Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton appreciates his Week 10 rival and counterpart, Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Two of the most experienced coaches in the NFL, their is a mutual respect between the two Super Bowl champion head coaches, who find themselves reunited as foes in the AFC West after boasting some of the best teams the NFC saw during the mid-2000s and 2010s.
However, Payton’s appreciation of Carroll grew this past offseason for another reason.
Broncos HC Sean Payton Gets Honest About Raiders’ Pete Carroll
GettyLas Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll looks on before facing the Los Angeles Chargers.
Payton is entering his third season with the Broncos after nearly two decades with the New Orleans Saints. With the Saints, Payton battled Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks. Carroll is in Year 1 with the Raiders.
Payton reflected fondly on his many encounters with Carroll over the years of their respective coaching careers during his media availability on Tuesday.
He also offered high praise for Carroll.
“Pete does a great job. He’s always been, I consider, a good friend in the industry,” Payton told reporters on November 4. “You’re going to going to get a real well-coached team. And again, I told you this earlier. I thanked him when he took the job, and it made me the youngest coach in the division. So, but no, he’s something.”
Payton’s teams are 4-1 against Carroll’s during the regular season, but the now-Raiders HC is 2-0 against his Broncos counterpart in the postseason. The Raiders enter this contest 2-6, while the Broncos are 7-2.
Pete Carroll Praises Sean Payton
GettyDenver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on before a game against the New York Giants.
The Broncos swept the Raiders last season, and Carroll is well aware of what to expect from Payton’s group on the field, citing his experience with Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells, Payton’s mentor.
Carroll said Payton’s teams are always “well-schooled,” even going back to his time with Drew Brees in New Orleans.
“He’s a really, really good football coach. I don’t know where he considers his start. But all the way back to Parcells is where I know he was influenced a great deal,” Carroll told reporters on November 3. “They’ve always had a good attitude about running the football, been physical. And they’re a downhill running team, and don’t mind working the perimeter, all of that.
“You think of him as a passing guy. But they weren’t when you played against them. They … always had a real good conscience about running the football. So, he’s got a really good mix, and he, as we’ve seen for years, utilizes personnel in unique ways that fits their style and their makeup. And so, there’s just – there’s nothing about his game that isn’t on point. It’s smart. It’s aggressive. They’re consistent. They take care of the football. They’ve been doing that for a long time. That’s what’s made them consistently successful, I think.”
It was Brees then, but Payton has Bo Nix with the Broncos.
Carroll won a Super Bowl with former Broncos QB Russell Wilson on the Seahawks, and has former Seahawks (and New York Jets) passer Geno Smith with the Raiders. Payton and Carroll will write the next chapter in their shared story in Week 10 when the Broncos visit the Raiders.
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