Russell Wilson vs. Sean Payton: 'None of Your Business!'
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Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos has experienced a resurgence. There is no denying that. And new coach Sean Payton has injected some energy into the team that former Seattle Seahawks stat Wilson now leads.
But all involved got exposed in a Saturday night beatdown at the hands of the Detroit Lions, a 42-17 loss that greatly impacts Denver's playoff chances ...
And also brings scrutiny to the Payton/Wilson dynamic in Denver - which the coach arrogantly and wrongly thinks is "none of your business.''
The officials called Denver’s offense for an offsides penalty on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, wiping away a touchdown run when the outcome was still in question. There is absolutely no evidence that the refs got this one right - there's a shock! - but it's what came next that was equally stunning.
Payton went nuts on the refs, at one point appearing to scream, "You (bleeped) up!'' before strangely turning his ire toward his own QB.
What had Wilson done wrong? All he did was hand the ball off to his fullback, who plowed behind the (completely legally onside offensive line) to score what should've been a TD.
“I was upset about the call,” Payton said postgame in explaining his tantrum. “That’s all. Simple.”
True. And understandable. But what about then irrationally seeking out Wilson to also scream at him?
“Listen,'' Payton told the inquiring media. "What I talk with Russell about is none of your business.”
Yeah, coach. ... that ain't how this works.
Wilson is getting paid $48 million a year to do his job. Payton is getting paid $18 million a year to do his. The reason for those bloated salaries? Fans care. People care. They're invested in the Broncos and the NFL. And what is talked about on a sideline in front of the whole country on national TV is in every way the audience's "business.''
To his credit, Wilson showed class is trying to take his out-of-control coach off the hook.
“More than anything else, we’re frustrated we didn’t score (a TD) there because we were going to make it 28-14,'' Wilson said of the Broncos, who drop to 7-7. "That was the disappointing part. … You want a coach that is passionate. You want players that are, too. My biggest thing is always focusing on the next play.”
