<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0dcOSs_0w84xR2T00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0dcOSs_0w84xR2T00" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Indianapolis. The Broncos defeated the Colts 34-30. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger) ASSOCIATED PRESS</figcaption></figure>Sean Payton is not one for sentimentality, especially in the game of football.But the man who led the Saints to their most successful run in franchise history admitted he will be emotional when he steps onto the field in the Superdome Thursday night as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.It’ll be Payton’s first official trip to the stadium where he prowled the sidelines for 15 seasons as the Saints’ leader, his first visit as an opposing coach to the place where he established his coaching credentials and became a conquering hero for Saints fans and New Orleanians alike.What’s more, Drew Brees, the quarterback who authored so many memories alongside him during their magical 16-year run together in New Orleans, will be there as well, celebrating his induction into the Saints Hall of Fame during a ceremony at halftime."It will be unique,” Payton said to Denver-area reporters earlier this week. “Certainly, there will be emotions going back there (and) with the amount of time I was there. ... I guess I would say it's fortunate that it's a short week, because I haven't had a lot of time to dive into the other stuff."Payton predictably tried to downplay the narrative about his return when asked about it this week in Denver. The maniacally focused Payton was in no mood for nostalgia or reflection one day after watching the Los Angeles Chargers dominate his Broncos in a 23-16 loss Sunday in Denver.“It's about the game," Payton said. "It's about (getting) the win. The significance of us playing our best football on a short week, and it's about our team.”But those who know him best know how much this game means to him. And how could it not?Payton still calls New Orleans “home” and maintains a residence in the Four Seasons Hotel downtown. Since abruptly stepping down as Saints head coach in January 2022, Payton has visited New Orleans multiple times to see friends and attend events like Mardi Gras, but this will be the first time he’s visited in an official capacity as an opposing head coach.This is the place where he led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title in 2009, where he and Brees teamed to win 63% of their games and seven NFC South division titles, while shattering dozens of club and NFL records for offensive prolificacy. “He’s going to be fired up,” said veteran defensive end Cam Jordan, who played 11 seasons for Payton in New Orleans. “Everybody in this building knows who Sean Payton is, and if he sees blood in the water, he’s going to go try to trade advantage. That’s always been his M.O.”Added linebacker Demario Davis: "It's going to be intense. ... Going against him is going to be a unique challenge on Sunday, and I know he's going to have all his guns up and he's going to be ready to go."Jordan and Davis are two of 18 players on the Saints roster who played for Payton during his 16-year coaching tenure from 2006-2021. Like many fans from both teams, Jordan said he circled the Oct. 17 date on his calendar when the NFL released the schedule in May.“I know he has it marked, and he’s (thinking) like, ‘Yeah I’m going to try to get over on these boys,’” Jordan said of Payton on the “Up and Adams” show last month.NFL officials didn’t know Brees would also be in attendance when they elected to showcase Payton’s homecoming in a national prime-time slot on Amazon Prime.Payton will be in the locker room with his team when Brees is honored by Saints owner Gayle Benson during a halftime ceremony at midfield, but he’ll undoubtedly find time before the game or earlier in the day at the Saints Hall of Fame banquet to visit with his former quarterback and reflect on the special bond the two shared during their record-setting run in New Orleans.“It’s going to be a special moment for him (Brees),” Payton said in August when I asked him about it in Denver. “And it’s cool that it's a national televised game on Thursday Night Football, so there'll be just that much more attention to his success. I love that I'm in the building that night.”Not everybody felt the same way, though.Some Saints officials were reluctant to have Brees share the spotlight with Payton. Worried that the storyline of Payton’s return to New Orleans would overshadow Brees’ moment, they privately pushed to have the Hall of Fame induction ceremony held on another date.Brees, though, maintained his request to Hall officials for the Oct. 17 date, primarily because it was the only non-weekend home game on the Saints schedule and would allow him to coach his kids’ youth games back home in California on the weekend.Thankfully, rational heads prevailed.Brees was a unanimous selection by the Hall’s selection committee, which decided to make him the sole inductee because of his exalted status.Appropriately, the night will be even more memorable for Brees because he can celebrate the occasion with Payton and Broncos assistants Pete Carmichael, Joe Lombardi and Zack Strief, who were such a big part of his New Orleans success.“It will be a special night, for sure,” said Lombardi, who served as the quarterbacks coach for 10 years of the Payton-Brees era. “We have so much appreciation for him (Brees), what he did for all of us.”It’ll be interesting to see if Saints fans share the same sentiment Payton upon his return. In a poll I conducted on social media asking fans whether they should cheer or boo Payton in his return on Thursday night, responses were evenly divided. With so many conflicted emotions coursing throughout the stadium, the intensity is sure to be high on both sidelines as well as in the stands.“I hope he gets booed,” Jordan said last month. “Like, how dare you go someplace else? But he’s going to feed off it. There’s nothing you can do to Sean Payton to affect Sean Payton. That man is one of the most confident men you will ever meet.”</div></body>

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Jeff Duncan: Emotions will be high on both sidelines for Sean Payton's return to New Orleans

Sean Payton is not one for sentimentality, especially in the game of football. But the man who led the Saints to their most successful run in franchise history admitted he will be emotional when he steps onto the field in the Superdome Thursday night as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Jeff Duncan: Emotions will be high on both sidelines for Sean Payton's return to New Orleans

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