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I found this interesting and thought I would share this firsthand account from a Saints employee whose name I will not divulge.
After the season rumors were circulating around the Saints facility that, during a meeting scheduled to discuss last season’s woes, Spagnuolo was going to blame the defensive performance on the quality of players he inherited, effectively throwing the personnel department under the bus. The scouts therefore prepared players’ performance stats from the last couple of years to make their case. They were not going to say anything if Spagnuolo and Flajole kept quiet. At this time Payton was intending to give them another year. At the meeting however, Spagnuolo and Flajole went on the attack and the scouts went on the defense. Obviously Payton took the side of the personnel guys, cancelled his trip to Dallas which was scheduled for the next day, showed up at the Saints facility and fired Spagnuolo and Flajole.
After the season rumors were circulating around the Saints facility that, during a meeting scheduled to discuss last season’s woes, Spagnuolo was going to blame the defensive performance on the quality of players he inherited, effectively throwing the personnel department under the bus. The scouts therefore prepared players’ performance stats from the last couple of years to make their case. They were not going to say anything if Spagnuolo and Flajole kept quiet. At this time Payton was intending to give them another year. At the meeting however, Spagnuolo and Flajole went on the attack and the scouts went on the defense. Obviously Payton took the side of the personnel guys, cancelled his trip to Dallas which was scheduled for the next day, showed up at the Saints facility and fired Spagnuolo and Flajole.