It wasn’t that long ago – although it feels like forever – that the biggest decision facing the Denver Broncos and then-new Walton-Penner ownership group, was who to hire as the franchise’s head coach. And for most, whether in theory or reality, the decision came down to two, familiar names:
Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh.
We all know how that story ended. The Broncos hired Payton, while Harbaugh returned to the college ranks to win a National Championship with Michigan before getting scooped up by the Chargers. Payton’s first campaign in Denver was tumultuous, but he’s currently on a three-game win streak. Harbaugh has his Chargers sitting at 2-2. Both teams are bringing up the rear when it comes to offense but boast two of the league’s best defenses; ironically, both coaches are known for their offensive minds.
Payton and Harbaugh may or may not have been competing for the Broncos head coaching job – we’ll likely never know what took place behind closed doors – but this weekend, they’ll both lead their respective teams into battle against one another. It’s an entertaining juxtaposition, and perhaps a win will mean just a little more. Regardless, the two coaches will forever be linked in Denver, which begs the question:
Assuming both guys were viable options, did the Broncos make the right hire?
Shawn Drotar
Both men have a history of… let’s call it, “playing loosely with the rules,” sporting outsized egos, and winning big. Harbaugh’s work with quarterbacks has been more varied, with a notable list of successes from signal-callers that were otherwise considered busts (Alex Smith) and never-would-bes (Colin Kaepernick). That would’ve probably made him my pick between him and Sean Payton at the time, even though deciding between the two would otherwise have been difficult – Harbaugh has a tendency to wear out his welcome much faster than Payton has over the course of their careers. My clearly stated preference was then-Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, who ended up coaching the Vikings, and has led them to an unsurprising (to me, at least) amount of success ever since. But that ship has sailed, and the Broncos are now fully Payton’s show. His career with the Broncos is now tied directly to his hand-picked quarterback, Bo Nix, and things are finally pointing in the right direction for the Broncos, even though there’s still a lot of work to be done – and still a lot to prove. Beating Harbaugh and the Chargers this weekend would make a statement to the rest of the league that the Broncos are on their way back after nearly a decade in the NFL wilderness.
Mark Knudson
Since Harbaugh wasn’t interested (they say he always had his eyes on the west coast) this one is easy. After the Nathaniel Hackett disaster, the Broncos needed an “adult in the room” – a veteran HC like Payton who had “been there, done that” and who wasn’t going to need someone in his ear to manage the play clock. Sure, you can hit a home run with a Kyle Shanahan or a Mike McDaniel (first time HC’s) but Denver wasn’t in that place. Harbaugh has a wealth of experience too, but you have to wonder how long he’ll stay in one place given his track record. Denver should also be playing the long game and planning for life after Payton, whenever that happens. Maybe Davis Webb is the future HC here?
Cody Roark
I still would have hired Sean Payton. We still don’t know what the Los Angeles Chargers will look like in totality just yet under Harbaugh because there isn’t a large sample size. However, Payton has come in and helped to maximize a roster that only has one first-round pick on defense, while trying to build the offensive side of the ball. He’s come in and has helped snapped the streak to Kansas City and the Raiders, and to Broncos Country, I think that’s very important to them. On top of that, the team is playing above expectations right now.
Dan Mohrmann
If you had asked me two weeks ago, I think my answer is very different. And I think my answer now goes a lot deeper than the general surface of the question. Sean Payton was the right hire for the Broncos and the Walton-Penner Group made the right call. Jim Harbaugh was probably the “best” candidate between the two but given where the Broncos were then and where they are now, I think Payton was the right candidate to choose. I think it shows that the ownership group has earned the benefit of the doubt with its decisions. Payton may have his frustrating moments and come off as a bit of a prickly person from time to time, but the Broncos are clearly on an upward trend. And that hasn’t been the case in a while. He and Bo Nix seem to have a strong relationship that can be the foundation of a strong franchise. I personally am not the biggest Payton fan, but you’d have to be blind to not see how improved this team has been in the last two years.
Rich Kurtzman
Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh are two of the biggest personalities in NFL coaching. And because of that, each of them is abrasive in his own ways. But Harbaugh is insufferable with his quotes. As coaches, both have positives and negatives. It was a huge question mark whether or not Harbaugh could still coach at the NFL level after 10 years away. We haven’t fully seen the answer yet. Meanwhile, Payton is already rebuilding the Broncos. They’re competitive even with $85 million in dead cap and have improved in two of three phases. Payton seems to be in it for the long haul while Harbaugh could bounce at any time. I’d take Payton.