Russell Wilson: Sean Payton a Legend in NFL, 'We Trust Everything He Feels About It'

Sean Payton has caused quite a stir before he's even coached a game with the Denver Broncos, openly criticizing the team's former coaching staff and saying he expects this year's Broncos to make the playoffs.

And his players haven't seemed to mind one bit, especially regarding the postseason expectations.

"That's a statement that we all know that we all want to do," quarterback Russell Wilson told ESPN's Jeff Legwold. "Anything not first is second, or last in my opinion. ... He's a legend in this game and we trust everything he feels about it.''

"One thousand percent," veteran wideout Courtland Sutton added. "I hate to be up here and have to reiterate something that we've talked about the last couple years, us not taking care of business the past season … I think the guys who have been a part of the past seasons understand the sense of urgency we have to have. Coach has come in and let it be known the main thing is the main thing."

Payton raised a number of eyebrows around the NFL when he called out the coaching job of former Broncos' head honcho Nathaniel Hackett during an interview with USA Today's Jarrett Bell.

"There's 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms," he said when asked about Wilson's struggles under Hackett. "The offense. I don't know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn't just Russell. He didn't just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn't get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball."

He also called it "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL."

Payton would later go on to apologize for those remarks, but his point was made—don't blame it all on Wilson. It was clear the new head coach was sticking up for his quarterback, even if it meant throwing one of his own in the coaching fraternity under the bus.

A change in culture was absolutely necessary. The Broncos were 5-12 last season, their fifth straight losing season. They haven't reached the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning in the 2015 campaign.

And Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowler, was incredibly poor last year, throwing for 3,524 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing only 60.5 percent of his passes while taking an NFL-worst 55 sacks. It was his fewest touchdown passes, his worst completion percentage and the most sacks he's taken in his career.

So Payton wasn't pulling any punches ahead of his first season with the Broncos. His players don't seem to mind one bit.