The Denver Broncos desperately need a general. They got one in Sean Payton, a head coach who is known to be disciplined and committed to the cause, almost to a fault.
His return to a head coach role in the NFL shocked some New Orleans Saints fans, who knew how committed he was in the role with the Saints. How could he leave New Orleans, where he was loved and had plenty of success, only to return to the game after one quick year off?
The answer to that question is complicated. Because Payton did love New Orleans, and he was committed. But burnout became very real as the Saints faced devastating loss after devastating loss in the postseason. Fans felt the pain of those losses, but Payton poured early mornings and late nights into the Saints success, only to see it whipped away season after season.
Often, those losses felt at least in part like bad luck. Some felt it was poor officiating, and some even felt it was targeted by the league or some other nefarious, uncompetitive bias. One study even showed the Saints ranked as an extreme outlier in penalties drawn, an unexpected result since the scheme was pass- and offense-first, where the rules typically had been engineered to favor.
Fans weren't the only ones up in arms.
Sean Payton saw the study, and blames Roger Goodell for his end of road with Saints
That aforementioned study was sent to the league office by Payton, as was revealed in a cover story on the now-Broncos head coach from Seth Wickersham of ESPN (subscription required).
The article goes on to explain that Payton's 16 years and in particular, the excruciating losses despite the intense preparation, had burned him out. He admitted that the battles with the league and perceived bias in how the Saints were officiated, the "jump balls" as he described them, wore on him.
On that topic, Payton said, "I think it starts with Roger [Goodell]," more or less blaming him for the burnout he experienced at the end of his time with the Saints.
Had the Saints gotten a few of those calls to go their way, perhaps they win another NFC Title and have a shot at a Super Bowl. Maybe they win the whole thing. Those what-ifs likely haunt Payton, because they sure as heck haunt Saints fans.
Ultimately, it's what led to his burn out and pushed him out to a season of TV commentary, and eventually back to coaching.
Of course, Payton was under contract with the Saints still, but both sides had moved on. New Orleans took its draft compensation from the Broncos -- since they needed to waive the rights to Payton -- and moved on.
Now, the fire burns in Denver for the football-obsessed head coach.
And no, neither the league office or Goodell addressed Payton sharing the study, according to
Wickersham.
