Larry Brown Sports

The New Orleans Saints had one of the worst defenses in the NFL this season, which of course reflects poorly on defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. It was a hectic year in New Orleans between the bounty scandal and the suspension of head coach Sean Payton, so it’s tough to judge anyone based on the past 10 months.

At least one Saints player feels as though Spagnuolo is to blame for a disappointing 2012 season. In speaking with the The Times-Picayune on Tuesday, the anonymous player reportedly gave an emphatic “yes” when asked if Spagnuolo deserved to be fired after a season in which the Saints set an NFL record for yards allowed.

“Players have no say in anything,” the player said. “It was (a) complete opposite from before where it was a simple D that players had lot of control and say. We couldn’t suggest (expletive)…Nothing ever changed. It was his way only.

“Don’t even get me started on lack (of) ability to adjust during games. Bad, bad, bad.”

On Wednesday, linebacker Jonathan Vilma ripped the player for making such a bold statement but being too much of a coward to attach his name to it. He also took issue with the paper for running the story.

“No. I’m bothered you reported it,” he told The Times-Picayune. “We’re not the Jets who run to the media for everything.”

Vilma said his issue was with the player remaining anonymous, not with the opinion he shared.

“That’s not the question or the point,” he said. “If he’s man enough to tell you, he should be man enough to put his name on it. And you should do the same.”

Fellow linebacker Curtis Lofton defended Spagnuolo’s system on Wednesday but acknowledged that it is more complicated that the one Gregg Williams had in place before him. He also blasted the anonymous player for acting like a “coward.”

“You definitely should put your name on it, especially with those type of comments,” Lofton said. “Whoever said it is a coward. … I don’t agree with those comments. I feel like if something like that needs to be said, go directly to the coach and talk that out instead or airing in-house business through the media.”

Via The Star-Ledger

Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints reportedly have agreed on a contract that will keep the head coach with the team for the next few years, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer first reported.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter says the deal is for five years, while CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman says the compensation is in the ballpark of Bill Belichick’s $7.5 million salary per season.

There had been speculation the past few months that Payton, who was suspended for the season because of the bounty scandal, might leave New Orleans after a contract extension he and the team had agreed upon was rejected by the league. Payton was mentioned in connection with with the Dallas Cowboys job, but Jerry Jones appears set to retain Jason Garrett as his head coach.

Payton has been with the Saints since 2006 and has gone 67-37 with them. He has led the team to four playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl win.

Without Payton as coach, the Saints are going through their worst season since an 8-8 finish in 2008. They had gone 37-11 the past three seasons and are 7-8 entering Sunday’s season finale.

After seeing the Saints without Payton, it’s hard to say he’s not worth that kind of money. Drew Brees has thrown the second-most interceptions of his career (18), and he has his lowest completion percentage (62.7%) since 2003. About the only upside to the suspension for Payton, besides having some time off, is that his bank account should see a nice benefit.

strong>Sean Payton is prohibited from having any contact of any kind with the New Orleans Saints this season. By definition, he is “prohibited from direct or indirect communication of any sort with employees of the 32 clubs, including through third parties; and such prohibited communications shall include, but are not limited to, phone or electronic contact.” While we’re not saying Payton has ever violated those terms, we have no way of knowing for sure.

Many people feel it would be naive to think that Payton hasn’t spoken to his team at any point this season. One of those people is New York Giants punter Steve Weatherford.

“Of course he will get his message to them somehow,” Weatherford and other unnamed Giants reportedly told the NY Times. “I’m not saying anything about Sean Payton as a person or anything, but I think any coach would do that. It’s not like he’s just going to sit at home and watch the games and not have any thoughts. His message will be heard.”

Weatherford could be right. Even if it’s through a person who knows a person who knows a person who talks to an assistant coach, it would not be surprising to hear that Payton somehow gives the Saints feedback after he watches the games. Rick Nelson, a counterterrorism and intelligence expert who works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the NY Times that there are a number of discreet options Payton could use to keep in touch with the team and there would be “very little” the NFL could do about it.

Whatever the case, the Saints are 5-7 and likely out of the playoff race. Even if Payton has been in contact with the team through some means during the regular season, it clearly hasn’t been enough to make a difference.

