(Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
The down and distance, the spot on the field, the defense they’re anticipating — everything has been talked through, dissected, drilled and factored into the game plan. All that remains is the call.
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton looks down at his creation, a two-sided, color-coded and laminated play sheet with a few notes scribbled onto it in marker. The choices are extensive, the writing so small that it is hard to read. The play clock ticks as Payton quickly calculates the variables and lands on what his preparation and intuition tell him is right. He aims to relay the call to quarterback Drew Brees with at least 19 seconds on the play clock, giving him a buffer before communications are cut off at 15 seconds.
“Going into the games, he’s so well prepared,” Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael said about Payton. “The situations come up and arise, and he knows exactly where he wants to get to on the call sheet.” ...
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