THE WAR ROOM

The Boss is back in New Orleans

Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 6:02 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 6:02 p.m.

Make no mistake about it Saints fans, the Boss — Sean Payton — is back.

It pleasantly surprised me that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell decided to reinstate the formerly exiled head coach of the New Orleans Saints before Super Bowl Sunday.

I can understand why because Goodell really does want to dust his hands off from an issue that has been front and center for the league for almost a year.

He does not want to answer questions on Payton’s return to the game when the NFL’s biggest event is happening the same week and in the city most affected by his actions.

The NFL has not handled the “BountyGate” issue very well, and it has become obvious that the issue between the Saints coach and Goodell has turned into a personal one between the two parties.

Give Goodell full credit for helping the region and Saints fans for making sure the team stayed in New Orleans in 2005 when there certainly was a moment in time in which the owner of the team was certainly looking around for another destination.

In defense of Tom Benson no one knew what would happen in the days, weeks and months after Hurricane Katrina, but the efforts of the NFL, and in particular Roger Goodell and then NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, were extremely helpful in making sure the Saints stayed in New Orleans, and we also can’t overlook the work of former Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco in making sure the Louisiana Superdome was given the funds it needed to be refurbished.

But the punishments Goodell gave out in the spring of 2012 were way over the top and it shipwrecked the 2012 season for the Saints.

Goodell has made his point and also gotten the trump card he eventually will play in a courtroom in Philadelphia when this gigantic lawsuit put upon the league by former players on head trauma issues will be put in front of a jury.

This lawsuit could potentially have money settlements in the hundreds of millions of dollars and every NFL owner may well have to dig deep into their coffers to pay off.

It could be described as potentially the “sports version of the tobacco lawsuit” and if lost will affect the NFL financially like nothing before it.

Goodell has some high moral ground to stand on by saying that he has done everything he can to clean up the game and make it as safe as it can be.

He will tell the jury that he was not the final voice for many of the years in question, but under his time at the helm, the league spent a considerable amount of the money to aid former players, give former players better access to doctors about head and head-trauma issues, he cracked down and suspended players on what he considered unnecessary blows to the head, and that when he was given information that a team had a pool of money for big hits and knockdown shots (the bounty situation) he tried to put a stop to it.

He can say when he tried to stop it and suspend players, coaches and front office people that the players tried to fight him every step of the way.

The suspension of Payton had all to do with a personality conflict between the two and also it was the league’s way of playing to a jury that has yet to be seated.

If Goodell wants to finally put the “BountyGate” issue to bed he should give back the Saints second-round pick in 2013 that was stripped from the team.

That would finally put closure on this long and drawn out nightmare season for New Orleans.

The damage has already been done.

To take away a second=round pick in 2012 and suspend the head coach for a season, the assistant head coach for six games and the general manager for half a season is plenty enough and was way too much to begin with.

Many outside our region believe the punishment was suitable for the accusations and one day we will find out more about the issues that are being contested, but right now Payton and the Saints organization can’t do anything about yesterday.

All they can worry about now is today and tomorrow.

I remember asking Mike Ditka when he was down working for a Mississippi casino before taking the Saints head coaching job what he learned from his time away from the game.

“I learned that if you live in the past, you will die in the past,” Ditka said. “You have to move on and learn from past experiences. I see too many people bring up comments and accusations about things in the past and it’s 20/20 hindsight. Move on. It’s small minded. The successful people in life learn from mistakes and events of the day. People will repeat things you say and have done from years back and hold it against you. I argue with my wife every day, but we get along, and we don’t keep harping on the negative. We sometimes don’t agree, but we get over the pettiness of something said or done in that moment in time. They have a lot of people who know things ahead of time, if you listen to them. If that was the case they would have a lot more millionaires from the stock market. The urgency to win was always there for me and certainly I was competitive, but if I get another shot to coach again, I know the window to win will be small. People will quickly forget what we did in Chicago. I have to make it work and work fast or someone else will get that shot.”

