Why Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos are the Spain of the NFL in 2026

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (0:02)
DNVR Broncos Podcast, coming to you live from the Toyota Lounge here at the DNVR Bar. And it's a great day.

**Dion** (0:14)
Really is, really is.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (0:15)
You ever, some Mondays I feel like, oh man, this is gonna be a tough week. Other Mondays I'm like, I'm ready to go. That's how I feel today.

**Andre Simone** (0:26)
Yeah, no doubt about it, no doubt about it. Great day to be alive, great weekend.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (0:31)
Yeah, I think that's what it is. There's just so much good sports yesterday. I did nothing but just watch good sports all morning and afternoon. I mean, I guess World Cup final, even as a soccer guy, admit it was a little boring, but really the open in the morning was such a good finish.
I mean, I know you didn't see it, so I'll just set the stage for you. So, the 18th hole was playing as the hardest hole on the course.
Trying to hold off a sneeze right now. 18th hole is playing as the hardest hole on the course. Ryan Fox goes into the 18th hole tied. I'm thinking like just don't bogey it because he barely misses birdie on 17, which would have given him like cushion. He hits a perfect drive. He hits a perfect approach. And then he makes a perfect putt. So I was told on the last to win on the hardest hole. And they say maybe the hardest hole in any course that's in the British open or the open championship rotation.

**Andre Simone** (1:36)
Nuts. So I was pretty fired up that the open is the British open.
Yes, it would help me if they just get it in parentheses. Like this is a stick we're doing, but it is the British open.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (1:48)
I know it shouldn't be that hard. There's only four majors.

**Andre Simone** (1:52)
Yeah. But, you know, it's just for standardization across the board.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (1:57)
Sure. So that was pretty great.
The World Cup final was just okay.

**Dion** (2:03)
No, no.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (2:04)
But it did get me thinking.

**Dion** (2:06)
Yippers, yippers.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (2:07)
Because the whole tournament, and I think one of the things that made the tournament special was really about the stars. You know, Holland, you know, becomes a household name in the US.
Yeah, you've got Messi putting hat tricks in early in the tournament. You had even Ronaldo do his thing, Harry Kane do his thing, and Bapé is doing his thing. The whole tournament became about star players until the end.

**Dion** (2:40)
Then it became about the team.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (2:41)
And then it became about the team. And I was just thinking, what a beautiful thing to happen in sports. Because it was such an individual tournament. And people are cashing these three-leg, two-goal parlays from all the stars. And in the end, it came down to which team was the best. The favorite going into the tournament, who kind of just was quiet throughout, and just went about their business, I think had seven shutouts in the tournament, because their defense, it was that elite, ends up winning. And I just loved that as a reminder to all of us that it isn't about who has the best player, it's about who has the best team.
And that got me to thinking about the Denver Broncos. Yes. And I really think the Broncos, you have a great case for them being the Spain of the NFL, because there isn't one player on the team who you're just trying to...

**Dion** (3:40)
Not star-driven.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (3:42)
You're like, oh, we have to feed this guy all game long. And if you run into a Spain that can just keep the ball away from Messi, there's nothing you can do. The Broncos aren't like that. They're very spread out across the team in terms of where the star power is. Obviously, Patrick Surtain is the best player in the world at his position. But it's not...
In soccer, he'd be like a left back. Having the best left back doesn't get the people bowing in the early rounds of the tournament.

**Dion** (4:14)
That's correct.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (4:14)
But boys are valuable when it comes down to it.

**Dion** (4:16)
Yeah.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (4:18)
There's, you know, Bo Nix is... I'm blanking on the guy's name. Not LaMina Mall, but the other striker who's actually scored the most goals.

**Andre Simone** (4:27)
The guy with the impossible name, Mikael Oyarsbal. Sure.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (4:32)
You gave it a good try.

**Andre Simone** (4:34)
Name's not my forte. Everyone knows.

**Ryan Koenigsberg** (4:36)
Not the most famous player.