METAIRIE, La. – Perhaps the greatest testament to Sean Payton’s tenure as coach of the New Orleans Saints is that the franchise doesn’t feel doomed now that he has decided to step away.
Not to shortchange him – obviously it won’t be easy to replace one of the winningest coaches and greatest offensive minds in NFL history. But to say that Payton is leaving the Saints in a better place than when he first arrived in 2006 would be a colossal understatement.
Not only did Payton inherit a team that had won just one playoff game in 39 years, but they were coming off of a 3-13 record and had just evacuated away from New Orleans for a full season because of Hurricane Katrina.