I thought about that quote after Payton was reinstated and within hours of being back fired defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive backfield coach Ken Flajole. Watching a team give up the most yards (7,042) ever in an NFL season and the second most points in the NFL this season (454), sealed Spagnuolo’s fate and while talent is still void from this team in a number of spots, the scheme and Spagnuolo’s way of dealing with players didn’t go over well with more than a handful. For the Saints and Payton, they know the window to return to a Super Bowl with a mid-30’s Drew Brees is closing, and he must rebuild his defense and fast.

The first order of business for Payton was to make the move at defensive coordinator and also make the shift to the 3-4 alignment. The key to this move from the players on the current roster is if Brodrick Bunkley can play the noseguard spot in that 3-4. Bunkley is built to play the spot.

He is very strong and he has always been noted for being tough against the run. That spot has to be put in place first before you move on to another position.

If Bunkley is the correct man in the middle, the Saints have their two starting defensive ends in Cameron Jordan and Akiem Hicks. Both are good young prospects with some football sealing yet to be hit and both can get a good push with their pass rush skills.

At the two inside linebacker spots David Hawthorne and Curtis Lofton would seem to be good fits in this new alignment. But the two people that would benefit the most would be defensive ends Martez Wilson and Junior Galette. Both players are built for and best suited to play the outside linebacker slots in a 3-4 scheme and both have flashed good edge pass rush skills.

The Saints would still need a stellar pressure man at outside linebacker and that could come from the draft either from Barkevious Mingo from LSU if he is available, Dion Jordan from Oregon or even LSU’s Sam Montgomery in Round 1 of April’s draft.

Depth would be needed at noseguard and defensive end, but pieces of the 3-4 alignment would already be on the roster and the new defensive coordinator would have to make sure he meshes their talent to the new scheme.

That is the key. Yes, the Saints need another edge pass rusher at outside linebacker, more depth along the defensive line, a ball hawk at safety and quality depth at cornerback, but some pieces of the new alignment could already be on the roster if they are used to the best of their abilities

After Payton secures his new 3-4 defensive coordinator the first order of business has to be to get a quality offensive line/running game coordinator and get left tackle Jermon Bushrod signed.

Payton is signed to a new 5-year deal which gives him security, and the fact that a host of assistants from Payton’s staff from the past in Curtis Johnson, Doug Marrone and Dennis Allen have left the team and gotten head coaching jobs either in college or the pro ranks speaks volumes for attracting quality assistants with options.

While Bushrod is not an elite left tackle, he is a good starting left tackle and one thing for sure, Brees wants him back to protect his blind side. If the Saints can come to terms with Bushrod they would have every starter back from the 2012 group and also two redshirt rookies in offensive guard Andrew Tiller and offensive tackle Marcel Jones back on the roster.

There is little debate that right now Payton is the best state-of-the-art-offensive playcaller in the game today, but he needs to fix this defense and fast.

He knows he has enough offense to get back to pro football’s biggest game, but right now he needs to find the right defensive wizard to coach up the existing talent on his team and blend in new elements via free agency and the draft. Right now he needs that experienced 3-4 defensive coach that will squeeze all the Vitamin C out of the defensive talent he has on hand and also give his insights on people that will properly fit his system.

In the NFL there are about 7 to 10 players on each team that would perform at the same level no matter where they played, but the remaining players perform their very best in the right “fit” spots for them. Let’s hope Goodell gives the team back its second-round pick in April, and he closes this 2012 nightmare for good and allows the Saints get back to the business of football.

Payton talks and acts like he can’t and won’t live in the past for a season he can’t do anything about, but he can make the necessary changes defensively he needs to make and now because for him and the team the Future of the Team.

The Boss is back and be rest assured changes have come and more will in the very near future.

