ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — During a recent practice, Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant wasn’t having his best day — by the rookie wide receiver’s own admission.
“The other day in practice, I was loafing just a little bit,” Bryant said.
Sean Payton noticed.
“He was like, ‘This ain’t [good]. You’re playing this week.’ So once he told me that, snapped into it, had a great day of practice.
“So, I’m ready for the game.”
With Bryant, that’s all it takes. Just a little nudge and a reminder.
Diligence comes naturally for the rookie wide receiver, and it’s helped him make a significant impression — so much that the notion of trading Devaughn Vele became palatable once the New Orleans Saints upped their offer to the Broncos to include a fourth-round pick last month.
As a sturdy target, as a physical blocker, as a route-runner who ably found soft spots in coverage, Bryant spent the spring and summer months playing with the savviness of a veteran that belies the fact that Sunday will be his regular-season debut.
But with Vele around, there was a little bit more of an on-ramp for Bryant. Now, he stands to get some meaningful snaps.
Thus, the prod from the coach.
“I mean players need things like that,” Bryant said. “And he even told me, like, ‘This is one of the toughest leagues.’
“Because Imma be honest, I got a little complacent, I felt like I made it a little bit. So you need coaches like that to put you in your place when you need it. So at the end of the day, just having a coach that believe in me, got faith in me like that, like, kinda has me in a better place.”
WITH BRONCOS, BRYANT GETS THAT EXTRA PUSH
Sometimes, we all have people who see more in us than we see in ourselves. Two years ago, that someone for Nik Bonitto was Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
There are also the people who can push you to a higher level … those who tell you that you can work harder, even when you think you’re going as hard as you possibly can.
For Bryant, that person is Payton.
“That’s what it is when you think you’re working hard. No, there’s no such thing as you working hard enough,” Bryant said. “Like, you gotta go even harder. So just having a guy that can really push you, that’s all I’m used to.”
But he’s not the only such influence the Broncos’ rookie receiver has experienced.
“My father raised me tough,” Bryant said. “Coaches at Illinois, same thing. Just having a coach that continuously push you … he pushed [Courtland Sutton] the same way he pushed any of the young guys.
“So having a coach like that, that really seen the success, he’s been there, he’s won a Super Bowl. So, he knows what it takes.
“At the end of the day, why not listen to him?”
Bryant’s even listening when Payton coaches his Broncos teammates.
“I like to step in just to hear what he’s saying,” Bryant said. “He says something to the lineman. I want to hear what he’s saying.
“So, just being a student in the game, especially coming in as a rookie, I just learned as much as I could.
BRYANT’S DEBUT WILL BRING OUT THE SUPPORT
Plenty of friends and family from his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla. will descend upon Bryant’s home here for the Broncos’ opener and Bryant’s debut — a whole house’s worth, to be exact.
“Basement, used up. Second floor, used up. Couches, used up,” he said.
“Just having them in my corner is special. Just having them come support me. No matter where we at, from Florida to Denver, they taking that trip, taking off work.”
Their presence this weekend is also a reminder of what he experiences when he’s at work, receiving the push from his coach to nudge him to his potential: that just as he’s part of a team, there’s a team that helped him reach this point.
Whether it’s through the support of his family or the prodding of his coach, Bryant knows that success takes a village. It’s gotten him this far. It’ll take him even farther.
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