Should Sean Payton be on the Hot Seat in New Orleans?
If you were like me yesterday, you were closely watching the Buccaneers and Saints game. Obviously, there were many reasons to watch. Brady vs. Brees. The potential final game of Drew Brees career at home in New Orleans. Who would move onto Green Bay in the NFC championship game? The possibilities were endless. After it was all said and done, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took home the victory 30-20, knocking the Saints out of the playoffs.
The Buccaneers are one step closer to playing the Super Bowl in their home stadium 🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/zV6MjjinwS
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 18, 2021
So now, the New Orleans Saints are out of the playoffs once again. This is an unpopular opinion, but it’s one worth talking about. Would it be time to at least put head coach Sean Payton on the hot seat? Honestly, I think it’s time we had the discussion.
Drew Brees (Potential) Retirement
Drew Brees walks off the field at the Superdome for what could be the last time 🙏
(via @Saints)pic.twitter.com/T0xNcm2KVg
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 18, 2021
It seems all but certain that Drew Brees is going to retire. Brees and Payton have been together since 2006. They’ve been through the good and the bad, including their 2009 Super Bowl run together. But at this point, it looks like Brees is done in the NFL. The zip on his arm just isn’t there anymore and the Saints might need a new direction. If Brees is out, maybe Sean Payton would want to start a new adventure somewhere else. Just a speculation, but hey, crazier stuff has happened.
The Inconsistencies
You might think this is crazy, but Sean Payton has not always had successful seasons with the Saints. Of the 15 seasons, 6 of those seasons have resulted in .500 or less. Now granted, 2012 is a pass because Payton wasn’t around after his role in “Bounty Gate”. So 9 out of 15 seasons went extremely well, yes. But look at the results. Six of those times, they lost in the Wild Card or Divisional round. The last four seasons, they’ve failed to reach the Super Bowl. A few of those instances, they’ve had bad luck. I’ll give Saints fans that. But other than that, they just simply haven’t produced in the big moments.
One Super Bowl in 15 Seasons
The Saints for the most part have been a very good regular season team. But with all of their talent, they should be making more Super Bowls. Sean Payton has been at the helm for 15 seasons now. He’s won one Super Bowl. One! Let that sink in for a second. I’m not saying Payton is a lousy coach. But when you only win the big game once in 15 years, maybe it’s time to get some new leadership in there. You can only blame talent so much and try to bring in more talent to a certain point. Maybe a change at the helm could be exactly what the Saints need going forward.
In Conclusion
Sean Payton is a very good NFL head coach. That’s not what this is about. Coaches have their runs eventually end. Doc Rivers with the Celtics. Claude Julien with the Bruins. Bill Walsh with the 49ers. The list can keep going on and on. If the Saints decided to move on from Payton, it would be a big shakeup. Should he at least be on the hot seat? I think so. Will he be? Probably not. But it’s at least worth mentioning. Plus, he could get another head coaching job with a snap of the fingers. Hope you’re ready for at least one change, Saints fans. Because more than one change could be on the horizon.
-Al Nahigian (@BigAl2793)
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Feat. Image courtesy of cnn.com/