<p>Make no mistake about it Saints fans, the Boss — Sean Payton — is back.</p><p>It pleasantly surprised me that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell decided to reinstate the formerly exiled head coach of the New Orleans Saints before Super Bowl Sunday.</p><p>I can understand why because Goodell really does want to dust his hands off from an issue that has been front and center for the league for almost a year.</p><p>He does not want to answer questions on Payton's return to the game when the NFL's biggest event is happening the same week and in the city most affected by his actions.</p><p>The NFL has not handled the “BountyGate” issue very well, and it has become obvious that the issue between the Saints coach and Goodell has turned into a personal one between the two parties.</p><p>Give Goodell full credit for helping the region and Saints fans for making sure the team stayed in New Orleans in 2005 when there certainly was a moment in time in which the owner of the team was certainly looking around for another destination. </p><p>In defense of Tom Benson no one knew what would happen in the days, weeks and months after Hurricane Katrina, but the efforts of the NFL, and in particular Roger Goodell and then NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, were extremely helpful in making sure the Saints stayed in New Orleans, and we also can't overlook the work of former Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco in making sure the Louisiana Superdome was given the funds it needed to be refurbished.</p><p>But the punishments Goodell gave out in the spring of 2012 were way over the top and it shipwrecked the 2012 season for the Saints. </p><p>Goodell has made his point and also gotten the trump card he eventually will play in a courtroom in Philadelphia when this gigantic lawsuit put upon the league by former players on head trauma issues will be put in front of a jury. </p><p>This lawsuit could potentially have money settlements in the hundreds of millions of dollars and every NFL owner may well have to dig deep into their coffers to pay off. </p><p>It could be described as potentially the “sports version of the tobacco lawsuit” and if lost will affect the NFL financially like nothing before it.</p><p>Goodell has some high moral ground to stand on by saying that he has done everything he can to clean up the game and make it as safe as it can be. </p><p>He will tell the jury that he was not the final voice for many of the years in question, but under his time at the helm, the league spent a considerable amount of the money to aid former players, give former players better access to doctors about head and head-trauma issues, he cracked down and suspended players on what he considered unnecessary blows to the head, and that when he was given information that a team had a pool of money for big hits and knockdown shots (the bounty situation) he tried to put a stop to it.</p><p>He can say when he tried to stop it and suspend players, coaches and front office people that the players tried to fight him every step of the way. </p><p>The suspension of Payton had all to do with a personality conflict between the two and also it was the league's way of playing to a jury that has yet to be seated. </p><p>If Goodell wants to finally put the “BountyGate” issue to bed he should give back the Saints second-round pick in 2013 that was stripped from the team. </p><p>That would finally put closure on this long and drawn out nightmare season for New Orleans. </p><p>The damage has already been done. </p><p>To take away a second=round pick in 2012 and suspend the head coach for a season, the assistant head coach for six games and the general manager for half a season is plenty enough and was way too much to begin with. </p><p>Many outside our region believe the punishment was suitable for the accusations and one day we will find out more about the issues that are being contested, but right now Payton and the Saints organization can't do anything about yesterday.</p><p>All they can worry about now is today and tomorrow.</p><p>I remember asking Mike Ditka when he was down working for a Mississippi casino before taking the Saints head coaching job what he learned from his time away from the game. </p><p>“I learned that if you live in the past, you will die in the past,” Ditka said. “You have to move on and learn from past experiences. I see too many people bring up comments and accusations about things in the past and it's 20/20 hindsight. Move on. It's small minded. The successful people in life learn from mistakes and events of the day. People will repeat things you say and have done from years back and hold it against you. I argue with my wife every day, but we get along, and we don't keep harping on the negative. We sometimes don't agree, but we get over the pettiness of something said or done in that moment in time. They have a lot of people who know things ahead of time, if you listen to them. If that was the case they would have a lot more millionaires from the stock market. The urgency to win was always there for me and certainly I was competitive, but if I get another shot to coach again, I know the window to win will be small. People will quickly forget what we did in Chicago. I have to make it work and work fast or someone else will get that shot.”