PHOENIX – As Sean Payton made the media rounds in the week leading up to the Super Bowl here in the Valley of the Sun, he sounded in interview after interview like a coach who knew exactly what he was getting into in his return to the NFL as the Broncos’ new head coach.
And why wouldn’t he? Payton had done extensive research on the organization. He came away thoroughly impressed by the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group and the feeling was mutual. He developed a quick enough connection with general manager George Paton in their four-plus hour mid-January meeting in Los Angeles to constitute a starting point.