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Why was Sean Payton yelling at Broncos QB Russell Wilson?
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- Why was Sean Payton yelling at Broncos QB Russell Wilson?
In the third quarter of Saturday's ugly loss to the Detroit Lions , Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton was spotted by NFL Network cameras yelling at quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline.
The Broncos had just run three plays that all appeared to be touchdowns, but two were ruled down short of the end zone and the third was nullified by a penalty. After settling for a field goal, Payton lashed out at Wilson .
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After the game, Payton insisted that he was merely frustrated about the offside penalty called against guard Quinn Meinerz that nullified what would have been a touchdown. When pressed on yelling specifically at Wilson, Payton said: "Listen, what I talk with Russell about is none of your business."
Wilson was also asked about the incident after the game and he basically sidestepped the question.
"Yeah, I mean, obviously, we wanted to score that drive," Wilson said. "Unfortunately, we didn't. I think, more than anything else, we were just frustrated we didn't score there."
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Wilson was later asked if he thinks Payton still has trust and faith him in as a quarterback after the coach showed that kind of emotion on the sideline.
"Yeah, I mean, of course," Wilson said. "I think the biggest thing is, we're trying to score a touchdown there. I think we all want to score there. I think that's our focus. … you want a coach that's passionate, we want players that are, too."
Neither Payton nor Wilson gave an explanation as to why the coach singled out the QB on the sideline in his frustration. Some fans and pundits speculated on Twitter that Wilson ran a play too quickly and didn't give Payton enough time to challenge a previous play, but that's merely speculation.
We might never know why Payton lashed out at Wilson in that particular instance, but it does make one wonder if the coach is losing confidence in the quarterback. There have been no hints of a potential QB change in Denver, but the Payton-Wilson relationship is certainly a situation worth monitoring going forward.
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Up next for Payton and Wilson is a home game against the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve in Week 16.