H/T Shutdown Corner

The New Orleans Saints traveled to Atlanta on Wednesday night to prepare for their Thursday night game against the NFC South-leading Falcons, and they received an unpleasant welcome from the city’s airport workers.

According to several tweets from Saints players, some Atlanta airport workers threw eggs at New Orleans’ team bus.

From backup quarterback Chase Daniel:

Wow, as we’re boarding buses on the Tarmac @ Atlanta airport, we start getting eggs thrown @ us by airport workers! Guess they do hate us!

— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) November 29, 2012

Tight end Jimmy Graham didn’t appreciate it:

Bus just got egged after landing in ATL by the ramp workers. Classy! “RISE Up” smh

— Jimmy Graham (@TheJimmyGraham) November 29, 2012

Linebacker Will Herring told the same story:

First time my bus has been egged by opposing fans! Tomorrow should be fun!!#WhoDatNation

— Will Herring (@wherring54) November 29, 2012

But wide receiver Joseph Morgan didn’t even mind their actions:

Read The Rest of the Story…

Brian Stropolo was scheduled to work Sunday’s game between New Orleans and Carolina as a replacement official, but the NFL pulled him from the game on Sunday morning after it was discovered that he is a Saints fan. The alternate official who travels with the crew will work the game in his place.

Stropolo is from Louisiana and is open about being a Saints fan on his Facebook page, which features several photos of him in Saints attire. The NFL was not made aware of his allegiance to the Who Dat nation until ESPN brought it to their attention Sunday morning.

Stropolo posted pictures of himself tailgating in Saints gear at an Aug. 25 preseason game on his page, where he is listed as an NFL side judge. According to ESPN.com, his status updates have been littered with comments from Saints fans such as “Hey, be nice with those yellow flags for our Saints!”

Between this incident, the game-changing calls and the countless complaints, the NFL may have to bring back it’s regular officiating crew sooner than expected.

The Saints currently have a championship-caliber roster but are without a head coach. As you know, Sean Payton has been suspended for an entire year as part of the Saints’ punishment for running a bounty program, effective April 1. New Orleans is one of the best teams in the NFC, but the loss of Payton for a season could set them back significantly. As the team looks for an interim replacement, Payton has reportedly reached out to Bill Parcells.

According to ESPN’s Chris Mortenson, Payton would be interested in having someone like Parcells with Super Bowl experience fill his shoes next season. The two worked together in Dallas from 2003-2005 when Payton served as an assistant coach under Parcells. One source said he believes Parcells would consider it but doubt it will happen.

“As a friend of Sean’s and a football guy, I’m sure he’d consider it but they’re talking about a lot of things,” the source explained. “In the end, I don’t think it would happen. It makes sense but it’s complicated.”

I’m not even sure this makes sense from a football standpoint. Parcells’ resume speaks for itself, but he’s the type of coach that comes to a team and takes over the culture. Parcells has had success with a number of different teams because he’s a tremendous football mind who expects a lot from his players. The Saints are looking for a temporary fill-in, not an authoritarian potential Hall of Famer like Parcells. They already have a good thing going in New Orleans and simply need to weather the storm. I’m not sure that’s a role that makes sense for Parcells.

Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

On Friday, Gregg Williams faced accusations surrounding an alleged bounty system that he had in place during his three seasons as Saints defensive coordinator. Darren Sharper, who played under Williams as a safety for the Saints in 2009 and 2010, has flatly denied those claims. While Sharper acknowledges that there were incentive-based bonuses doled out to players, he says they were only for clean, legal plays.

“I think this is something that, from when I got in the league in 1997, has happened thousands and thousands of times over,” Sharper told NFL.com. “It’s ridiculous that someone is trying to say that we made bounties on knocking guys out, when basically all it was is that when a guy gets an interception, then he might get paid. That’s something that guys do amongst themselves.”

It seems as if Sharper may want to get his story straight with Williams, who has already issued a statement acknowledging and apologizing for what the NFL’s investigation unearthed. Given that other NFL players who never played under Williams are essentially shrugging their shoulders at the allegations and calling bounty systems commonplace in NFL locker rooms, Sharper’s remarks come off as a little surprising.

H/T Pro Football Talk
Photo credit: Derick Hingle, US Presswire