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NFL Twitter Loses It As Sean Payton Tries Onside Kick On 1st Play As Broncos Head Coach

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Sean Payton walks the field before a Denver Broncos game.

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Sean Payton kicked his tenure in Denver off with a bang, pulling out an onside kick on his first play as head coach. The attempt worked but was ultimately called back for a penalty.

The trickery has NFL fans talking on social media.

Payton arrived in Denver this offseason with the Broncos hiring him following a failed project with Nathaniel Hackett. Despite landing All-Pro passer Russell Wilson, the team went just 5-12 last year.

Hackett was fired midseason, and the team finished dead last in the AFC West for a third straight campaign.

Payton was selected as the replacement in the Mile High City following a fantastic tenure with New Orleans. Over the last few years, he’s been out of coaching, working as an analyst for Fox Sports.

Now, he’s back in the coaching game, and he looked to make a statement on his opening kickoff.

The onside kick is nothing new to Payton. He famously used the trick play to kick off the second half of the Saints’ Super Bowl win over the Colts in 2010.

The NFL world immediately reacted on social media following the attempt.

While Denver did recover the onside kick, the “Sean Payton special” was overturned due to an illegal touching penalty. The head coach will look to win his first game on the sidelines, though his team currently trails 7-6.