tiggerpolice

The New Orleans Saints haven’t run one play in an NFL game under new coach Sean Payton, but I’m already impressed by what I’ve seen from him and his coaching staff.

Over the past few seasons, I have pointed out the Saints’ weaknesses numerous times and felt as though many of their problems were linked to poor coaching, conditioning and talent evaluation.

While Jim Haslett, the Saints’ former coach, and General Manager Mickey Loomis constantly disagreed with my assessment, apparently the new coaching staff’s opinion is similar to mine.

What’s interesting is Payton talked openly about the team’s conditioning, and wasn’t throwing bouquets to the overweight and under-conditioned athletes on this club.

"Poorly conditioned football teams get penalties," Payton said. "Being in shape is a must. You need to have stamina to play, and you need strength and endurance to have staying power in the fourth quarter. You have to have that aspect to win games in the fourth quarter. If you’re not in good shape, you’re going to lose."

Amen, Coach. That is what everyone who has an open mind about football has felt about the Saints the past few years. People who have covered this team for quite a few years can tell you that when the team flubbed plays in practice, those plays were not run over and over again to gain perfection. In the past, they just seemed to be thinking, "We will get it right during games."

That will not happen under Sean Payton.

Too many times the head coach and assistants held on to poorly conditioned athletes and underachievers in an attempt to deflect the blame for not making the right decisions on draft day or in free agency.

Again, I don’t feel like this will happen on Payton’s watch.

Another interesting point: One Saints assistant coach who felt strongly that the staff would be fired after the 2005 season, spoke privately -- but openly -- about players being out of shape and others having bad attitudes.

"This is just not a real smart team and one that has a number of players that don’t come to camp in good physical shape," the former Saints assistant said. "I don’t understand it at all. Maybe it is part of society today or the fact that we (as a staff) haven’t emphasized it strongly enough, but we just fall apart in the fourth quarter. When you aren’t smart and you are out of shape, you lose."

That same ex-Saints assistant also felt strongly that the new staff had to make a number of changes early on.

"I really don’t feel we (the Jim Haslett staff) will be back. But if in a one-in-a-million shot we return, we must get rid of certain players that just don’t understand the team concept. Before this team gets better we must find a way to rid ourselves of Wayne Gandy, Aaron Brooks, Joe Horn, Darren Howard, Mike McKenzie and Kendyl Jacox.

Those guys have to go and we must find a way to re-sign LeCharles Bentley. He is too good of a player to just let slide by, but I have no confidence Mickey Loomis will try and re-sign him."

A little over two months after Payton has taken over four of those six players are not on the roster anymore. And the ex-Saints assistant was right about Loomis not making a big pitch to re-sign Bentley, who is now in Cleveland.

I don’t know who the Saints will draft or which other player additions this team will make, but I have a good feeling that Sean Payton has the "it" quality to get the most out of the talent on hand.

I never could have said that about the previous regime.

http://www.houmatoday.com/apps/pbcs..../1032/SPORTS01