It's time for Saints to sever all ties from Sean Payton-era

It's officially time we talk about it. The New Orleans Saints have to turn the page on a new chapter of Saints football, because time has passed this one by.

Here's the thing. Things could be A LOT worse for the New Orleans Saints. The problem is, there aren't many signs that things are going to get better either, and it just feels like the Saints are stuck in this weird franchise purgatory.

A lot of this has to do with the refusal to go through any kind of rebuild, and it's starting to resemble trying to put a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. It also has to be noted that this isn't meant to be a knock on the players or coaching staff. It's simply a matter of circumstance.

The best way to sum things up is that the Saints need to move on from the Sean Payton-era, officially and completely.

The Payton and Drew Brees period of Saints football was far and away the greatest and most fruitful in franchise history, but it's over. Instead of turning over a new leaf, the team tried to stay on the same grass, by promoting Dennis Allen to be the replacement head coach, and bringing in veteran quarterbacks instead of a young gun. This needs to stop.

Basically, barring an NFC Championship appearance, the Saints need to move on from Allen, and bring in someone completely new to change the culture. They also need to attempt to gradually move on from other layovers from that bygone era, as difficult as it may be. Taysom Hill is a prime example, primarily for the contract Payton handed him.

What it comes down to is this. If the Saints are struggling to win THIS version of the NFC South by trying to retool and reload as opposed to rebuilding, then it's clear the approach isn't working. Brees and Payton aren't coming back, nor should we wish them to, and the New Orleans Saints need to usher in a new era, because holding onto the old one when it's already gone is doing nobody any favors.