Myth no. 2: The ownership group was in over its head
The Broncos’ hiring committee was led by team CEO and owner Greg Penner. Penner was joined by the likes of Carrie Walton-Penner, Rob Walton, Condoleezza Rice, and general manager George Paton in this coaching search.
As the process seemingly dragged on for over a month, folks started to get restless and began really questioning Penner and the ownership group for whether or not they were struggling to find anyone who was really attracted to the job.
How about now?
Regardless of how you thought the process went, regardless of how smooth (or not) it actually was, the fact that the team has hired Sean Payton to be the next head coach has effectively debunked the myth that this ownership group was in over its head. They landed arguably the best candidate in the cycle, depending on who you ask.
The only real critique that I would have from the outside looking in at this coaching search would be how limited the team was in interviewing first-time candidates. It couldn’t have hurt to get perspectives from around the league on Russell Wilson and the offense, other coaches’ plans to potentially fix the offense, and all of that.
At the same time, we know that this team needed more experience, even if a first-year head coach was hired. Bringing in a veteran staff was likely going to be mandatory for any first-time head coach options, because the inexperience of Nathaniel Hackett’s staff as a whole ended up burning the franchise this past year.
At any rate, it doesn’t appear the Broncos’ ownership group was in over its head, not in the slightest. It may not have been as seamless as interviewing Payton, striking a trade, and getting the deal done, but Payton’s top priority in this process was stable ownership, and he chose Denver.
That speaks volumes.