RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Atlanta Falcons have a long and contentious history with Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton , stemming from his 16 years coaching the NFC South-rival New Orleans Saints .
Payton made his return to Atlanta on Friday night and trounced the Falcons in their preseason opener. The Broncos' 27-7 victory over the Falcons was bad enough, but Payton added insult to injury by taking a shot at the lack of fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
"A lot of people dressed up as empty seats today," Payton told a sideline reporter during his halftime interview.
However, Denver's head coach had some nice things to say about the Falcons coaching staff as well. He even praised Atlanta for hiring Matt Ryan as the president of football following Friday's game.
"I like that Matt [Ryan]’s here. I think he's going to do a great job," Payton said . "I know a bunch of the coaches on their staff. I think when you come in and you're turning a program, there is that sense of urgency, and I think that experience these guys have - we know a handful of these coaches... It's good to see Matt, their coaching staff, all those guys."
Payton, whose halftime comments about the lack of fans in the stadium certainly rubbed those in Atlanta the wrong way, explained why he likes to play in front of big crowds on the road.
"Bill [Parcells] always liked going to Green Bay in the preseason because there would be 75,000 people there, and he felt like it was the closest to an in-season experience," explained Payton . "When you come somewhere where it's not like that, you have to find a way to get ready to go. And we can't control that. But I understand why he would want to do that. When you get to a place where it's kind of quiet, our guys handle that. When we're playing, regardless of who's out there, we are trying to win."
Payton knows a thing or two about turning around a bad franchise, leading the Saints to the Super Bowl a few years after the team lost its stadium during Hurricane Katrina. After a slow start in Denver, Payton led the Broncos to the AFC Championship game last season.
Meanwhile in Atlanta, the Falcons are still searching for an identity under head coach Kevin Stefanski. The team's offense looked lost in Friday's preseason opener, but that's to be expected with a new system and new starting quarterback.
The Falcons will look to put together a better performance against the Indianapolis Colts on the road this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Sean Payton comments on Matt Ryan's role in Falcons front office
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