Broncos coach Sean Payton has designs on a more rugged training camp

New Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has designs on a more rugged training camp than his predecessor Nathaniel Hackett.

Hackett operated what came to be known as "Camp Cupcake" last summer with walkthroughs, jog-throughs and no-contact days dominating the schedule in hopes of maintaining the team's health. It backfired as the Broncos lost a slew of players during a 5-12 debacle that cost Hackett his job before the season was over.

Payton has scoffed at the notion of ditching 7-on-7 drills in training camp or holding starters out of preseason games as Hackett did, saying players need to get their bodies calloused at practice and participate in the preseason to really get ready for the grinds of the 17-game schedule.

Veteran safety Kareem Jackson, who's entering his 14th NFL season, said he's never worked under a head coach more focused on strength and conditioning as a foundation.

"A lot of the head coaches have so much other stuff going on" that they don't get involved with the training, Jackson said. "But you know, just seeing how involved he is with it and how much he harps on it in meetings and things like that, I think it's pretty amazing."

Payton's parting message to his players last month at the end of OTAs was not to stray too far from their conditioning during vacation lest they fall out of shape by the time the real evaluation begins late this month.

"I'm anxious to see what kind of team we have," Payton said a month ago after the last OTA practice. "There are a lot of things that can dictate that, especially in the first four weeks of the season. To the conditioning level, to the strength, to the running, and to the offseason program, I like where we are at now."