New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - The Advocate How Saints build camaraderie? Some college trolling, real mascots and a smashed Purdue train

BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com Dec 14, 2018 - 9:19 am

During one of the Saints’ weekly meetings, Sparty, the Michigan State mascot, came bursting into the room.

The crazy thing is, it wasn’t a particularly surprising occurrence. Just the week before, someone dressed as the Purdue mascot greeted the Saints after the Boilermakers beat Ohio State.

Quarterback Drew Brees, a product of Purdue, went around the room on that day and handed out trains to all the players who attended Ohio State.

“Obviously they were heavy favorites," Brees explained, "and we beat them.”

Obviously, but the high didn’t last long. With Sparty in the house, it was Brees’ turn to pay the price after Purdue fell to Michigan State. Coach Sean Payton spared no expense. He flew in the actual mascot with its handler from East Lansing. Sparty smashed a Purdue train upon entering the room.

The Saints players loved the spectacle, but the level of detail wasn’t lost on them. It was one thing when Payton purchased a couple of mascot uniforms and had someone dress up in it. Bringing in the real deal to town was next level, which made them appreciate it even more.

“Sean does nothing half-assed, whether it’s game planning for a team or trolling against Ohio State,” defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said.

Payton has never been afraid of finding creative ways to motivate or reach his players. Finding new wrinkles and switching things up is essential when staying in the same place for more than a decade, even if the message becoming stale isn’t as prevalent as it once was with a young roster now in place.

But the best way to reach players has changed over the years. Payton has spoken before about being mindful of shrinking attention spans and the length of meetings. Players entering the league are different than they used to be, so the coaching staff has worked to find new and better ways to present information during the Wednesday meeting, something Payton called a “weekly project.”

“We’re teachers (at heart). And so what are the best ways to teach certain lessons?” Payton said. “Sometimes it might involve more video, a little bit more creativity now for these players where you’re not just putting up a chart or a graph. It might be a movie scene with some player’s head placed in the character, and yet there’s a message behind it that relates to a winning part of football.”

The way the Wednesday meetings look now compared to how they might have looked in 2006 or even a few years ago is different. The information is presented differently, and so is the attention paid toward creating an atmosphere designed to break up the monotony of the week.

Offensive tackle Terron Armstead has noticed how Payton is tailoring his approach to better reach the younger players on the team. The things the coach is teaching haven’t changed -- he’s still very particular about how things get done – only the packaging has.

And while those younger players might not know how things used to be, they appreciate having some elements of fun interjected throughout the week.

“It loosens everybody up, have everybody knowing know it’s fun still,” cornerback Marshon Lattimore said. “The season’s so long you can get bored real easy. It’s just fun having stuff like that. It’s really like a college atmosphere, but it’s still business at the same time.”

The mascots have been a big part of creating that atmosphere. Some of the players said they started to anticipate the weekly meeting because they were eager to find out what Payton had up his sleeve. The whole thing was elaborate. He would give a presentation on the history of the mascot, replete with GIFs and videos, and then bring it into the room.

Along with Michigan State and Purdue, Alabama and North Texas were also part of the mix. Some of the Ohio State players tried to arrange for Brutus to make an appearance but the logistics didn’t work out. The plan is to bring him to town if the school beats Washington in the Rose Bowl.

“It’s OK. Where’s Purdue right now?” safety Kurt Coleman said. “I think they’re 6-6. They’re going to Meineke Whatever Bowl. I think the Buckeyes are doing fine. They’re getting ready to go to the Rose Bowl.”

Purdue is actually playing Auburn in the Music City Bowl, but that’s not the point. The point is to talk a little trash and have some fun. The truth is, Coleman isn’t upset about anything. He loves it.

So do his teammates.

“It’s a special bond that we have. Those things add to these memories,” Coleman said. “I tell guys all the time; you don’t remember the wins and losses. What you remember are the times that you shared together with your brothers. Those are just some of the things we’re going to look back at and talk about those moments.”

This team will remember the wins and losses if it goes far enough in the playoffs. But more wins along the way could mean more mascots during college bowl season. That’s as good of a reason to win as any.