Underhill on Payton (1 Viewer)

[TomThomster7]

This was a hellish season on everyone, including the fans. You can't help but think there is also aggravation from how his team is treated by the league office. That would wear down anyone, it is constantly double standards when it comes to the Saints. Covid ruined a game and now the NFL seems to not care about covid come playoff time. That is incredibly upsetting IMO.

But this is nothing but rambling from a nutty conspiracy theorist.

 

[Saint Jack]

I’m not doubting that we’re near the end of Payton’s career. He’s been in the League for 16 years and you’re starting to have to go back to the 60s and 70s to see someone with the same longevity with one team (besides Belechick).
I have a hard time believing he’ll leave town this soon without any notice.

 

[60minutes]

I mean, Ian has “reported” this AT LEAST 4 times since 2015. At what point do we finally say casually “jumping the gun” crosses the line into bad reporting? We seriously haven’t gotten there by now?

Maybe he’s right this time, but I think he’s way past getting the benefit of the doubt.

And has Underhill actually ever defended Rapoport, or is that just speculation? I haven’t seen Underhill do that, but I could be wrong.

4 times = 3 in a 1 week period - Dec. 27, 2015 and Jan. 3/4 2016 PLUS yesterday’s report. So, in essence, you have two reports—the first at the end of 2015/beginning of 2016 when speculation was rampant across league that Payton was leaving (Niners and Dolphins were big two with Giants also *reportedly* interested) until he announced on Jan. 6 2016 that he was going to be here as long as the team would have him. And the other is this latest report. It is not as if there are 4 reports spread over 4 different seasons. Now honestly, “committed” is not necessarily the word I would use because I think it is a bit charged, and I have repeatedly said Ian’s reporting can be sensationalistic. But yesterday’s report is not inaccurate.

As for Nick defending Ian, I said he “would” defend him and I said it for a reason.

With as much time and energy as you're putting into defending Rapoport, me thinks Rapoport has been your inside source all this time. It makes sense, since you have claimed to have information about other teams that someone inside the Saints organization wouldn't necessarily have.

Also, Ian doesn't seem as concerned about his reputation as a reporter as you seem to be.

I put time and energy into almost every post. Always have. Just my nature to explain things in detail. But a few things:

1. Ian is not and never has been my source.
2. I do not work inside the Saints organization although it wouldn’t be hard for someone in one organization to have insider info on another. A lot of these individuals are friends and/or former colleagues/employees of one another/other teams so they are able to get info. For example, Jeff Ireland was able to tap his former sources with Miami to get intel on Brian Flores. In addition, a lot of these teams hire each other’s family—so Ted Philips’s son works for the Saints and Mickey Loomis’s daughter ironically does marketing for the Bears.
3. I am not concerned with Ian’s rep. When he has been wrong, I’ve said so. This is an instance where he is not even if I don’t care for the story being written and his delivery.

60minutes has been on this forum for a long time and has consistently been a source of reliable information when it comes to the team. Whether in this instance you like the content of that information (I don't; I want Payton to see out his contract and hope that he ultimately will), it doesn't diminish the fact that as at today's date there are some legitimate questions being asked about his future in the league on the basis of seemingly credible information that has now been reported by several media outlets.

Thanks. I appreciate it. Thing is, I’m not upset because I know it is tiring for Saints fans. Every year almost, same narrative from some corner of the league or another. My only point was that Ian’s report, at least this time, was accurate. At the same time, I wish he had not written it because it does fuel speculation and splash reporting. And at some level, it becomes what Nick suggested is happening—folks trying to interpret Sean’s silence.

I’m not doubting that we’re near the end of Payton’s career. He’s been in the League for 16 years and you’re starting to have to go back to the 60s and 70s to see someone with the same longevity with one team (besides Belechick).
I have a hard time believing he’ll leave town this soon without any notice.

No, he will not leave without notice and reality is I think he is back. He was burnt out, he took some time away. But in doing so, the approach was different than usual and he has not been communicative. So, it has caused people close to him to wonder. But I tend to believe when you are burnt out, and are trying to get your groove back, sometimes it is necessary to switch up the routine. Throughout his career, Sean has mastered reinvention—with small things and approaches. And in the past week, I’ve seen things that give me confidence that not only will he be back but he will be back with more vigor and a vengeance.

