mjf150

I wouldn't exactly call it "sustaing a team that Holmgren built", when in fact there was a coach in between he and Holmgren, Ray Rhodes, who went just 8-8. If it was that easy to "sustain a team that Holmgren built", then Rhodes could have done it. Sherman took over the team after Rhodes, not Holmgren, and led the team to back to winning. Sherman went 57-39 and won three division titles in six seasons. That record is including the 4-12 that they posted this season when many of their starters, including Walker, Green, and Davenport, were placed on IR. In addition he had posted a winning record in all five previous seasons, and made four straight playoff appearances. How is Payton's record of turning a team around? Or sustaining a team, for that matter?

The facts are that Sherman took over a team that was mediocre ( 8-8 ) from Rhodes, which is what the Saints have been since 2001 and would have been this year had it not been for the hurricane, and brought them back to the playoffs and respectability. And that is exactly what this team needs.