Payton’s magnum opus

It’s going to perhaps go down as Sean Payton’s magnum opus of a coaching job, but it’s a shame the Los Angeles Rams couldn’t do their part.
But, par for the course considering the New Orleans Saints’ history with both the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.
The scenario was simple. If the Saints managed to win their Week 18 game against the Atlanta Falcons and the Rams beat the 49ers, New Orleans would manage to sneak its way into the NFC’s Wild Card Weekend.
The Saints did their part, managing a 30-20 road win over the Falcons to keep their hopes alive.
They did it in the same fashion they’ve managed most of the 2021 season. With a piece-meal offense spearheaded by Alvin Kamara, spotty quarterback play and relying on the defense for stops.
This was, despite it being on a team that finished 9-8, probably the best defense Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis had put together during their time together in New Orleans.
It had everything you could possibly want. There were down-to-ride emotional leaders in Cam Jordan, Demario Davis and Malcolm Jenkins. There were brash and fiery catalysts in Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Lattimore. It would stop the run, defend the pass and get a pash rush when needed.
It was perfect. The type of unit Drew Brees would’ve killed for in the vestiges of his prime. Had a unit like this one existed in Brees’ prime, there certainly would’ve been more than one Super Bowl win.
That wasn’t meant to be. And perhaps that’s OK.
There’s a thing a colleague and friend likes to call seasons like the Saints just had. He calls these “medicine seasons.”
The ones that you have to choke down to feel better in the long-run. There was no better example of a medicine season than this one. The Saints weren’t good this year. They weren’t enjoyable to watch. The personalities weren’t even there for the most part.
But, to win nine games despite all that was an accomplishment.
There will be lots of work to be done this offseason. There are questions at quarterback and needs at receiver.
I personally think Jameis Winston can lead this team to success, but regardless there is tons of work to do in the passing game.
There is, per usual, the Saints need to participate in its own personal Olympic sport.
I call it “salary cap gymnastics,” and Loomis has been a gold medalist at it for close to a decade now.
All things considered, this was the roughest winning season in the Payton Era.
But, for them to even be in playoff contention at the end of the season should be considered an accomplishment.
Moving forward, the franchise’s ability to rebuild the passing game and retain Assistant General Manager Jeff Ireland are essential to any success the Saints will have next year.