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Broncos coach Sean Payton considers Mike Westhoff a Hall of Fame coordinator
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- Broncos coach Sean Payton considers Mike Westhoff a Hall of Fame coordinator
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton hired Mike Westhoff last month to serve as the team's assistant head coach, with an emphasis on special teams.
Westhoff has served as a special teams coach with four other teams in the NFL, but the Broncos have Ben Kotwica set to serve as their special teams coordinator this year. The 75-year-old Westhoff will be available as a resource, not just on special teams but across the board in Denver.
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"I consider him one of the best coaches that I have been around," Payton said on Feb. 28. "I can remember introducing him to our team [when he was hired by the New Orleans Saints ]. If not all of you, but some of you have covered this league long enough that would remember him — if you didn't, you can't vote, but if you did, I'll let you vote — but he would be someone that would be right up there at the top, from a coordinator standpoint. A Hall-of-Fame-type coordinator. He's got a unique personality.
"He's a great teacher and he thinks outside of the box. I like those traits. For him, he's fishing on the gulf coast of Florida, and I give him a call. It's the same call I gave him a few years ago. 'I wouldn't do this for everybody, but all right. When does it start?' He enjoys coaching and it will bring — for me, I always enjoy the veteran teachers. The guys that I consider to be real special. He will serve in a number of roles as we put in not only our special teams, but we put in our program. I think he's got a great background, and he's a great teacher."
The Broncos' special teams units have ranked near the bottom of the NFL in recent seasons. The arrivals of Kotwica and Westhoff should help fix that.
