New Orleans Saints: Sean Payton, Jerry Jones And The Cowboys

The Cowboys are in rebuilding mode after firing head coach Wade Phillips earlier this week on the heels of being blown out by the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football.

It wasn’t all the embarrassing loss to the Packers that prompted his firing but instead had more to do with the team disastrous 1-7 start to the season after so many had penciled them in as Super Bowl favorites.

Ironically the Super Bowl is being held in their monstrous new stadium, but they will be nowhere in sight.

So it’s the same old song and dance for the so called “America’s Team”, all the talent in the world but…, fill in the rest with whatever you like as problems are in no short supply in Dallas.

Now the Cowboys will move forward with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett as the interim head coach.

Garrett has long been thought of as the next head coach in waiting for Dallas as he has passed up several opportunities to leave the organization to coach other teams. His loyalty to Jones is undeniable.

However Garrett’s stock has dropped as of late in the eyes of many as the normally potent Cowboys offense has fizzled so far in 2010. It seems he has developed a knack at calling the most bizarre plays at the most inappropriate times leaving observers dumbfounded.

Jones has said he is pulling for Garrett to earn the job for good but at this point it would seem like an impossibility he remains the head coach beyond the 2010 season. There is just too much stacked against him and nowhere near enough time.

Given a scenario where he does not become the head coach, which is likely, who will Jones turn to and anoint the next savior of the Dallas Cowboys?

There are some notable names out there including Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, Brian Billick and Tony Dungy but rumor has it Jones may have his eye on Saints head coach Sean Payton.

It’s not so far fetched to believe as Payton joined Bill Parcells and the Cowboys as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach in 2003, where he helped coach Quincy Carter, Vinny Testaverde, and Drew Bledsoe to 3,000-yard seasons.

In 2005, he was promoted by Parcells to assistant head coach/passing game coordinator.

He too, not unlike Garrett, was thought of as the next head coach in waiting but before Jones could lock him down he was lured away to become the next Saints head coach in 2006.

Payton has put together a pretty nice resume since taking over in New Orleans and his body of work speaks for itself.

In five season he has had two first place finishes in the NFC South, is 4-1 in post season play, guided the team to it’s first Super Bowl title and his .606 winning percentage is among the best in the NFL.

Payton is just as important as Brees is to the Saints franchise and one could argue no head coach means more to a city than does Payton to New Orleans and for that reason alone it makes it seem so completely out of the realm of possibility it could ever happen.

The next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys Sean Payton. Nah, it just doesn’t sound right.

Check out Keith Null’s weekly article about the Saints on NFL.com by clicking here.

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