Can Drew Brees carry New Orleans Saints sans Sean Payton?
 

How the New Orleans Saints will respond to losing their head coach, Sean Payton, for the season is the main plotline the team’s bounty scandal pushed into the upcoming season.

In their “Double Coverage” segment, NFL AM’s Steve Wyche and Mark Kriegel disagree over whether the Saints will stumble out of the gate without Payton and while assistant head coach Joe Vitt serves his six-game suspension.

Can Drew Brees carry New Orleans Saints sans Sean Payton? - NFL.com

They all act as if Bree's is alone in this. Theres a whole team galvanized around him plus, Pete Carmichael will do a fine job of calling the Offense while Spags runs the Defense. Like I said before, this is the ship that Sean built and Captained, now hes going to watch from the pier, as it sails off, and ya know what, its gonna sail just fine, b/c he trained these guys.

We have a rocky road ahead in my opinion. For 6 games Vitt will be suspended. Mickey Loomis will be suspended for half the season. Carmichael is, in my opinion, the play caller UNDER Sean Payton. I believe SP makes final decisions game-time.

We killed the Colts under Carmichael last year, then again, little sisters of the poor could have killed the Colts last season.

The Rams game displayed the Saints in total disarray with central leadership. Sean Payton had to return as soon as possible.

It may be harder than we think. Yes the team can rally around players for a game or two, but it's very hard in the NFL when you lack your leader, in this case Sean Payton.

After that initial burst of emotion, I wonder how many weeks it will last and if there'll be a hangover effect...

Keeping things "even", "steady", and "focused" will be key...

I think they'll do fine for one season and may make some noise in the tournament, but we need Coach Payton back...

Goodell is wrong to not apply this justice to all teams that have engaged in this practice and not be willing to allow the evidence to be made public and exposing same to scrutiny...

When Gil Favor went away for awhile he left Rowdy Yates who was the ramrod to assume trail boss position. It was still Gil Favors drive just Rowdy took over and got the cattle where they needed to be on time every time. Gil Favor taught his ramrod and drovers how to drive a heard of cattle successfully with or without him. Thats the difference between an ok cattle driver and an excellent one like Gil Favor.

He's going to have to.

Agreed. It's all we have.
That doesn't make me exude with confidence we'll go all the way.

Did Kriegel realize that the players are adults, big boys who do not only rely on one person? Sure, Drew Brees' importance in the team grew since Payton does not coach the team for this season. But he is not the only one taking each players' hand and bring him to the field! What did the Saints do in 2009 after Katrina hit the city? They were fighting, fighting because they did not want to stay down on their knees. In my opinion, this is exactly what they are going to do this season! If all works out fine I don't know. Nobody can, not even Payton would! But they are going to give the best they have.

The only little concern I really do share with Kriegel is the matter of fact that the entire game relies on Brees. But this is a situation we have for years now. As far as I remember, if a team knows how to disturb Brees passing we lost. What happens if he gets injured? Then, again, not even Payton could help.

But other than that I am positive that the team will work hand in hand and work hard for success.

I have to ask something, because we do get good information from the NFL here in Germany, but if it really goes into details we are lost ;): What is next year? Does Sean Payton come back or not? Is he just suspended by the NFL or by the Saints also?

He comes back. Its just a 1 year suspension.

Thanks for the info, dude! That is in fact good news. And with Drew Brees staying for the next 5 years we should not be too concernded. As I said before, you never know how the season really comes out for us, but the two most important guys, Payton and Brees, will stay. Good enough.

On the other hand, does anybody really thinks that Payton spends that year in Cancun on the beach, drinking cocktails and just sit and wait until the year is over? NO WAY!!! I am pretty sure that he has his ear and his eyes right by the team and always exactly knows what is going on. It does not matter who stands on the sideline acting as coach. I guess Payton does it all in the backround. Anybody disagreeing? ;)