How Sean Payton Could Duplicate Brees' Success With Russell Wilson

If the Denver Broncos want to salvage Russell Wilson, Sean Payton is the best hope.

Getting Russell Wilson back to an elite level is high on the Denver Broncos' priority list as the team searches for a new head coach. That makes Sean Payton the top candidate. 

There is ample evidence revealing that Payton has the knack for creating an elite quarterback. To see that evidence, one has to look no further than future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, Drew Brees.

There are some who argue that Brees was a great quarterback before landing with the New Orleans Saints to be coached by Payton. The facts don't support that argument. 

Brees had one really good season out of the five he was in San Diego, and that single campaign is what this argument is based on when trying to discredit what Payton did for the QB. Brees had some underlying talent, but it wasn’t until Payton created an offense that got the most of those talents that he became the future Hall-of-Famer.

There is a very long list of quarterbacks who had a single great season early in their career, only to turn out to be decent, non-Hall-of-Fame material. Names like Chad Pennington, David Garrard, Bernie Kosar, and Andy Dalton top the list. 

Based on Brees’ time in San Diego, he was on this path. Getting paired with Payton in New Orleans changed the trajectory of his career.

Adjusting for the era and creating a composite score of major statistical categories, here is a snapshot of Brees’ career.

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Brees' best season in San Diego was equal to or less than nine of his seasons in New Orleans. His second-best season with the Chargers, which came directly after his best season there, was not as good as any season with the Saints. 

Furthermore, his two worst seasons came in San Diego, and they were significantly worse than any in New Orleans. Brees had a top-20 all-time adjusted-for-era-season with the Saints and several more that were in the top-100. His best season in San Diego was No. 173 all-time. Moving to the Saints was changed him from good to great.

Painting a picture that Brees was somehow a great quarterback or on a Hall of Fame trajectory before pairing with Payton is disingenuous. How did Payton turn a destined-to-be middle-of-the-road quarterback into a Hall of Famer? 

First, Payton's offensive scheme was a better fit. With Cam Cameron and Marty Schottenheimer in San Diego, Brees was in a version of the Air Coryell offense, but not a highly evolved one. 

In New Orleans, Brees was part of a more evolved West Coast offense. Now, there are similarities between the two offenses, but the differences with the Chargers' offense did not fit Brees the way it did with the Saints.

Brees was more suited to a quick passing game based on timing and yards after the catch. That helped his progress. However, there was more than just a change of offense. 

Payton saw what Schottenheimer didn’t, and that is Brees was a high-volume passer. Pairing a quick-passing, high-percentage style offense with a high volume of passing attempts put Brees in a position to succeed.

By his second season in New Orleans, Brees led the league in pass attempts and did so four times in his career. That, paired with seven seasons of 70% or greater completion percent, he became a star. Payton was able to create the offense that made it happen.

What it Means for Denver

It's easy to see what the Broncos’ ownership is after. An experienced head coach who can devise a system that will help Wilson return to form. 

Payton has the innovative mind to alter his system to get the most out of Wilson, just as he did for Brees. He is already on record discussing how he would go about doing just that. His stated philosophy would be to examine every part of Wilson’s game to understand where his strengths lie; then he would accentuate them to the fullest.

Payton may have his issues as a head coach, but getting the most out of a quarterback is not one of them. To say otherwise is to argue using wafer-thin data. 

Payton is the only remaining head-coaching candidate that has a track record of getting quarterbacks to greatness. He is the leading candidate that would fully realize the benefits of the Broncos' costly trade for Wilson.

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