Why 8-8 ranks among top achievements for Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints coaches

SmashMouth · 01-09-2022, 10:12 AM

One of coach Sean Payton’s favorite expressions that he lifted from mentor Bill Parcells is, “You are what your record says you are.”

But the New Orleans Saints’ 8-8 mark probably deserves a half-dozen asterisks and a few chapters worth of footnotes to fully appreciate it. The Saints can make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season Sunday if they beat the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers.

That would be a remarkable achievement, considering:

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees retired in March.

The Saints had to gut their roster, shaving $111 million to fit under the NFL’s reduced salary cap, then could barely afford to add reinforcements in free agency.

The team had to evacuate for Hurricane Ida in August and spend the first month of the season living in Dallas, while playing their first “home game” in Jacksonville against the Green Bay Packers (which the Saints won 38-3).

Superstar receiver Michael Thomas and kicker Wil Lutz were among those who never played a down this season because of injuries. Then, after the Saints got off to an unlikely 5-2 start, quarterback Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 8.

New Orleans has set an NFL record with 58 different starters used this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information, because of injuries, COVID-19 issues and suspensions. The offensive line was supposed to be the strength of the team, but All-Pro offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk and Pro Bowl guard Andrus Peat have missed a combined 25 games. The Saints have used four different starting quarterbacks and 10 different starting O-line combinations. And that total of 58 offensive and defensive starters doesn’t even include the four kickers they’ve used.

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01-09-2022, 10:12 AM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,550 Blog Entries: 29	Why 8-8 ranks among top achievements for Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints coaches One of coach Sean Payton’s favorite expressions that he lifted from mentor Bill Parcells is, “You are what your record says you are.” But the New Orleans Saints’ 8-8 mark probably deserves a half-dozen asterisks and a few chapters worth of footnotes to fully appreciate it. The Saints can make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season Sunday if they beat the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers. That would be a remarkable achievement, considering: Future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees retired in March. The Saints had to gut their roster, shaving $111 million to fit under the NFL’s reduced salary cap, then could barely afford to add reinforcements in free agency. The team had to evacuate for Hurricane Ida in August and spend the first month of the season living in Dallas, while playing their first “home game” in Jacksonville against the Green Bay Packers (which the Saints won 38-3). Superstar receiver Michael Thomas and kicker Wil Lutz were among those who never played a down this season because of injuries. Then, after the Saints got off to an unlikely 5-2 start, quarterback Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 8. New Orleans has set an NFL record with 58 different starters used this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information, because of injuries, COVID-19 issues and suspensions. The offensive line was supposed to be the strength of the team, but All-Pro offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk and Pro Bowl guard Andrus Peat have missed a combined 25 games. The Saints have used four different starting quarterbacks and 10 different starting O-line combinations. And that total of 58 offensive and defensive starters doesn’t even include the four kickers they’ve used. read more from Triplett Attached Thumbnails