</p><p>I thought about that quote after Payton was reinstated and within hours of being back fired defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive backfield coach Ken Flajole. Watching a team give up the most yards (7,042) ever in an NFL season and the second most points in the NFL this season (454), sealed Spagnuolo's fate and while talent is still void from this team in a number of spots, the scheme and Spagnuolo's way of dealing with players didn't go over well with more than a handful. For the Saints and Payton, they know the window to return to a Super Bowl with a mid-30's Drew Brees is closing, and he must rebuild his defense and fast.</p><p>The first order of business for Payton was to make the move at defensive coordinator and also make the shift to the 3-4 alignment. The key to this move from the players on the current roster is if Brodrick Bunkley can play the noseguard spot in that 3-4. Bunkley is built to play the spot.</p><p>He is very strong and he has always been noted for being tough against the run. That spot has to be put in place first before you move on to another position. </p><p>If Bunkley is the correct man in the middle, the Saints have their two starting defensive ends in Cameron Jordan and Akiem Hicks. Both are good young prospects with some football sealing yet to be hit and both can get a good push with their pass rush skills.</p><p>At the two inside linebacker spots David Hawthorne and Curtis Lofton would seem to be good fits in this new alignment. But the two people that would benefit the most would be defensive ends Martez Wilson and Junior Galette. Both players are built for and best suited to play the outside linebacker slots in a 3-4 scheme and both have flashed good edge pass rush skills.</p><p>The Saints would still need a stellar pressure man at outside linebacker and that could come from the draft either from Barkevious Mingo from LSU if he is available, Dion Jordan from Oregon or even LSU's Sam Montgomery in Round 1 of April's draft.</p><p>Depth would be needed at noseguard and defensive end, but pieces of the 3-4 alignment would already be on the roster and the new defensive coordinator would have to make sure he meshes their talent to the new scheme. </p><p>That is the key. Yes, the Saints need another edge pass rusher at outside linebacker, more depth along the defensive line, a ball hawk at safety and quality depth at cornerback, but some pieces of the new alignment could already be on the roster if they are used to the best of their abilities</p><p>After Payton secures his new 3-4 defensive coordinator the first order of business has to be to get a quality offensive line/running game coordinator and get left tackle Jermon Bushrod signed. </p><p>Payton is signed to a new 5-year deal which gives him security, and the fact that a host of assistants from Payton's staff from the past in Curtis Johnson, Doug Marrone and Dennis Allen have left the team and gotten head coaching jobs either in college or the pro ranks speaks volumes for attracting quality assistants with options.</p><p>While Bushrod is not an elite left tackle, he is a good starting left tackle and one thing for sure, Brees wants him back to protect his blind side. If the Saints can come to terms with Bushrod they would have every starter back from the 2012 group and also two redshirt rookies in offensive guard Andrew Tiller and offensive tackle Marcel Jones back on the roster.</p><p>There is little debate that right now Payton is the best state-of-the-art-offensive playcaller in the game today, but he needs to fix this defense and fast. </p><p>He knows he has enough offense to get back to pro football's biggest game, but right now he needs to find the right defensive wizard to coach up the existing talent on his team and blend in new elements via free agency and the draft. Right now he needs that experienced 3-4 defensive coach that will squeeze all the Vitamin C out of the defensive talent he has on hand and also give his insights on people that will properly fit his system.</p><p>In the NFL there are about 7 to 10 players on each team that would perform at the same level no matter where they played, but the remaining players perform their very best in the right “fit” spots for them. Let's hope Goodell gives the team back its second-round pick in April, and he closes this 2012 nightmare for good and allows the Saints get back to the business of football.</p><p>Payton talks and acts like he can't and won't live in the past for a season he can't do anything about, but he can make the necessary changes defensively he needs to make and now because for him and the team the Future of the Team.</p><p>The Boss is back and be rest assured changes have come and more will in the very near future.</p><p>NFL analyst Mike Detillier lives in Raceland.</p>