Imagine this: A comment I made on my talk show on WWL sparked opposition!
There was a time I recall saying over the stretch of a few years that Saints Coach Sean Payton seemed to be “going through the motions” and that what seemed to lack was a “fire in the eyes” mentality toward getting the Saints back to the Super Bowl. Those comments motivated some to agree with me and some to disagree with me.
It all began when Senior Producer Ian Hoch celebrated the Broncos’ win over the Bills and expressed hope that Sean Payton and the Broncos would go on to win the Super Bowl. I disagreed and said I don’t want Payton and the Broncos to win, even though I was on the air in Denver and a Broncos fan while living in the Mile High city.
With total respect for Sean Payton as a coach and a teacher and with admiration for all he has done with the Broncos and 2nd year QB Bo Nix in just 2 years, I am pulling for the New England Patriots to win the Conference Playoff game this coming weekend and stop Payton and the Broncos from getting to the Super Bowl. In the world in which we live today, many people think that if you are against someone then you must hate them. No, that’s ridiculous. I can hope the Broncos don’t make it to the playoffs and STILL respect and appreciate Sean Payton as an excellent coach.
As I remember it, Sean Payton had reached a point where he needed a break from football. Who would not understand that? I did. But I feel like Payton used the Saints doing a year of game analysis on TV and then after only one year a break jumped right back into football as head coach of the Broncos. Now, I do not blame Payton for wanting to move on to a bigger market, but I do feel like he realized the task of rebuilding the Saints after Drew Brees had retired was too great and it would be easier to build somewhere else. I wondered on the show today if Payton’s desire to build a winning team elsewhere was based on his relationship with the front office. Could the control that VP Mickey Loomis has over player personnel have had something to do with Payton's decision to leave the Saints and build elsewhere? Payton obviously did not want to try to build up a winning team in New Orleans, where Jameis Winston seemed to be the follow-up to Brees.
When I talk about the years that Payton seemed to lack the fire to get the Saints back to the Super Bowl after winning it in 2010, I’m referring to the 2012 through 2016 seasons when the Saints had 4 7-9 seasons in 5 yrs. Payton was suspended for the team offering bonuses to players that injured opposing players in 2012, but 4 out of 5 years the Saints were 7-9 and failed to make the playoffs. The years we made the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl ended in Wild Card or Divisional games and once in the Conference Championship. During the 12 years Payton was with the Saints after winning the Super Bowl the Saints only came close to getting back to the Super Bowl one time. And now Payton is on the verge of taking the Broncos to the Super Bowl after just 2 years. As a Saints fan I just feel like New Orleans wasn’t exciting enough for Sean Payton and maybe the fan demand to get back to the big game wasn’t intense enough. I don’t blame him for wanting to go to a larger market, but I just felt like he didn’t leave the Saints with honesty or dignity. That’s just my opinion.
With the Broncos’ starting QB-sensation Bo Nix out with a season-ending ankle injury, the task of beating the Patriots gets tougher, but Payton is a coach that can overcome obstacles.
I was also on the air in Seattle, where I became a Seahawks fan and I’m pulling for the Seahawks to beat the Rams and make it to the Super Bowl, but the Rams are a great team and beating the Rams will not be easy.
In sports, it’s okay to hope one team beats another team. It’s only sports. It’s not politics or a life or death situation. It should not be a big deal that I would rather the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl than the Broncos, but I won’t be surprised if the Broncos win because Sean Payton is a hell of a coach!