Defrocked Saints

I like sports.  It's part of the American culture, and at various times in my career, I've worked at a radio station in a sports capacity.

I know people don't usually follow me for sports takes, but I have been taking a lot of grief lately about my thoughts on a specific football story, and I just need to vent.

In the NFC Championship game, the LA Rams beat the New Orleans Saints 26-23 in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl.  It was a hard hitting entertaining game, but the game is only known for one play, the non-pass interference call on the LA Rams which the Saints are convinced was the difference maker in them going to the Super Bowl verses where they are now, staying at home.

It was a blown call.  Pass interference did indeed happen, but my point after the game was it wasn't the blown call which cost the Saints, rather New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton being one of the WORST coaches I've ever seen.  Since then, I've been attacked by rabid Saints fans.  I'm still 100% convinced Payton's stupidity and bravado is what defrocked the Saints.

Let me get three things out of the way.  First off, Sean Payton shouldn't even be a coach in the league, not after the insane Bounty Scandal.  Payton pooled together a slush fund to reward Saints players who injured opponents, hence fulfilling a 'bounty' on the opposing player.  The NFL had irrefutable evidence of this, and even after the league had informed the Saints organization they were being investigating, Payton continued with his on the field head hunting.  In the end, he was suspended for an entire season, but frankly, he should've never been allowed to coach at the pro levels again.

Second, the New Orleans Saints, led by one of the all time greatest quarterbacks in Drew Brees, should have at least three Super Bowl trophies, if not more.  Payton is such a bad coach he's wasted one of the all time great's careers, a guy in Brees who deserves so much more than what he's received with Payton.

Finally, Payton is a grade 'A' jackass.  He just is.  He loves being it.

Let me set the stage for why the Saints should've won against the Rams.  Late in the 4th quarter, the score was 20-20.  Drew Brees threw a 43 yard pass to get the Saints to the LA 13 yard line as the game hit the two minute warning (1:58 to be exact).

LA had only two timeouts, so if the Saints simply ran the ball three times, they would've burned off at least a minute of the remaining time, had a chip shot field goal to give them the lead, and then kicked the ball deep into Rams territory, giving them a minute and no timeouts to get down the field for a field goal to tie the game.

Running the ball three times at this point is not some bizarre strategy.  This is pretty much what EVERY other coach would've done.  That's not what Payton did.

The first down play was an ill advised incomplete pass which stopped the clock after only three seconds had expired (1:55), to which the Saints then took a timeout.  Second down was a run play for no gain, taking another 6 seconds off the clock (1:49).  LA had to burn a timeout at this point. Third down was the pass with the blown pass interference call.  A few things about this pass.  I originally felt the PI call wasn't made because the pass was not really catchable.  Even after watching the review I still think it was likely going to be an incomplete pass, OR the receiver Lewis would've had to step out of bounds to catch it, negating the pass and stopping the clock.  Even if he had caught it without pass interference, it was still a borderline first down, likely short, meaning they'd have to kick the field goal anyway.  Regardless, this 'incomplete pass' stopped the clock again, leaving 1:41 on the clock as the Saints kicked the field goal to take the lead.

Seventeen seconds.  That's all Sean Payton managed to burn off the clock, and even more egregious was him leaving the Rams with one of their timeouts.  That's mind boggling.  A decent coach would've left the Rams in a far tougher situation, but not Payton.

Then Saints fans want to forget how the Rams marched down the field, kicking a 48 yard field goal to tie the game with 15 seconds left.  They want you to forget the Saints won the coin toss for the ball in overtime and four plays later, the Saints offensive line allowed penetration which tipped a Brees pass into the hands of a Rams defender. Five plays later, the Rams kicked their way into the Super Bowl, a final drive the Saints failed to stop.

Sean Payton cost the Saints the Super Bowl, plain and simple.  He screwed up the series after the two minute warning, and then he allowed the Rams to tie the game, and then he watched as his team failed in OT.  The reason the Saints fans are focusing on the blown PI call is because it's easier to blame the officials as opposed to your own head coach for the loss.

To be fair, let me point out an even more boneheaded mistake from the NFL, albeit a team's single mistake as opposed to Payton's career of failure. The Chicago Bears could've rested their starters in week 17 of the regular season, allowing the Vikings to make the playoffs.  They would've destroyed the Vikings at home in the first round of the playoffs, instead of losing to the Philadelphia Eagles.  They then would've destroyed the Rams in the 2nd round, and would've likely beat either the Saints or Cowboys to get to the Super Bowl.  Instead, it was FAR more important for the Bears to make a regular season statement against the Vikings, as opposed to making a far more important statement in the playoffs.

Would've, could've, should've, but I will state (without a doubt) the Saints would be in the Super Bowl if not for the incredible ineptitude of Sean Payton.