As most of you know by now, the Denver Broncos have traded for former Saints HC Sean Payton to be their new head coach for the 2023 NFL season.

When observing Payton as a coach, it occurred to me that his resume is VERY similar to that of Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy. This is funny because of how often so many fans have clamored for Jerry Jones to hire Sean Payton in recent years, while also dumping on McCarthy every chance they get.

With stats that look identical to each other, both coaches seem to be at nearly the same skill level.

Coach record comparison between Sean Payton, who's considered a top candidate to land a HC job, and the much maligned #Cowboys Mike McCarthy (FS1) pic.twitter.com/zRPbcxPeEh

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 12, 2023

As you can see above, their performances as head coaches are nearly identical.

Another exact stat is that they each started their head coaching careers in 2006, Payton with the New Orleans Saints and McCarthy with the Green Bay Packers.

Both Payton and McCarthy may have similar stats, but I refuse to believe that they are both equal at coaching. If I had to choose between Payton and McCarthy being the head coach of a football team, I would 100% go with Sean Payton, and here’s why.

In-game communications

When watching Sean Payton coach the Saints, you can see him communicate with his staff, players, and referees a lot more than McCarthy does.

Sometimes when McCarthy is on the field, it’s almost like he’s muted.

I hardly ever see him talk whatsoever.

Payton on the other hand was always talking to his players on the sidelines. When the camera panned to him, his mouth would always be talking non-stop because he knew what his job was.

Coaching is all about giving people demands that help them become successful.

McCarthy seems to lack the skill or desire to communicate in-game with his coaches and players.

Leadership Qualities

Yep, I am gonna say it, Payton is a far better leader than McCarthy. 

When Payton was with the Saints, he seemed to get along with everyone. There was rarely ever conflict between him and his coaches. 

With McCarthy, he seems to get into fights with everyone. Look at what just happened during this season.

Former Cowboys Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore was cut from the team not just because his play calling was declining, but because he and McCarthy were not getting along.

That is another major part of coaching: working with different types of people.

Even when McCarthy was leaving Green Bay there were plenty of rumors that Aaron Rodgers was not happy with Mike McCarthy coaching him.

Sean Payton just brings more life to a football team.

When McCarthy is in charge of a team, all the players look confused and defeated most of the time, while Payton adds color to the team, with fun and exciting add-ons for all the players to enjoy. It is almost as if he is a father-like figure to his teammates. 

I say these things about how I believe that Payton is better than McCarthy, however, I still can’t argue that their records, playoff wins, and other stats are different, because they are not.

I have never realized how similar these two are when comparing their careers, it’s almost as if they grew up under the same roof growing up.

After the terrible 2022 season the Broncos had, I am eager to see what is in store for them this season with Sean Payton leading the way. I project them to go 9-8 next season.