ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — For all his exploits last week at New Orleans that earned him his first career AFC Defensive Player of the Week honor, Denver Broncos linebacker Cody Barton couldn’t shake the one mistake he made.
“Yeah, the dropped interception,” Barton said Wednesday after he was honored for his standout performance that helped trigger Denver’s 33-10 rout of the Saints in coach Sean Payton’s return to the city he led to its only Super Bowl title.
“I’m proud of him,” Payton said. “Certainly when you look at the game, he was one of the guys on defense that got a game ball. It was a real good game for him.”
Barton recorded a half dozen solo stops among his eight tackles, had a sack, broke up a pass and scooped up a fumble that he returned for a 52-yard touchdown, celebrating by backpedaling into the end zone from about the 5-yard line.
It came after he dropped what he figured would have been a just-as-easy pick six.
So, he said what occupied his mind over the long weekend, which included a trip to Vail for his wife’s birthday and some hunting and fishing, was the one that got away.
“I mean, my wife gave me (grief) for it. My Dad called me. Everyone’s called me talking about it. Even guys today gave me” a hard time at practice Wednesday, Barton said with a laugh. “I made sure to catch some extra balls after practice. Zach (Wilson) threw me some balls. But yeah, that was definitely something that stuck with me all weekend. It was in my head.
“That’s OK, I’ll catch the next one.”
Not even his first career conference honor in his first season in Denver and sixth in the NFL could assuage his pangs of regret.
“No, it was just right there,” Barton said, putting his hands up in front of his chest and imagining catching the pass. “You guys all saw it. It’s one you don’t drop. But the next one I’ll catch, then I’ll feel a little bit better.”
Barton’s play has helped the Broncos (4-3) make up for the loss of leading tackler Alex Singleton to a torn ACL in Week 3. Ever since then, Barton has called Denver’s defensive plays.
“The good thing about this defense and something I love about this defense is everyone eats,” Barton said. “You don’t know whose day it is going to be. In this defense, everyone makes plays … It’s a lot of fun.”
Barton said his role in Denver’s top-5 defense is exactly what he envisioend when he signed a one-year, $3.5 million free agent deal last summer on the heels of a 121-tackle season for Washington, which followed a four-year run in Seattle.
Barton said he’s a big fan of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s aggressive style, which suits him so well.
“During free agency I envisioned this for myself,” Barton said. “I’ve just always believed in it. I believe in what V.J. calls and his philosophies. A lot of things defensively as a whole are comng to fruition.”
The Broncos signed Barton to replace Josey Jewell, who signed a three-year, $22.75 million deal with the Carolina Panthers after six seasons in Denver.
The Broncos host the Panthers (1-6) Sunday.
Notes: CB Patrick Surtain II remains in concussion protocol but practiced Wednesday for the first time since getting knocked from the Broncos’ Week 6 game against the Chargers on Denver’s first defensive snap. … Payton said DT Malcolm Roach missed Wednesday’s practice with a fever.
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