One day after being fired by the Denver Broncos, Joe Lombardi didn’t mince words. He offered a candid explanation of how the decision unfolded and pointed to what it was like working for Sean Payton when his mind was set on change. Payton called the plays, and Denver failed to convert a critical fourth-down attempt in the second quarter, a decision Payton later admitted he regretted. Lombardi said he never felt like Payton was putting the blame on him:“Well, we made it to the AFC Championship,” he said. I just think Sean wanted to go in another direction.”Former NFL head coach Jay Gruden didn’t see it the same way.