“I’ve got 14 things written down that I’m p—– off about that have nothing to do with the game,” Denver Broncos Coach Sean Payton claimed after the preseason opener. Well, the opening game went well for the Broncos. Clinching a 30-9 win over the 49ers was a good start. However, the game isn’t the issue with the coach Payton. There were other things about the team’s first road trip that had him frustrated.

“I’m not going to go through all 14 of them. There’s probably 17 by the time I get home, all of which can be cleaned up and easily corrected,”  Payton claimed. Perhaps it began with the hotel. Payton’s list of frustrations may include the travel troubles that hit on the way back from the Bay Area. The plane had issues, which delayed their departure and pushed their arrival in Denver to well after 3 a.m. on Sunday.

Now, this is roughly an hour and a half later than planned. That caused trouble for the coach and his squad. He claimed that it ruined their “sleep studies” and further plans in the schedule. Payton didn’t appear pleased with all the shake-up.

One more may have been added to the list. After the joint practice and preseason game with the 49ers, the Broncos will host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 of the NFL preseason. Not to mention the delay in travel. That’s a tough schedule for the Broncos, and the coach who doesn’t like such chaos will now face two back-to-back joint practices. He didn’t look happy.

When asked about it, Payton expressed, “This is the first time for me and for us (with) back-to-back joint practices. When you have a joint practice, you lose a day. The day before, you have to be smart.”

“When you get the calendar at the start of preseason and you lay it out, you see where your games are and when you add a joint practice, it’s a little different the day before and the day (after). So when you have two of them, it can maybe cut into your installation and your normal camp routine. This is the first time for us doing two. We’ll see if we ever do it again,” Payton said.

The coach explained that the players reviewed game film on Sunday, took Monday off, and had a light “ramp-up” workout on August 12. They will be in pads on Wednesday, then hold a joint practice with the Cardinals on Thursday. They’ll wrap up the week by playing the Cardinals in a preseason game Saturday night at Empower Field at Mile High. Even with all the travel delays, Payton still found time to address one of the preseason’s hot topics: how rookie RB RJ Harvey looked in his debut.

Sean Payton clarified rumors on RJ Harvey

The Broncos’ rookie running back RJ Harvey had the chance to show his potential in the preseason win over San Francisco. The second-round pick logged seven carries for 25 yards, averaging 3.6 yards per attempt, and caught one pass for four yards with the first-team offense. His debut came in a 30-9 win. However, some fans and media questioned his tendency to bounce runs outside rather than hit the inside lanes.

Head coach Sean Payton addressed the concerns after Tuesday’s practice, downplaying the criticism. However, there was one moment when he wanted the rookie to be a bit more patient. “At the end of the day, the great skill set he has is that ability, speed-wise to. But he can get through the line of scrimmage the same way. There was one where we felt like, ‘Trust it, be a little bit more patient.’ He’s an extremely instinctive runner,” Payton said.

Harvey will likely get more chances over the next two preseason games, where his patience, skills, and speed will be tested more. “We’re going to get a number of looks to see him between the tackles. It’s all there on college tape and the best thing is that he’s such a willing learner. He’s very, not critical of himself, but man, he wants to please and he’s very coachable. There are certain runs, as we get into looking at Arizona’s front and what we want to feature, that I think he’ll be comfortable with,” Payton said.

He referenced Harvey’s college tape. The running back has the skills that the team needs for the game. Payton also praised Harvey’s willingness to learn and his coachability, saying he’s eager to please and responds well to feedback. As the preseason continues, Harvey will be under the microscope, but for now, the Broncos see his debut as part of the learning process rather than a cause for concern.