Payton Files: Meeting Sunday breaks a tie with Ravens’ John Harbaugh

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — At stake for the Broncos in their game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens is league-wide legitimacy, a leg up in the AFC playoff race, the attention and respect from the NFL fan base and television networks.

And sole possession of 19th place on the NFL’s all-time coaching victories list.

The Ravens’ John Harbaugh is 165-102 in his 17 seasons as head coach. The Broncos’ Sean Payton is 165-101 in his 17 seasons – 15 with the New Orleans Saints and second with the Broncos.

The two coaches also have similar postseason records. Harbaugh is 12-10 with a Super Bowl championship following the 2012 season; Payton is 9-8 with a Super Bowl title in 2009.

9NEWS caught up to Payton on a chilly late-October afternoon this week for a segment on the Broncos Huddle that will be shown 6:30 p.m. Friday:   

Next to you, Sean, my favorite NFL coach over the years has been John Harbaugh. It’s remarkable how you and him are virtually identical in records. Regular season, postseason. Super Bowl title. What can you say about him as a guy and a coach?

Payton: “Actually we were on the same staff back in 1998. We were both with the Eagles together, Ray Rhodes was the head coach. John was our special teams coordinator, I was coaching quarterbacks. It’s funny as you do this longer and longer, you don’t know as many of the new head coaches but John is someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for, he’s a fantastic person.

“He’s someone that I would call a good friend. And the consistent success he’s had there speaks for itself. It was easier in the NFC (when Payton coached the Saints) when you only had to see him every four years. But even like (Steelers’ head coach) Mike Tomlin, who’s a good friend, it was once every four years. Now in the AFC it’s different. But (Harbaugh’s) done a great job. And he’s done it consistently for a long period of time.”

This quarterback matchup Sunday between Bo Nix and Lamar Jackson got me to thinking: We just finished a generation where Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees dominated the position. They all were pretty much stationary from the pocket. What caused the evolution of the dual-threat quarterback like Bo and Lamar? Was it defenses whose players kept getting bigger, stronger, faster? College-game influence?

Payton: “There’s two things. I think Bill Walsh, if he were alive, would tell you he valued mobility back then. Steve Young. Now they weren’t putting in any zone reads. So I think as this game evolved from the high school level to the college level to the NFL level, certainly how you attack defenses has evolved. There are still players who have had a lot of success who you would say are more pocket passers (Joe Burrow, Joe Flacco). But certainly the ability to run creates an additional stress on the defense and so there’s a value in that.”

Checked out your past dealings at the trade deadline. You picked up Eli Apple one year, Kwon Alexander in another. Brought back Mark Ingram. But otherwise you haven’t made many. Your philosophy on trades this time of year?

Payton: “You’re always looking at it from the standpoint of what’s best for your club. I was fortunate enough for a long period of time to be with a quarterback (Brees) and a team that we felt each year we had a chance. And so probably we would be more buyers. And yet the phone rings in George (Paton’s) office and he picks up and so there’s the same discussions every year. You can get a flavor maybe on who’s shopping who.

“But more importantly in that are the contracts that come with the trade. And so not a lot is discussed with that. Obviously that’s important. Our focus – we talk about it all the time, every day – our focus really right now for me, as the head coach, is on this team.”