What They're Saying: Sean Payton introduces himself to Broncos Country

Feb. 7—The Broncos introduced Sean Payton as the 20th coach in team history on Monday. Here were some of the quotes at Broncos HQ that stood out:

"I want to thank the ownership group, who are present today. It was a longer process this year for most clubs relative to the new protocols. My first meeting with Greg (Penner) and George (Paton) and 'Condi' (Condoleezza Rice) was on a Tuesday in Los Angeles at 10 (a.m.). It went for 4.5 hours, and it was fantastic."

— Sean Payton on the interview process

"Obviously this is a honeymoon period. We have a lot of work to do, but I do think we have similar philosophies and similar visions of how to build this team. That starts today."

— General manager George Paton on his working relationship with Payton

"I don't like singing, period, but none of us want to be at a karaoke bar with a song we don't know the words to. How do we get them comfortable and highlight their strengths? That's the process that's going to begin right now. I'm learning about every one of these players, not just Russell."

— Payton on learning about Russell Wilson

"That wasn't the case. Again, we met with a number of great candidates throughout the process. Once we locked in on Sean about five or six days before we got the trade done with the Saints, our focus was entirely on him and closing that."

— Broncos CEO Greg Penner on media reports that the Broncos made a last-ditch push for Texans coach DeMeco Ryans