put the game away.

He did it all by himself. 

Moment 2: Nathan MacKinnon undresses the Blues defence for a unreal goal. #GoAvsGO #nhl #hockeytwitter pic.twitter.com/WMaGDPsO6a

— Zach Staden (@ZShockeyy) September 1, 2022

Mackinnon became a blur. Starting from behind his own net, he flew through all five Blues defenders, danced his way into the crease, and flipped the puck right above the goalkeeper’s shoulder. The only time Mackinnon saw a teammate during the play was in the celebration.

I couldn’t hear the goal horn from the crowd noise. Every hat in the lower bowl ended up on the ice. The section I was in had a net surrounding it and people still threw hats. We all knew we had witnessed an all-time play in Colorado sports history, and the Avalanche were going to the Stanley Cup. A massive weight had been lifted from the sold-out Ball Arena crowd, until it wasn’t.

Two minutes later the Blues tied it again, and once more air was hard to come by in the arena. St. Louis scored again in overtime, and what felt like an all-time high became lost in dread.

Luckily, the Avs finished the playoffs on the highest of high notes, and we can all look back on the goal- to-goal play with a smile, instead of thinking about what could have been.

I look forward to making many more memories in the future.

Daly Dose YouTube 02-15-23 The Chiefs reign in Super Bowl LVII

This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, we are joined by an esteemed panel of NFL experts, to break down what was an exciting and unpredictable Super Bowl LVII!

We discuss how the Kansas City Chiefs were able to come back from down 10 points, and sneak past the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, in a tightly fought game.

Did the slippery playing surface affect the game? Did Andy Reid simply win the game with his coaching? What happened to the Philadelphia defense in the second half? Did the officiating tip the scales in favor of Kansas City? Was Patrick Mahomes truly injured? We answer these questions and many more!

We also talk about the best commercials, the Rhianna halftime show, and begin to look forward to next season! Which teams should be considered the favorites next year?

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce placed in concussion protocol after post Super Bowl comments

The Kansas City Chiefs won a wild Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, coming back from 10 points down, to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.

The game will be remembered for heroic performances by both Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, and unfortunately for the officials making some questionable calls.

However, the game was seemingly pretty clean in terms of player injuries.

While Mahomes suffered a twisted ankle in the first half, it didn’t seem to affect his play, and we were able to watch the entire game without a serious injury of any kind.

Unfortunately, things were not as they seemed.

Immediately following the game, Mahomes and superstar tight end Travis Kelce were interviewed on the field, and the statements made by Kelce caused doctors to do a more thorough examination.

During their postgame interview on the field with Fox sideline reporter Erin Andrews, the tight end let out a scream, and then followed up that scream with the following statement: “Not one of y’all said the Chiefs were gonna take it home this year,” Kelce shouted. “Not a single one!”

It was at this point that the Chiefs medical staff knew that they had to step in, because they had a player who was clearly operating with an undiagnosed head injury.

Chiefs assistant trainer Todd Podolak told the Daly Dose “We had been picked by Las Vegas oddsmakers as the second leading favorite to make it to this Super Bowl behind the Buffalo Bills. In fact, we have been favorites for the Super Bowl the past three or four seasons. When Travis said that ridiculous statement, we knew we had to check him out. He just wasn’t making any sense at all.”

The staff reviewed the film, but could not find any plays that Kelce appeared to sustain a head injury, so they felt they had to check him out firsthand.

It turned out their concerns were soon relieved, when Kelce was able to pass all of the concussion protocol testing.

“Travis Kelce is a future Hall of Famer,” Podolak said later. “And the Chiefs are a perennial Super Bowl contender. It turns out after extensive testing that Kelce did not in fact have any sort of concussion. He is either delusional, or possibly just not all that bright. And that is great news!”

Daly Dose 02-08-23 Our Super Bowl LVII preview

This week on the Daly Dose, we explain our confusion concerning the Chinese balloon, the Dallas Mavericks make a trade for Kyrie Irving, and Lebron James reminds us just how unique of an athlete that he truly is. 

Then we are joined by longtime high school coach Russ McKinstry to discuss all things sports and make our predictions for Super Bowl LVII!

We reflect on Tom Brady’s incredible career, take a look at how new head coach Sean Payton might do in Denver, and Coach Mac discusses how Coach Prime must rebuild the University of Colorado football program from scratch.

The NBA is having an unpredictable season. Can Nikola Jokic win yet another MVP, and what does breaking the NBA scoring title mean for Lebron James?The college basketball season is heating up, and March Madness looks as though it is going to be wide open!

Finally, we preview Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles! Will Patrick Mahomes lead the Chiefs to another ring? Will Jalen Hurts and a stout Eagles defense be able to avoid mistakes and finish their season with a championship? We make our predictions for what should be an entertaining big game!

Daly Dose YouTube 02-08-23 Our Super Bowl LVII preview

This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, we are joined by longtime high school coach Russ McKinstry to discuss all things sports and make our predictions for Super Bowl LVII!

We reflect on Tom Brady’s incredible career, take a look at how new head coach Sean Payton might do in Denver, and Coach Mac discusses how Coach Prime must rebuild the University of Colorado football program from scratch.

The NBA is having an unpredictable season. Can Nikola Jokic win yet another MVP, and what does breaking the NBA scoring title mean for Lebron James?

The college basketball season is heating up, and March Madness looks as though it is going to be wide open!

Finally, we preview Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles! Will Patrick Mahomes lead the Chiefs to another ring? Will Jalen Hurts and a stout Eagles defense be able to avoid mistakes and finish their season with a championship? We make our predictions for what should be an entertaining big game!