WhoDat!656

In a season of unprecedented circumstances for the New Orleans Saints I seek to offer some precedence. Love him or hate him, Sean Payton is without question the greatest head coach in New Orleans Saints franchise history. He has given the Saints faithful what seemed to be the impossible in his six seasons as head coach: four winning seasons, three division titles, five playoff wins, and a Super Bowl title.

Coach Payton is member of a very elite group of men: Super Bowl winning head coaches. 46 Super Bowls have been played since 1967 and only 28 head coaches have won the title, Sean Payton is one of them. Only five of these elite head coaches are still active and still with the franchise where they won the title, or titles. In just six years, he truly has achieved icon status in New Orleans. Unfortunately, the Saints must replace coach Payton; thankfully it is only for one season.

Many franchises have faced the daunting task of replacing their iconic coaches with varying degrees of success. For successes see: the Pittsburgh Steelers (twice). For failures see: the Washington Redskins (for 20 years now).

Which category will the Saints fall into for the 2012 season? Well, let's see what the past of other franchises tells us about the Saints future.

Follow The Leader: How Teams Have Fared Without Their Iconic Coaches - Canal Street Chronicles

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