Great SI article on Payton and the lost 2012 season (1 Viewer)

[reerunn]

Safety Roman Harper recalls Spagnuolo’s complimenting guys in meetings for doing things on the field that were counterintuitive to the directions they’d previously been given—and players cracking up about it.

“It was so funny,” says Harper. “Me and Vilma would be sitting there, and whatever Spags would say, we’d be like, ‘Yeah, O.K., coach. We got it. Whatever.’ Then we’d go out and do whatever we wanted on the field. . . . [People didn’t understand] how much fun we had during down times. We weren’t going to let the suspensions get in the way.”

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/08/n...gate-sean-payton-suspension-liberty-christian

 

[El Caliente]

Spazz was a really really really horrible hire. He ranks right up there with Carl Smith, Rick Venturi, and Mike Ditka.

I love this part

Ask the coach if a certain play was the same one he’d drawn up for Drew Brees and Marques Colston, and he’d flash a wry smile. “I don’t know,” he’d say. “Maybe it is. Maybe it’s not.”

You can just see him with his damn Cheshire Cat grin saying that.

 

[AARPSaint]

Great and insightful article, highly recommended.

 

[RKNSaint]

That's our coach and why we love him. Great motivator and rewards hard work and not to proud to get his hands dirty (or fill the water bottles).

 

[abnrgr]

Can’t help but think... what could have been if Parcels would have taken the Saints for a year?

 

[El Caliente]

Can’t help but think... what could have been if Parcels would have taken the Saints for a year?

Even bigger question is who wasn’t on board? In the article Parcells says that he would have done it if everyone in the room was on board, so who wasn’t on board?

 

[champ76]

Well written, non-judgmental article about a really, really good coach. We are so very lucky.

 

[Merl]

Safety Roman Harper recalls Spagnuolo’s complimenting guys in meetings for doing things on the field that were counterintuitive to the directions they’d previously been given—and players cracking up about it.

“It was so funny,” says Harper. “Me and Vilma would be sitting there, and whatever Spags would say, we’d be like, ‘Yeah, O.K., coach. We got it. Whatever.’ Then we’d go out and do whatever we wanted on the field. . . . [People didn’t understand] how much fun we had during down times. We weren’t going to let the suspensions get in the way.”

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/08/n...gate-sean-payton-suspension-liberty-christian

That explains why the league hammered the Saints as hard as they could.

 

[MRIGuy]

I found it interesting in this article that Parcells turned down the interim head coaching job in 2012 because everyone in the building wasn’t on board.

 

[El Caliente]

Rita Benson perhaps?

 

[SaintsJunkie]

Well written, although I would like to know what the defensive solution to the single wing

 

[DABOOT162]

Great read!

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

what was written was very interesting
what wasn't written was a sack of ****

 

[saints4eva]

This really got to me:

"Here, too, is the guy who still held a great affinity for the players and the team he left behind. During one sanctioned trip through the locker room that season—a game the league office permitted him to attend, escorted—Payton was “crying, all emotional,” says Harper. Staying away was painful."

I found it extremely upsetting knowing that Coach Payton was forced to be isolated from the players and active coaches in the NFL during his time of suspension. That was an extremely harsh punishment and I don't believe for 1 minute that it wasn't personal on the part of Rodger Goodell. It was obvious to me that Goodell was trying to break Payton in the most despicable way possible.

I cannot help but have the utmost respect for Sean Payton to have gone through something as egregious as that and come out the other side to where he is now. Very proud of him and the organization.

 

[AARPSaint]

This really got to me:

"Here, too, is the guy who still held a great affinity for the players and the team he left behind. During one sanctioned trip through the locker room that season—a game the league office permitted him to attend, escorted—Payton was “crying, all emotional,” says Harper. Staying away was painful."

I found it extremely upsetting knowing that Coach Payton was forced to be isolated from the players and active coaches in the NFL during his time of suspension. That was an extremely harsh punishment and I don't believe for 1 minute that it wasn't personal on the part of Rodger Goodell. It was obvious to me that Goodell was trying to break Payton in the most despicable way possible.

I cannot help but have the utmost respect for Sean Payton to have gone through something as egregious as that and come out the other side to where he is now. Very proud of him and the organization.

Most players who retire miss the camaraderie more than anything else. Sounds as though that goes for coaches as well.