Mark Clayton on Payton
 

Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
What he has going for him: He's a bright young coach who has a good offensive mind. Knowing that quarterbacks are the key to winning in the NFL these days, Payton has always worked well with quarterbacks. His offensive system has a nice mix of running and passing plays and would be conducive to developing a young quarterback such as Matt Leinart. He inherits a pretty good offensive line and a great running back in Deuce McAllister. That's a start.
The biggest issue: This might be the toughest of the head coaching opportunities. Because of Hurricane Katrina, the financial budget will be the one of the smallest. Who knows how many Saints fans will buy tickets to keep the Saints in town. He's probably going to go through a quarterback transition from Aaron Brooks to Leinart, the likely second pick in the draft. The coaching staff of assistants is young, and Payton will have to coach the coaches along with calling the offensive plays.


Clayton seems to think we'll draft Leinart