DENVER — Ryan Harris remembers the one word about the championship he won. It remains a vivid recall, a goosebump moment that sports sensations create.
"The only thing we had in our team room on the wall the year we won Super Bowl 50 was 'accountability.' It matters so much — not just in football but life. We all fear accountability, but we secretly love it. If you are holding me accountable for my bad things, you are going to hold me accountable for my improvements as well," Harris told Denver7 on Wednesday as part of The Broncos Podcast With Troy Renck.
"I was able to talk to a couple of players who played for and loved Sean Payton. And they both said separately, as the first thing out of their mouth, that he is an old-school coach who brings accountability," he continued.
When Payton arrived, he gave off Mike Shanahan vibes. His resume boasts 152 wins and a Super Bowl title. He believes in his system, and has implemented it with the Broncos. As evidence of his power, he is conducting the offseason in a way that no one else can recall seeing in Denver. This month calls for lifting and training to improve health after a season riddled by injuries. No football activity, and no media availability.
You are what you Tweet? Not in Denver.
It's time to work in the shadows, off line. Talk less, do more.
It does not make for great storytelling for the press, but it makes sense to Harris, a starting tackle for the Broncos' last title team.
"Coach Sean Payton is re-establishing the expectations across the organization and not just to the team, but to the media. I know the media is going to say we need access. But he wants to make it clearly evident to his team that we better focus on what is going on inside these walls. Anybody who was around the Broncos program last year can recognize that there was a lot of attention off the field about different of things, whether it was feelings about contracts or videos being posted," said Harris, who is on NFL Westwood One broadcasts, Notre Dame's college games and Denver7's Broncos Country Connected.
"I like what Sean Payton is doing. Really, he is taking away those workout videos. This is the strength coach’s dream, it’s his time to say, 'You are in the NFL. I am in control. I set the schedule.' No, Sean Payton is in control. He’s in control of the message. He’s in control of what you are going to think about and focus on to make sure he’s building a foundation for success."
For the Broncos to rebound after a humiliating 5-12 season, they must improve significantly on offense. They ranked last in scoring at 16.9 points per game. Quarterback Russell Wilson received the brunt of the criticism, clumsily navigating the worst season of his career with 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, while dealing with shoulder, hamstring and concussion injuries.
What is the key for him to regain his spot among the top 10 or top 15 quarterbacks?
"One thing is to get him healthy. He had torn labrum in his throwing shoulder and, you know from baseball, Troy, that isn't good. Gotta get him healthy. And get him oriented him on the new way of doing business. That’s difficult. Even when we won Super Bowl 50, (coach) Gary Kubiak and (quarterback) Peyton Manning had to have a meshing of the minds to find a successful path moving forward. That’s going to have to happen with Payton and Wilson, if it hasn’t already," Harris said.
"There’s going to be challenges every day for both of them. And a big piece of this is allowing him to have a running game and offense that doesn’t require him to be the hero every game. Wilson can be the guy throwing 22 times with three touchdowns and 125 yards team rushing. That's sustainable for not only the 17 games in the regular season, but the playoffs," he said.
Harris appreciates how Payton has reshaped the team over the past two months, adding physical players like right tackle Mike McGlinchey, left guard Ben Powers and defensive end Zach Allen.
But there's more work to be done, especially on offense.
"A big piece is whether K.J. Hamler can be healthy and play. You need speed on this offense. I like (Tim) Patrick, (Jerry) Jeudy and (Courtland) Sutton. But none of those guys have the speed that you see from the top 10 receivers in the NFL. They have a speed problem on offense," Harris said. "Coach Payton knows that from his experience. He’s gotten a couple of pieces. So, look at the two different windows fans often miss. The veteran that doesn’t want to go to training camp. Those players will be available in late July and August as well as players who get released. Those two windows in addition to draft will be areas to address the speed issue."
