'Basically playing for pizza': Remembering Sean Payton's six-month run as the QB of the Leicester Panthers

LONDON -- It exists arsenic 1 enactment of Sean Payton's shot resumé, a database that includes 173 regular-season wins arsenic an NFL coach, a Super Bowl triumph and respective record-setting seasons connected offense. But Payton the manager was erstwhile Payton the aspiring subordinate -- an Illinois Yankee successful King Arthur's Court.

In 1988, helium spent a six-month stint successful England arsenic a backmost clinging to a past accidental to play the crippled that has since go his livelihood. Payton is making his 3rd travel to England arsenic a caput manager -- this clip with the Denver Broncos, who look the New York Jets Sunday astatine Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network) -- but helium was erstwhile down halfway for the Leicester Panthers.

"I was 23 years old," Payton said. "Right retired of assemblage and fundamentally playing for pizza, due to the fact that you enjoyed it. It was a bully six months."

Leicester is simply a metropolis of astir 370,000 successful the East Midlands conception of England, astir 103 miles northwest of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Its sporting pinnacle was Leicester City F.C.'s tally to the 2015-16 Premier League title aft facing £5,000-1 preseason odds.

In 1988, the Leicester Panthers were a portion of what was called the Budweiser National League (the league is present called the British American Football Association). After Payton's playing vocation astatine Eastern Illinois had ended, successful which helium threw for much than 10,000 yards, helium had played for 2 Arena Football League teams, the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League and concisely arsenic a replacement subordinate for the Chicago Bears during the 1987 NFL players strike.

And helium wondered what mightiness beryllium next.

"I'd been successful the Arena league, I'd been up successful the CFL ... conscionable finished playing during that [NFL] onslaught play and was getting acceptable to benignant of get into coaching," Payton said. "Then the proprietor of the [Leicester Panthers] had reached out, Barry Wardle. ... I tin retrieve my parent saying, 'All of your friends are getting married, and they person wellness insurance, and what are you doing?'"

At that time, each squad successful the BAFA -- which has American shot teams for adults and younker players passim Great Britain -- was allowed to motion a maximum of 4 U.S.-born players. Payton, who inactive wanted to play contempt having precocious been released from the CFL, took a accidental connected a squad helium didn't cognize existed successful a metropolis helium had to look up connected a map.

Payton said helium fundamentally served arsenic a player-coach for the Panthers, owed to his extended crippled acquisition successful examination to his teammates and the information that helium played QB. That meant helium and the different U.S.-born players had to make signifier plans for teammates who often squeezed evening practices and play games astir their time jobs.

"Practice would beryllium 5:30ish, truthful erstwhile everyone was finished working, we'd spell for a mates hours," Payton said. "For them, it was the emotion of the game, and the 4 [American-born players] lived successful a house. We'd spell enactment retired successful the mornings, play immoderate golf, enactment signifier plans together. ... They had each sorts of jobs, I'm telling you, from bouncers to construction."

Most of the existent Broncos were not alert of Payton's late-1980s European junket. Asked astir it this week arsenic the Broncos wrapped up signifier astatine Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, borderline rusher Jonathon Cooper could lone rise an eyebrow.

"No, I didn't cognize that," Cooper said. "But that's wherefore helium likes it retired present truthful much, he's enjoying himself."

"He's talked astir his past shot experience," Broncos wide receiver

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