Sean Payton makes his return to New Orleans on Thursday night. After the greatest 15-year run in the history of the franchise, he decided to step away from coaching. He took a year to reset and took the job with the Denver Broncos. Since then, the Saints have struggled to recreate the success he helped sustain. We asked the 1045 ESPN staffers with some black and gold in their veins how they feel about Sean Payton today. Here’s what they had to say
T Bob Hebert, Co-Host, Off the Bench: Sean Payton had a huge hand in giving me the favorite NFL memories of my entire life. Who doesn’t remember how it felt when the Saints got good in 06? Or what it was like watching that 2011 offense overwhelm the NFL? Who doesn’t remember EXACTLY where they were when the Saints won the Super Bowl? So yes, I am still very thankful to Sean Payton for those times, BUT that was then, and this is now. The bottom line is that Sean Payton saw the writing on the wall post Brees and left you in the lurch. Do I think he was genuinely tired and wanted a break? Yes. Do I also believe that he wanted out of New Orleans? Yes. And so even though you may have valid reasons, if you break up with me, we can remember the good times BUT I’m not going to treat you well. So, I feel of Sean Payton how one feels about a former love. There were a lot of good times, but I can’t help but harbor resentment for how it ended, and who you chose to get with next.
Charles Hanagriff, Co-Host, Live at Lunch: John Madden once said that 10 years was about the max time a head coach could stay in an NFL job before the message got stale. He said that in the 1970’s, and it’s been true way more often than not. NFL head coaching jobs are not Supreme Court appointments. In fifteen seasons, Sean Payton brought more success to the Saints than every other coach in team history combined…by a big margin. He outlasted Madden’s template by 50 percent. I wish he was still there, but I don’t hold against him his desire for a reboot. Now if he had left to coach the Falcons…
Jordan Kitchens, Producer, Live at Lunch: The way I feel about Sean Payton right now is vastly different than how I felt less than two months ago. Yes, Sean Payton helped save the franchise and brought glory to the city. But he also left the team high and dry after a horrendous offensive 2021 season. He played like he was “taking a break” but came back the very next year. There was nothing but HATE for Sean Payton but… he can right his wrongs Thursday. By simply destroying Dennis Allen in primetime and putting the nail in the coffin of a FAILED regime and freeing the city of New Orleans from a nightmare. I can only dream.
Jacob Beck, Audio Producer, The Hunt Palmer Show: I’ll always be grateful for how many good years the Saints had with Sean Peyton, as all Saints fans should be. But there’s no getting around the way he left the team high and dry when it was clearly headed for a rebuild/needed a new quarterback. I guess we Louisiana sports fans are used to coaches winning championships, leaving and then returning to coach in the same league, but man it sucked to see Peyton leave when he could’ve endeared himself to fans forever by sticking it out even in a time of uncertainty. Now there will always be a segment of the fanbase who will remember him more for leaving when the going got tough as opposed to leading the team to its first Super Bowl win and the playoffs nine times.
Matt Musso, Audio Producer, After Further Review: How do I feel about Sean Payton today? Eternally grateful. We all know the story. He comes to New Orleans when nobody wanted to after Hurricane Katrina and took on the impossible along with Drew Brees and immediately turned it around in year one taking the franchise to heights it had never seen before. Two years later he accomplishes the impossible and brought a Super Bowl Title to New Orleans. After Bountygate and some lean years, he leads the Saints on an incredible five-year run where they won more games than any team in the NFL and would’ve won a second Super Bowl if not for that abomination of a referee crew in the 2019 NFC Championship Game (2018 season). He rebuilt the Saints not once but twice. Sean Payton is the Golden Era of the New Orleans Saints. He is the greatest coach in franchise history and always will be no matter what any other accomplishes. Do I wish he was still coaching in New Orleans? Absolutely! You can wish he was still here and still be grateful for what he accomplished. Sean Payton should be cheered and welcomed in New Orleans on Thursday night. Boo the current regime instead.
Paul O’Neill, Video Producer, After Further Review: There should be absolutely no hatred for Sean Payton in New Orleans, EVER!!! Sean Payton is the best and most successful head coach this organization has ever had. He brought this city its first and only Super Bowl championship. Payton took a job in New Orleans after one of the biggest natural disasters in our country’s history, restored that team basically overnight and had them in the NFC Championship in his first season. Payton and Drew Brees had the most dominating offense in the NFL for nearly a decade. I don’t blame him for ‘retiring’ when he did. The thought around Payton, being from the Bill Parcells tree, was that he wouldn’t be a football lifer. He would exit when the time was right. There was always chatter that he would be interested in coming back to coaching when the time was right as well, and that’s exactly what happened. No, many didn’t think he would come back after one season away. Part of the resentment some Saints fans have is because of the lack of success New Orleans has had since Payton left. I do wonder where this organization would be today if Payton had stayed with the Saints. I would have loved to see Payton draft his QB of the future and bring New Orleans on another magical postseason run. Sean Payton was here for 15 years and that was the best time to be a Sains fan. I’m grateful for everything he did for this organization, this city and this state. When Sean Payton returns to New Orleans on Thursday night as the opposing coach, he should be greeted with cheers, praise and thank you’s. I wish Sean Payton nothing but success as he continues his coaching career….except when he plays against the Saints. Thank you, Sean Payton!
P.S.
I hope the Saints dominate and win by 100
Matt Moscona, Host, After Further Review: I will only ever have love and admiration for Sean Payton. What the organization is now without him should be a clear reminder to all of what he meant. The Saints were one of the worst organizations in professional sports before Payton and Drew Brees arrived. This is an organization whose play-by-play man exclaimed, “There is a God after all,” when the team won its first ever playoff game, 33 years into its existence. Sean Payton made the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl champions! He should be canonized! And this doesn’t even take into account the post-Katrina context of what he meant for the city and region.
Sure, he got burned out and left. So what? He gave Saints fans the greatest memories of our lives. That will always be more than enough for me to be forever grateful.
