Blame for Saints’ 0-4 start should be placed on Payton

By Chris Cluff  |   Tuesday, October 09, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

New Orleans Saints
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The New Orleans Saints are trying to figure out why they are 0-4 and how they can put the brakes on the losing before they crash into a top-five draft pick.

Certainly all of the players share a lot of the blame, but there is one guy who is more culpable than anyone: the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, Sean Payton.

Lauded in 2006 for his stunning turnaround of a team that had languished at the bottom of the league barrel for most of the past decade, Payton - more perhaps than any of his players - was guilty of falling into the "we've arrived" trap. He figured he could get his team to pick up right where it left off last season, when the Saints advanced all the way to the NFC title game.

But Payton, whose innovative playcalling was a big reason for the Saints' 2006 success, has made too many errors in judgment and has failed to recognize his team's - particularly his offense's - strengths and weaknesses.

How has he screwed up? Let us count the ways:

**First, he wasn't using Deuce McAllister enough before the big tailback got hurt. In 2006, McAllister was the cliched Thunder to Reggie Bush's Lightning. McAllister pounded the ball between the tackles, rushing for more than 1,000 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns, while Payton tried to get Bush in space by throwing him the ball (88 catches). Perhaps Payton wanted to prove to everyone that Bush could be an every-down runner this year, but he neglected McAllister too much. Of course, now it's too late.

**Payton also might have forgotten just how inexperienced his receivers are. Marques Colston was a breakout star as a rookie last season, but he still is very young and probably not the ideal No. 1 receiver. Devery Henderson has great speed but terrible hands. He is unreliable as a No. 2 receiver. The Saints definitely miss the veteran presence of Joe Horn, even though Horn himself was prone to immature acts on the field and also missed six games last season because of injury.

**Payton also has stayed with new kicker Olindo Mare for too long. Mare was supposed to be a big addition when the Saints acquired him from Miami in the offseason. But he has been hampered by a groin injury and has been terrible. Olindo has made just 3 of 7 field-goal attempts. His range is terrible, and he even had a 20-yard kick blocked last Sunday against Carolina - a play that ended up costing the Saints the game.

Payton knows he needs to reevaluate how he is using his players. He knows he needs to give Aaron Stecker more carries so Bush becomes more effective. He knows veteran receiver David Patten needs to become more involved to take pressure off Colston and lessen the number of chances Henderson has to screw up. Although, he apparently doesn't think he needs a new kicker.

"The answers to getting this thing turned around lie within this locker room," he told reporters.

"Obviously when you have a history with a player or players, you have an idea of what they can do," Payton said. "That being said, the players on the team are counting on ... you to put them in the best positions to be successful."

So far, Payton has not done that. And that, more than anything else, is why the Saints are 0-4.
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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding, ...
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