{"id":289800,"date":"2023-10-02T23:56:41","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T23:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=289800"},"modified":"2023-10-02T23:56:41","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T23:56:41","slug":"sean-paytons-jets-fiasco-dampened-but-nathaniel-hacketts-return-still-personal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/nfl\/sean-paytons-jets-fiasco-dampened-but-nathaniel-hacketts-return-still-personal\/","title":{"rendered":"Sean Payton’s “Jets fiasco” dampened, but Nathaniel Hackett’s return still “personal”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sean Payton already had that feeling as he discussed his first win as Broncos head coach Sunday afternoon that the good vibes wouldn\u2019t last long.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be some tough tape,\u201d he said at one point.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to face a lot better teams,\u201d he said at another.<\/p>\n

But he did allow a smirk as he encouraged his players to enjoy their first win of the 2023 season, for a few hours at least, before turning their attention to a circled-on-the-calendar Week 5 matchup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, we get ready to go next week and we can dive into the whole Jets fiasco stuff,\u201d Payton said.<\/p>\n

The fiasco, of course, stems from Payton\u2019s explosive comments to USA Today during training camp. He called the 15-game tenure of former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett \u2014 now the Jets\u2019 offensive coordinator \u2014\u00a0\u201dmaybe one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That\u2019s how bad it was.\u201d He suggested the Jets leaned into the Aaron Rodgers hype machine this offseason and could well fall short of expectations. He questioned the way in which the Broncos front office, including general manager George Paton and other he now works with, handled Russell Wilson\u2019s first year in Denver.<\/p>\n

So on and so forth.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Then the next day he walked some of it back.<\/p>\n

Now Week 5 is actually here. Hackett and the Jets are coming to town Sunday as a 1-3 team trying to find its way after Rodgers, who called Payton\u2019s comments a signal of insecurity, tore his Achilles tendon four plays into his tenure in New York.<\/p>\n

Payton wasn\u2019t actually going to dive in Monday, though.<\/p>\n

Asked if he had reached out to Hackett or Saleh since July, Payton only said that he addressed that, \u201cthe day after\u201d during camp.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t, really. He expressed remorse for blasting Broncos brass and said Paton and the ownership group were among the reasons he wanted the Denver job in the first place. But regarding any offense taken in New York, Payton said that he\u2019d reach out to Saleh, \u201cat the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jets head coach, though, didn\u2019t seem particularly interested in rehashing the whole order Monday, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a coach\u2019s perspective, aside from the summer and whatever was said back in training camp, in a football life that\u2019s like 20 years ago,\u201d Saleh told reporters in New York. \u201cSo that\u2019s a non-topic.\u201d<\/p>\n

What will be a topic, though, is Hackett\u2019s return to Denver. After a 4-11 run as the Broncos\u2019 head coach, Hackett linked up with Saleh and then was reunited with Rodgers, a close friend, before the league-rattling injury on opening night.<\/p>\n

Now Hackett\u2019s tasked with helping get 2021\u2019s No. 2 overall pick, Zach Wilson, to a level of play where a stout defense and strong run game aren\u2019t hampered by the game\u2019s most important position.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Hackett, obviously it\u2019s going to be a personal feel to go back (to Denver),\u201d Saleh said. \u201cBut I think he understands just living it, (being a) coach\u2019s kid and going through this process, he\u2019ll know how to handle himself and he\u2019ll know how to exactly keep his emotions in check and to make sure we do what\u2019s best for this organization and this team as it stands now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fully expect him to be totally fine and level-headed.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a game full of odd connections in a season full of them for the Broncos. Denver has one former head coach on staff in defensive coordinator Vance Joseph (2017-18). It faced another Week 3 in Miami in Vic Fangio (2019-21). Now it\u2019s Hackett, the most recent.<\/p>\n

Not only that, but Hackett was on the other sideline last year when Zach Wilson and the Jets came to town and won, 16-9, despite Wilson finishing 16-of-21 for 121 yards. It was the Broncos’ fourth straight loss and part of a stretch that saw them drop nine of 10.<\/p>\n

Each team this year enters the matchup at 1-3 and in need of a win.<\/p>\n

For his part, Payton expects a big challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve obviously gone through an injury at quarterback,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re playing outstanding in the kicking game and on defense. Offensively (Sunday night vs. Kansas City), you saw a much better team in a big moment. They had some brutally tough calls down the stretch. This is a good football team. You can see it on tape. You can see it when you watch them play.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where our focus will be this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

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