Payton and Brees, стр. 12
Payton jumped at the chance to work for Parcells, turning down the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator job for a position as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach in Dallas.
“When you think about that opportunity for a young guy to work for a Hall of Fame coach, it’s invaluable,” Payton said. “The very last thing we discussed [over the phone] was salary and benefits and any of that stuff. I hadn’t even met him. All of the other things were more important to him. The football and the passion. Those were the things that he got excited about.”
Parcells wasn’t initially sure that Payton had what it took to become an NFL head coach, but he quickly discovered Payton’s passion for the sport and thirst for knowledge were traits that might ultimately make him successful.
Parcells quickly became a mentor and, eventually, a trusted adviser. When the Raiders tried to hire Payton for his first head coaching job in 2004, Parcells privately advised Payton to turn it down and wait for a better gig in the future. And when the Saints called two years later, Parcells gave Payton his blessing.
“He was very, very energetic, bright, with high energy,” said Parcells, who referred to Payton as Dennis after the cartoon character Dennis the Menace. “He was intelligent and was a good listener. That’s the best way to describe him. I enjoyed my time with him.”
Payton compared his three seasons working under Parcells to graduate school. His influence on Payton went beyond Xs and Os. Parcells taught Payton how to manage a game, run a team, and lead an organization. He taught him the value of attention to even the smallest detail, a trait Payton has maintained throughout his coaching tenure.
“What I remember from Bill was that he never stopped thinking how to win,” Payton said. “For Bill, fresh analysis beat conventional thinking every time. He was brilliant at analyzing every opponent individually and then figuring out what it would take to win the game.” When Payton took the Saints job, he brought the Parcells Way to New Orleans. While he adopted Fassel’s practice schedule from the New York Giants, he borrowed almost everything else from Parcells. He used Parcells’ conditioning test, weightlifting regimen, disciplinary system—almost everything had Parcells’ fingerprints on it. Payton took Parcells’ approach to training camp, moving it from the team’s home facility in suburban Metairie to Millsaps College, 180 miles away in Jackson, Mississippi. He also removed the Saints’ fleur-de-lis logo from rookies’ helmets. He hung signs at the facility with another Parcells mantra: Saints players will be Smart, Tough, Disciplined, and Well Conditioned.
During the early years, members of the Saints football operations staff would joke that they needed to buy “What Would Bill Do?” bracelets because of Payton’s constant references to Parcells and his method of operation. But there was a method to Payton’s strategy. By continuously referring to Parcells, Payton was surreptitiously establishing his philosophy, using the future Hall of Famer as a way to validate his approach in New Orleans.
“Having the chance to work for Bill Parcells for three years, you learn a lot more about all the things that are necessary to be the leader of a team,” Payton said. “When you’re around someone like that for three years, it’s an on-the-job, day-to-day learning experience. There are things that come up daily that you can’t help but take notice of. Those are the benefits of working under someone like that rather than just go hear him speak at a clinic.”
One of the many Parcells coaching methods Payton continues to employ in New Orleans was to introduce three to five keys to victory to his players at the initial team meeting on Wednesdays of game week. He also adopted many of Parcells’ legendary motivational tactics. After a big win or a long winning streak, he would plant mouse traps around the football facility to remind his players, “don’t eat the cheese” from friends, family, and the media. Another time, he had staffers paint several life-size fake exit doors on the walls of the facility to deliver the message to his players and coaches: there are many ways out of the NFL—don’t make excuses.
“Sean was a no-nonsense, hard-nosed coach, and I think he definitely took that from Parcells,” said former Saints linebacker Scott Fujita, who played for Parcells’ Cowboys in 2005 during Payton’s third and final season as Parcells’ primary offensive assistant. “Sean would come around and take time out to B.S. with guys here and there. And Parcells did that same thing. But Sean also wasn’t afraid to put a lot of pressure on guys. Certain people need that to bring out the best in them. Bill did that, too.”
Parcells taught Payton that change and confrontation are healthy.
“I had an Italian mother,” Parcells said. “My mother was a very loving person, but she was highly confrontational. She and my father believed in doing things the right way. My experience growing up was that confrontation could be healthy. It gets things out in the open. Hopefully when you get them out there you can solve them. I believe that strongly.”
Payton learned from Parcells to challenge people, even his coaches and superiors. If a player or coach is not pulling his weight, Payton won’t hesitate to address it.
“Sean is always honest with you,” Brees said. “He doesn’t sugarcoat it. If you want to know the truth, he has an open-door policy where he says, for example, to end the season at every exit meeting, I’ve heard him say the same thing. ‘You’re going to hear a lot of stuff in the media about who we should keep and who we should, who we should get rid of, and for what reason. Don’t allow that to get you