More often than not, a team takes on the personality of its head coach.
Ask around, and folks will tell you they’ve enjoyed seeing the “old” Sean Payton back this year. The fiery head coach who chews out officials, hi-fives players, and runs along the sidelines fist pumping after big scores like he’s the Ultimate Warrior has been quite a spectacle.
For a while, during the three consecutive 7-9 seasons, people wondered if that coach still existed.
It was widely assumed that Bounty Gate had sucked all of the oomph out of Payton, and the Saints had been left with a stale Doppelgänger imitating the coach who had become known for the phrase “Do Your Job”.