Saints coach Sean Payton has issued a challenge to his team with a new slogan
Over the years, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has used catchy slogans to help motivate, inspire and establish a strong mindset for his team.
Two immediately come to mind:
▪ Finish Strong (2009).
In 2008, the Saints finished 8-8 and last in the NFC South, losing five games by three points or fewer and a sixth by five points. The following year they won their first Super Bowl In franchise history, preserving leads and overcoming late deficits in impressive fashion.
▪ Do Your Job (2012).
Payton borrowed these words from Bill Belichick to motivate his team as he served out a one-year suspension for his role in the Bounty gate scandal. A huge photo of the absentee coach with the motto written underneath hung in the team’s indoor practice facility all season long. The message fell on deaf ears as the team finished 7-9 under interim coaches Joe Vitt and Aaron Kromer while yielding the most yards in NFL history (7,042).
Speed forward to this season.
Faced with lofty expectations after reaching the league’s Final 8 last season, Payton delivered an upbeat message to his team prior to the start of training camp:
“Prove them right!’‘ Payton implored.
In other words, national pundits and prognosticators believe the Saints have what it takes to contend for league honors, so “prove them right!’‘
With that mind, here are five things the Saints must do to “prove them right:”
▪ Find a steady, reliable player to complement second-year running back Alvin Kamara during Mark Ingram’s season-opening four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug usage. Payton has a handful of candidates — Terrance West, Shane Vereen, Trey Edmunds, Boston Scott and Jonathan Edwards.
▪ Find a complementary edge rusher on the right side for Pro-Bowl defensive end Cam Jordan. A healthy Alex Okafor, No. 1 draft pick Marcus Davenport and Hau’oli Kikaha are the top candidates.
▪ After Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr., Payton is looking for a few good men to assist the passing game. Free-agent pickup Cameron Meredith, rookie Tre’Quan Smith and Brandon Coleman are the top candidates. Meredith comes to New Orleans from Chicago after missing the entire 2017 season with a knee injury.
▪ Free agent middle linebacker Demario Davis (three years/$24 million) is being counted on to stabilize the middle of the Saints 4-3 defense. He has proven to be a durable player, not missing a game since entering the league as a third-round draft pick in 2012.
▪ Two veteran free agent DBs loom large this season — S Kurt Coleman and CB Patrick Robinson. Both are experienced, versatile players who can help a young, promising secondary reach its full potential.
If the Saints do these five things, they have an excellent chance of not only proving others right but themselves as well.
This story was originally published July 27, 2018 at 2:33 PM.