TallySaint

Payton having trouble completing staff


By SHELDON MICKLES
Advocate Sports Writer
Published: Jan 25, 2006




MOBILE, Ala. � First-year New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is facing some obstacles as he tries to put together a coaching staff around his only hire so far � defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs.

Payton announced Monday the hiring of Gibbs, who served the last four years as linebackers coach for the Dallas Cowboys, but he’s been blocked from talking to several other current NFL assistants by their teams.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis, who is attending Senior Bowl workouts with Payton and other members of the football operations staff, acknowledged Tuesday that teams are making it difficult on Payton.

“I don’t know the number,� Loomis said when asked if teams have denied the Saints permission to talk to their assistants. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s been several.�

The Tampa Tribune reported Tuesday that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would not let the Saints talk to Aaron Kromer, who joined the Bucs staff last year as senior assistant to coach Jon Gruden and assistant offensive line coach. The Bucs have typically not allowed assistant coaches under contract to talk to other teams.

The paper reported that Payton wanted to talk to Kromer, who signed a three-year contract when he went to the Bucs from the Oakland Raiders, about the Saints’ offensive coordinator job.

“That’s the climate that we’re in these days,� Loomis said. “Good assistants that are under contract, teams want to keep them � and I understand that.

“The rules are such that if you’re an assistant coach, no matter what the job is, as long as it’s an assistant coach teams have a right to deny permission if the guy is under contract.�

Loomis said Payton, who is conducting interviews here this week while scouting players that will participate in the 57th annual Senior Bowl on Saturday, has spoken with a number of candidates so far.

“I think he’s had some good conversations,� Loomis said, “but we don’t have anything to report at this time.

“We’ve had a lot of inquiries, but that’s pretty typical because this is the top of the profession,� he added. “A lot of guys want to coach in the NFL, so we do have a lot of inquiries.�

One name that popped up is Stanford defensive coordinator and secondary coach Tom Hayes, who was the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma from 1991 to 1994 when Gibbs was the head coach there.

“He’s a guy who’s name has come up, but I don’t know that there has been any formal interview or anything like that,� Loomis said. “He’s part of another staff and he’s working at another club or college.�

Loomis remained mum Tuesday on if Payton will keep any members of former coach Jim Haslett’s staff. While no official announcement has been made, offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard and defensive coordinator Rick Venturi will not be retained.

Five other coaches have already secured jobs on either the pro or college levels and Loomis said Payton has talked to several assistants from the Saints’ current staff.

Gibbs, who was the defensive coordinator on Nick Saban’s LSU staff in 2001, talked with Louisiana reporters on Tuesday for the first time after arriving in Mobile on Monday night.

He said early plans are for the Saints to continue using a 4-3 defensive alignment even though more teams are going to a three-man front � like the Cowboys did this season.

“There’s no question (the 3-4) is viable, all you got to do is look around the league and look at the teams that run it and the success they’ve had,� Gibbs said. “Surely, we transitioned there at Dallas a year ago and had some success, but it’s not really an issue with us here in New Orleans.

“Certainly we’re going to look at a variety of things in terms of our package, but we’ll probably maintain a 4-3 look and do some different things like everybody does around the league.�

Gibbs, who interviewed with Payton in New Orleans over the weekend and flew back to Dallas on Sunday, said he hadn’t had a lot of time to study the Saints’ defensive personnel yet.

“We’ve had conversations regarding different people, but haven’t had a chance to sit down and look at any tape anything like that,� he said.

Gibbs said the key to playing good defense is to stop the run and not give up big plays, two things that have plagued the Saints in recent seasons. They finished 30th out of 32 teams against the run in 2004 and were 27th last season.

Still, he said he didn’t know if stopping the run would be the top priority going into their first offseason together.

“I don’t know what’s No. 1,� Gibbs said. “No. 1 is just getting a group of players and coaches together, and everybody getting on the same page and understanding we’re in the business of winning.�



http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/s...d/2228456.html


8)

My Guardian Angel wears a hard hat.