NFL analyst says Saints will be just fine because they have Sean Payton

The New Orleans Saints could get rid of Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, or any number of players, and the Saints would still be the Saints.

The Saints wouldn’t quite be the same without head coach Sean Payton, though.

After Payton’s play-calling led New Orleans to a hard-fought victory against Tampa Bay in Week 8, many NFL analysts believe the veteran coach has what it takes to achieve a winning season.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky says Payton “gets the best out of quarterback players” and Trevor Siemian is only the most recent in a long line before him: Teddy Bridgewater, Taysom Hill, and Jameis Winston.

And as many forget, even Dallas Cowboys’ former QB Tony Romo benefited from Payton’s coaching brilliance.

Before Payton landed in New Orleans, he was the quarterback coach and assistant head coach to Bill Parcells in Dallas. Payton was one of the main reasons Dallas picked up Romo and gave him a chance to start, and look how that turned out.

New Orleans Saints can still manage a productive season under Sean Payton

Now in NOLA, Payton is up to his old tricks again with Siemian and Hill leading the Saints’ quarterback room this season.

New Orleans’ biggest strengths, according to Orlovsky, are its defense, offensive line, and as already stated, its head coach.

Orlovsky’s comments about the return of Michael Thomas preceded news of his most recent ankle injury update that will sideline him for the rest of the year, so the Saints will be missing their No. 1 wide receiver for all of 2021.

Still, the future that Orlovsky projects for New Orleans is at least somewhat promising: the fortified O-line will continue protecting Siemian as he distributes the football among Alvin Kamara, Marquez Callaway, and a few other choice targets.

Yes, the Michael Thomas news deals a huge blow to the wide receiver room, but it’s nothing Sean Payton hasn’t seen before.

Not making a move for a decent wideout at the trade deadline may haunt New Orleans later, but if anyone knows how to make lemons into lemonade, it’s Sean Payton.