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

What makes this story especially alarming is that Payton is the team's de facto general manager when it comes to building a team and making personnel decisions.

Is Payton's apparent angst an indication that he knows the team is in no position to compete because it has no quarterback and, in the words of Aaron Rodgers, Payton has no interest in a rebuild?

Increasingly, the most impactful moment for the New Orleans Saints since their Super Bowl win was Kansas City trading up one spot ahead of the Saints in 2017 to pick Mahomes.

 

[60minutes]

What makes this story especially alarming is that Payton is the team's de facto general manager when it comes to building a team and making personnel decisions.

Is Payton's apparent angst an indication that he knows the team is in no position to compete because it has no quarterback and, in the words of Aaron Rodgers, Payton has no interest in a rebuild?

Increasingly, the most impactful moment for the New Orleans Saints since their Super Bowl win was Kansas City trading up one spot ahead of the Saints in 2017 to pick Mahomes.

I do not think this is the case. I guess in a sense there is some validity to it in the sense that Sean knows he needs a quarterback and he is not interesting in rebuilding. But I think he would tell you both that we do have the team to compete for a SB and just need solid play/stability at QB and that our core is young and in its prime so there is no need for a rebuild. But this is truly more about burnout after Sean spent his wheels throughout the season. I think two things: Sean will return and either through draft, free agency, or trade he will get the QB he believes can lead us to the SB.

As for Mahomes, man, it is crazy in retrospect. But there were crazy things that led up to that draft that literally change the course of history.

 

[woohoosaint]

I'm not in the "Payton is leaving" camp...but he's not exactly addressing the issue via media/social media.

 

[RaginCajun83]

I'm not in the "Payton is leaving" camp...but he's not exactly addressing the issue via media/social media.

He doesn’t need to

 

[NewOrleansBoy]

What I worry is that the constant and increasing pages on this thread and around sports media will somehow actually make what is originally speculated to actually manifest into reality.

 

[BayouSAINTJoe]

This is freaking nuts...there's no credibility in anything that has been reported so far.

Reporter A speculates something
Network B runs story of Reporter As speculation
Network C runs story of multiple outlets (Network B, Reporter A) reporting speculation

This is some BS dredged up to bury the officiating story, that's all this is

 

[woohoosaint]

He doesn’t need to

Oh I definitely agree with that.

I think that Payton is probably amused by this whole thing.

 

[Saint Jack]

Oh I definitely agree with that.

I think that Payton is probably amused by this whole thing.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s using this as leverage to get an even bigger contract with FOX for when he eventually retires.

 

[kizzy821]

What I worry is that the constant and increasing pages on this thread and around sports media will somehow actually make what is originally speculated to actually manifest into reality.

Sean Payton would rather spontaneously combust than have the sports media scoop his story. That man takes sweet delight in their wrongness. The more they say he's going to do something - the less likely he is to do it.

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

60minutes, would you agree that by next Monday (if not by Friday) we will all know? I cannot imagine Payton skipping the Senior Bowl if he intends to return.

And of course, for Payton to have a productive time in Mobile, he will need to spend substantial time with the college personnel people before Monday. He can't simply spend 30 minutes reading Walterfootball and show up? The line between success and failure in the NFL is absurdly small. A head coach skipping the normal postseason review process (if he did) and attending the Senior Bowl without doing the requisite homework (especially a head coach as involved in the draft as Payton) would be more than unsettling.

 

[Thunderchild]

This infests every facet of the 24 hour news cycle. Denzel had a great statement about it.

Great clip. "If you don't read the paper, you're uninformed. If you do read the paper, you're misinformed." Loved it.

 

[Thunderchild]

seemingly credible information that has now been reported by several media outlets.

Great post except for this. There has been no seemingly credible information reported by anyone. The only thing that comes close is that there is a dearth of information, as reported by Ian and Nick. But nothing tangible or credible beyond that.