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

spkb25

i agree with a lot of what he had to say. with lecharles though i don't think we could resign him. he did not want to come back here and on top of that he wanted to play for the browns. also they over payed for him. i wanted to keep lecharles but not for that kind of money. the rest of what he said i agree with. i already said that payton scares me with his voice. the guy is real serious and real direct. i also like having kept joe. i am looking from the outside in so maybe there is something about joe we don't know.

any of you guys have an idea what that could be? should we trade him?

Your team stinks

TheDeuce

spkb, I agree with you about Bentley. The Browns had the luxury to WAY overspend for him because they were second in the league in available cap space. With some of the contracts we have on this team, spending that much money on a center (which has been uneard of in the NFL) was just not an option. Is he a great player? Yes. Is it easy to blame the FO for letting him go, especially for the national media? Yes. Do they deserve any blame? No. Only a team with a very good cap situation can afford to take a gamble like that.

LKelley67

The ex-asst comments sound precisely correct. I might have liked to have seen more or bigger additional personnel moves. I cannot have any significant criticism of any of the decisions thusfar however. Some we won't know until it comes to game time though.

Brees- risk certainly, but the kinda guy you do wanna bet on (vs. the erratic Leon)

LB shakeup- At least they brought is some new faces. Weren't most of us scratching our heads this time last year- the same old failures. Work or not, I like the movement to try and get your best group on the field.

OT- Brown to LT is a great move IMO. His draft profile had him as a potential LT. Anybody drafted #13 overal should be able to do that. It opens up the draft strategies all the more too. Payton has stated more OL will be brought in as well.

I thought the out of shape-penalties comments were on target too. Kinda a things aren't going to be like they have been statement.

pakowitz

lol Leon lol classic

LKelley67

You do remember Leon from the Bud commecials doncha Pak?

http://leon.budweiser.com/leon_home.html

"My personal favorite moment came during the 1995 playoffs. We were down 14-10 in the final two minutes of the game and who gets the call? Leon. It was a call from my publicist, Tina, who had just landed a sweet photo op with me and the cheerleaders after the game."

pakowitz

yea i remember him... thats y i laughed... its great!

BrooksMustGo

Conditioning has been a huge issue for this organization. Hopefully Payton can get it fixed. It would really be nice if Payton could get something positive out of Sullivan--not that I'm holding my breath on it though.

TheDeuce

I won't be either BMG, but it is refreshing to see a regime who takes the fundamentals of the game seriously. It seemed a lot of times with Haslett's crew that they just expected the players to do the small things without ever instilling that feeling of discipline that a good coaching staff should. I would love to see Payton get all over Sullivan and tell him that if he doesn't pick it up RIGHT NOW, that he doesn't have a spot on this team. I love his no-nonsense approach and I love how he seems to be focused on all of the little things that Haslett just ignored.

gandhi1007

I like it too. Reminds me alot of his mentor, Bill Parcells (without all the cursing & throwing stuff).