AI Summary
5 min readHour 2 – Mile High Problem
Sean Payton claims he had no idea his assistant coaches worked out retired quarterback Drew Brees before the AFC Championship game last season. The Denver Broncos head coach said this with a straight face, choosing his words like a picky eater. Ben Maller is not buying it.
Payton told reporters that Drew Brees reached out to offensive assistants Pete Carmichael and Joe Lombardi — both longtime Payton lieutenants from their New Orleans days — and that none of it "even came to my attention." He said he was "out of the loop" and that the story didn't reach his level until after the fact.
Maller calls this an emergency parachute from the coaching CYA handbook. "You'd have to be a total room to believe that Sean Payton had no idea what was going on," he said. Payton and Brees go back to the Super Bowl glory days in New Orleans. They text each other. They're friends for life. The idea that Brees reached out to Payton's own offensive staff and Payton heard nothing about it before the AFC title game strains credibility.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (05:08) **Sean Payton's "I Didn't Know" Defense on Drew Brees Workout** - Ben Maller breaks down Sean Payton's claim that he was unaware his Broncos assistants contacted and worked out retired QB Drew Brees before the AFC Championship game.
- 2 (16:49) **Cardinals' Plan to Limit Rookie RB Jeremiah Love's Workload** - Maller rips Arizona's reported strategy to be "judicious" with Love's carries after he had only 13 touches in Week 1.
- 3 (21:01) **NFL's Soft International Ratings: A Teachable Moment** - Maller discusses the 49ers-Rams game in Melbourne averaging 18.5 million US viewers on Netflix, calling it below expectations and a "teachable moment" for the league.
- 4 (26:46) **Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show Finalists Leaked** - Maller reports that TMZ has leaked the two finalists to perform at the Super Bowl in LA on Valentine's Day 2027.
- 5 (34:05) **Newbie Night Caller: Eileen from San Francisco** - A former regular caller returns to the show, explaining she lost her old X (Twitter) account and her new one is "invisible," asking about the 49ers' Week 1 win.
- 6 (38:33) **Newbie Night Caller: Justin from Toronto** - A truck driver calls in, delivers a "proper truck driver salute" with his air horn, and discusses the famous dollar hot dog nights at Blue Jays games.
- 7 (41:43) **Newbie Night Caller: Will from St. Augustine** - A long-time listener calls in, saying Maller "ruined his life" in a good way, and recounts his history with the show from newspaper delivery days.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Ben Maller talks about coach Sean Payton claiming he had no idea his Broncos worked out Drew Brees before the AFC title game, the Cardinals limiting the workload for rookie RB Jeremiyah Love, the NFL having weaker ratings with early-season international matchups, Maller to the Third Degree, and more!
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