Sean Payton insists he won’t coach this season but left open the door to return to the sideline at some point. For now, he’s fielding calls from television executives.
The obvious concerns are twofold. One is the same one Jon Gruden faced when he was on Monday Night Football: Is a coach not fully retired going to be critical of players he might later coach or of teams that might later have an interest in hiring him? The second is: Can he speak in soundbites?
Payton tried to answer those questions Thursday during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.
“We’re not getting paid by the word,” Payton said, agreeing with Patrick that he needs 15-second calls.
Patrick asked Payton to pretend he was a TV analyst and explain how the Chiefs got a game-tying field goal in 13 seconds. Patrick thought Payton’s call, which was critical of the Bills’ defensive strategy, was too long.
“Then ask me about the end of the Cowboys game, and let me see if I can do this better,” Payton responded, prompting Patrick to ask, “What did the Cowboys do wrong in the situation?”
Everyone knows the Cowboys screwed up the final 14 seconds in the loss to the 49ers. Everyone that is except the Cowboys.
The Cowboys, trailing by six points, called a quarterback draw with no timeouts remaining and Dak Prescott‘s 17-yard run left only enough time for a spike before time expired.
“Well, look, they’re trying to get in touchdown range, and they ran a draw,” Payton said. “We would typically throw a pass and down, down. Ultimately, I think two more steps for Dak. He’s got to slide a little quicker. He’s up, and the ball has to go to the umpire. And then, let’s go. We can never hand the ball to the center.”
Sean Payton explains what Cowboys did wrong in final 14 seconds vs. 49ers originally appeared on Pro Football Talk