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Appealing a suspension from a commissioner angry enough to kick a coach out of the league for a year might not seem like the smartest decision, but in Sean Payton's case, it was the right decision.

For Payton, his season is now. Simply accepting the decision to be suspended would have been foolish. Asking for an appeal to fully understand the parameters of the suspension gives all involved the chance to figure out how to get through what might be the craziest year in Saints history.

No coach in the NFL has been suspended for a season. Even though the investigation of the Saints' bounty system lasted three years, the organization had only 11 days to digest the impact. The team lost its head coach for the season, its assistant head coach (Joe Vitt) for six games and its general manager (Mickey Loomis) for eight games. It lost two second-round picks, and it could lose players to suspension.

The Saints need guidance for planning, and if Payton's suspension started Sunday, he would be out of the loop until the end of the 2012 regular season. With Payton and Loomis flying to New York on Tuesday to meet with the NFL, it appears the Saints aren't looking to challenge commissioner Roger Goodell's decision; they need to get answers to a few questions.

The most important one: How stringent will the commissioner be in enforcing Payton's suspension? Payton is not supposed to be in contact with people in the organization, but Goodell knows it's inevitable some contact will occur. Goodell doesn't want Payton coaching the team from home, and clearly that won't happen. Payton just needs to know what is allowed and not allowed.

With that information, Payton can make a recommendation on whether the Saints' interim coach should be hired from the current staff or from outside the organization. If it's the latter, it would probably result in the hiring of Bill Parcells to take charge this season. The Saints could also hire Parcells as an adviser.

The Saints needed to get a firm grip on the terms of their suspensions. It doesn't appear they are challenging the decision with hopes of overturning it.

NFL - Sean Payton's appeal makes sense - ESPN

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."