When Sean Payton talks about quarterbacks, he often talks about accruing, “flight miles.”
Translation: Real, live action.
Russell Wilson had that in spades over 12 years and 188 regular-season games as a starter.
Jarrett Stidham entered his first start for the Broncos on Sunday with only two others under his belt, which came last year for Las Vegas.
The 69 offensive snaps in a 16-9 win against the Los Angeles Chargers, then, provided critical time at the plane’s controls.
“My preparation is not changing from last week to this week,” Stidham said Wednesday. “That’s how I’ve always prepared. But obviously it was good to go out there and get the win last week and build off of that going into this last game of the season. Just trying to clean up these last few little things we have this week and go out there on Sunday and hopefully get a win.”
Payton said Monday that, like any player, Stidham’s performance over the final two weeks factor into the evaluation of the team’s future. That’s of particular importance for Stidham considering the likelihood that Denver and Wilson part ways this offseason and the quarterback job here gets thrown wide open.
“Look, I’m not looking at it as an audition or anything like that,” Stidham said. “I have a certain job to do, a certain thing to do on each and every play. Ultimately we’ve got to go out and win. That’s what I’m focused on doing is my job to help the other 10 guys on offense move the ball and score points.
“That’s how I look at it.”
Stidham’s two starts late last year for Las Vegas ended up being a big part of the reason Payton was intrigued in the now 27-year-old. The Broncos gave him a two-year deal with $5 million guaranteed and worth up to $10 million. Before that closing run with the Raiders, he had never started an NFL game.
“I feel like I can speak for most players when I say this: When you’re playing in the NFL, you want to be on the field,” he said. “And the reality is that doesn’t happen for everybody at every given moment. I sat there for four years, pretty much, up until the end of last year not playing. Mop up duty here and there but actually getting out there playing a full game — last Sunday was the first win since my last bowl game in college, which was five years ago.
“It’s one of those things where I’ve always been very confident in the person and player I am, but until you get out there and you’re doing it against the best guys in the world at their position, you’re just not out there. You don’t know what you don’t know. It was great to get out there last year and do it and then obviously last week and do it again.
“Looking forward to another opportunity.”
By coincidence, Stidham’s two starts last year came at Allegiant Stadium and now he’ll start there again, just for the visiting team.
“You go through the crowd noise,” Payton said. “Today’s the first day we’re in shotgun with him on a silent snap count. There’s little nuances that obviously are more cadence-driven and we’ll work through that.”
It’s the second time around, though, building a gameplan for Stidham and working through what the quarterback likes and doesn’t. That, Payton said, is an important process through the workweek.
“Similar to Russ, when the week’s over with and here’s the game-plan call sheet, those guys will dot or number their top choices in each section,” Payton said. “Play-action they might put their top four, screens, third down, drop-back then flip the card to red zone.
“I’ll make those notes on (my card). That’s important. Then, equally important is something you don’t like. If there are 11 plays and somehow those guys put No. 11 down, I’m probably not calling 11.”
Payton will be calling plays for Stidham on Sunday for the last time this season.
Then after that, only time will tell.
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