Letter to Coach Payton

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