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Letter to Coach Payton

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Posted 01-05-2008 at 03:47 PM by abutler

Coach,

First off, I want to thank you for helping to make this team believe in each other. In my opinion bringing a sense of family to a football team is the #1 ingredient to success and the only foundation that can support real development. If anyone is playing for themself then you won't have the committment necessary from your players to win in the ultimate team sport. For the first time ever, I see the Saints almost like a brotherhood. Drew has been a true leader and hats off to you and the players who truly understand why that is so important
You've got a huge following coach. So many players and fans believe in your abilities and are willing to back you through anything. A great deal of credit has been given to you for leading us to the NFC Championship for the first time in Saint's history. Thank you for that even though I've been on the other side of that notion a little. I got the feeling from how you approached that game that you were satisfied with just getting us that far. That hurt, especially since my brother and I were there to witness what we believed was the Saint's destined victory and first Superbowl birth. We knew our defense wasn't great, but Rex sucked! We were under the impression that the Saints would be there 3-5 days leading up to the most important game in team history to acclimate. Our hearts sunk when we saw you getting of the bus that Saturday evening. That was a fundamental mistake on your part as a rookie coach that hurt bad. It still hurts. We had finally made it! A championship can't and shouldn't ever be treated like any other game.
At the level you are competing at, I'm sure that the amount of work studying each game must exhaust you both mentally and physically. Continue to work hard but don't lose yourself in the labrynth coach. Always remember that successful football is about mastering fundamentals. Crispness and no turnovers! Most of the time in the 3rd quarter, and especially in a close game, a five yard penalty is not worth wasting a timeout over. Don't ever risk costing us the momentum with a challenge on an already successful play. It is a team accomplishment to earn that momentum! You can't risk being a stop sign when we're on the freeway! Stop second and third guessing yourself. When in doubt, think fundamental.
We lost too many games in the fourth quarter this last year. You and I both know that the Saints could have made the playoffs. We seemed to always be out of timeouts when it mattered most. Give us a chance coach. Preserve timeouts and kick a few more field goals.
Do you remember back when football was easy? You're still involved because you love the game. Try to go relax and find your happy place before game time. If we lose we should lose as a team, not because you tried to reinvent the wheel.
What's this quest for spark? Get that out of your head! RESPECT and ACCOUNTABILITY between teammates is all the spark you'll ever need! We're all brothers anyway and since we're teammates, we should act like it. When players hold themselves accountable out of respect for their teammates magical things happen naturally. ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPECT!
Forgive me for any nievity. I wish you and the team all the best. We want you around for 10 years coach. Try not to let your brain override your common sense. Take us back to the NFC championship. We have Faith that you can.


WHO DAT!

abutler
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Comments

  1. Old Comment
    hagan714's Avatar
    humbled a bit i am sure
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    Posted 01-07-2008 at 06:15 AM by hagan714 hagan714 is offline

  2. Old Comment
    hagan714's Avatar
    Payton has been humbled a bit this year. This is a good thing. We all, at one time or another, need to be knocked down a few pegs. Now lets see how he gets back up.
    permalink
    Posted 01-08-2008 at 06:25 AM by hagan714 hagan714 is offline
  3. Old Comment
    Maybe he'll let me try out for challenge analyst. That would be sweet. I'd do the Saints proud.
    permalink
    Posted 01-09-2008 at 04:27 PM by abutler abutler is offline
  4. Old Comment
    Memnoch_TP's Avatar
    Wait a minute, the last thing I read that you wrote said Payton needs to be a Coordinator and not a Head Coach because he needs "Supervision". Now you want him to be the coach for 10 years.

    Not only do you not know what you are talking about, you don't even know what you want. I know what I want, I want your posts to stop showing up on the main page of B&G so I won't keep thinking there might be some insightful commentary there and read it.
    permalink
    Posted 03-06-2008 at 03:41 PM by Memnoch_TP Memnoch_TP is offline
  5. Old Comment
    TOPFLYTE's Avatar
    The letter provides nice thoughts but lacks substance. Is this really what you would let the couch know if you had the opportunity?
    How about letting him know that the he needs a better conditioning couch and program? Too many injuries.
    How about a better defense?
    How about not giving away draft picks for a player like Schocky?
    How about asking: Jim Mora and Jim Hasslett both lead the team to playoffs in their first or second seasons, but then never seemed to get any better- Sean how will you not repeat this pattern?
    I have been a fan since the first game and I want a Super Bowl for us, what needs to happen to get that Coaching, front office, players?
    permalink
    Posted 12-27-2008 at 11:48 AM by TOPFLYTE TOPFLYTE is offline
 
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