I liked the idea but I think in the end this is for the best. Just get Payton and the coaching staff burn phones and call it a day...lol

I hope you guys are right. My reasoning is that Payton would not have asked if he didn't think it was needed and as fans, we have seldom questioned any move he has made over the years.

This can either be seen as good or bad. Bad because it'll put additional priorities on our in house coaches or good that we wont have the extra press that Parcells will bring but i'll wait to hear if this is official on espn.

Completely agree. Parcells walking into press conferences after games would have immediately gotten the room in control. Carmichael, Vitt, even Spagnuolo probably won't have that level of gravitas.

The big question now (for me) is: what is the mood of the coaches? How does the guy that does wind up moving into the role feel, knowing that he wasn't the first choice? How do any of them feel knowing that Payton, Loomis, etc. felt they needed to go out of the organization?

I just have a bad feeling that this wasn't handled well and could have made things worse rather than better...

It'll probably be a coach by committee.

Vitt is head coach during pre-season so everyone see's how it goes every week, and we'll prepare the exxact same way every week without Vitt.

Vitt's not a bad choice because he's been here forever and it allows Spagnoulo to concentrate on putting a new defense together. Vitt will provide continuity and consistency throughout the preseason.

When game 1 arrives, I wouldn't be surprised if Spagnoulo takes over as the interim-interim.
1. He's done it for 3 years already.
2. His defense should already be installed.
3. He'll be familiar with our routine since he'll have gone thru it for FIVE preseason games (thank you NFL).
4. The other coaches will all be familiar with him by that time as well.

It probably doesn't matter since someone is just keeping the seat warm until Vitt returns, who's just keeping that seat warm until Payton returns in 2013.

Pete Carmichael ! he can do it.

Does anybody besides me think that maybe, just maybe, there is a chance the Saints ASKED for that fifth preseason game, or that the league offered/gave it to them, because someone KNEW that the ***** was going to hit the fan with the bounty investigation, which was coming down the pike, and wanted to give the Saints more of a chance to get their act together, before the season started? Because it's pretty obvious that the preseason schedule was being made at the exact same time that the penalties were being decided internally, before they were released. Just sayin'. I think it's really good that we have that extra preseason game on the schedule, right about now.

I still think everything is still up in the air. I think Parcells is still a strong possibility. If not him I think they’ll take a look at a few other options out there besides someone in house.

Well Joe Vitt was 4-7 as interim coach of the Rams, and Carmichael was either 1-1 or 1-2 as interim coach of the Saints last year (depending on whether you count the Buccaneers game or not). I'll tell you what, I don't like this one bit. My gut tells me they really need to look at someone else, or we easily could be looking at 5-11 or 4-12 or worse... Better give Gruden a call, LOL.

:no:

I can't stand that guy. All that sneering for attention...

I'll bet that O-line coach Kromer takes the role of head coach until Vitt takes over after his suspension. That way Carmichael and Brees can focus on the offense and Spagn... Spags can focus on the defense.

By the way, Vitt doesn't make me comfortable as HC. He was underwhelming when he had HC duties in NO and St.Louis.