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Former Indiana and Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight once said, "The key is not the will to win. Everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that is important."

To be well prepared for victory a team must have a teacher that can utilize his skills as a communicator to clearly get his points of emphasis across to the team each week. One of the reasons Knight kept his practices closed to outsiders was because he felt the basketball court was his classroom, which meant no visitors, no interruptions.

Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh used different approaches to get his point across, from acting as a bell hop greeting the players for their first Super Bowl appearance to laying on the floor of the locker room before sending his team off to play in their second Super Bowl. Walsh knew he had to mix up his approach or risk boring his students, who in turn would tune him out.

Sometimes the words spoken are not as important as the delivery or approach in getting out the message. And as Yogi Berra once said, "You can observe a lot by just watching."

As the wins keep mounting for the New Orleans Saints and head coach Sean Payton, he is faced with a unique challenge each week of making sure his team does not become too comfortable, too relaxed and always hears his message. Like all great teachers, Payton thinks of different ways to make his point.

The week before the Saints' big game against the Patriots last month, Payton used a fascinating method to deliver his self-scouting analysis of his own team. He informed his players at his regular Monday meeting that on Wednesday Patriots coach Bill Belichick would be speaking to the team.

Everyone thought it was a joke. And it was. Payton showed up and performed his best Belichick impersonation, down to the cut-off hoodie, and with a PowerPoint presentation, broke down his team in a very Belichickian manner.

Everyone in the room knew these were Payton's evaluations -- not Belichick's -- but as the presentation wore on, the players became fascinated with the information, fascinated with the delivery that captivated their attention. The presentation was critical of the team's overall play -- from individual players, to units, to even Payton and his coaching staff.

Payton was able to send a very specific message -- his message -- that was received, not as criticism, but rather as motivation because, after all, this was Belichick, not their coach, attacking them. Within 10 minutes, Payton had gotten his team to embrace his message, and his players were determined to fix the problems that were identified ... by the opposing coach.

On Sunday, Payton was able to keep his players fighting when they faced what seemed like insurmountable odds in the final two minutes against a determined Redskins team. Never did they panic, never did they stop fighting and never did they concede their winning streak was going to end. They hung around, not playing their best game on defense, but they did what they had to do to win the game in come-from-behind fashion.

Now Payton has more material to make another PowerPoint presentation and work on his side job as an impersonator.

Watch out, Frank Caliendo.

Payton's coaching could help Saints achieve perfection

Rugby Saint II

Maybe he should bring Jeff Dunham in.