When Sean Payton was introduced as the Denver Broncos’ head coach in February, he emphasized that he will prioritize the details. Big and small, Payton will have influence over all of the team’s football decisions.
One of the many changes that Payton has introduced is a tweaked travel schedule for the team’s late road games. Instead of traveling back on the same night and into the next morning, the Broncos will stay overnight for late-night games. Denver might also travel earlier in the week for East Coast games.
“[I look at] travel logistics,” Payton said when asked about the team’s schedule during rookie minicamp last week. “I think we have a couple of East Coast games where we might go two days in advance. Miami early on and Buffalo [on] Monday night.
“That creates that little shorter window. Our schedule will be different than anything you’re used to. If we ended up flying home and landing after 2 a.m., we’re probably going to stay in the [city]. We’ll probably stay in Buffalo after that game, fly back Tuesday, the players will be off Wednesday, and then push the work week back a day.”
The Broncos are scheduled to play the Bills on Monday Night Football in Week 10. It sounds like the team will return from that game on Tuesday.
Earlier in the season, Denver will travel two days ahead of games for East-Coast clashes like the Week 3 showdown with the Dolphins.
Travel details might seem like a minor change, but everything adds up in the NFL, and Payton has a good track record of success in the league. We’ll trust that he knows what he’s doing.
