Payton and Brees, стр. 31
Under Payton and Brees, the game plan is an evolving, weeklong process. The plan is formulated on Tuesday and introduced to the team on Wednesday, but it’s constantly changing as the team starts practice to see how the concepts translate from the meeting room to the field.
One of Payton’s pet sayings is, ‘The hay’s never in the barn.’ In other words, it’s never too late to add something to the plan. Coaches and players say it’s not uncommon for Payton to introduce a completely new play to the plan on Saturday night or even Sunday morning.
But for the most part, by Saturday, the plan is largely intact. It has been tweaked and honed into a few hundred plays for roughly 18 situational categories: base runs and passes; third down; play-action passes; short-yardage; red zone; goal line; four-minute; two-minute; screens; draws; special plays or gadgets; etc. The call sheets are compiled by the offensive assistants and distributed to Payton, Brees, and the rest of the offensive staff. This is the script Brees uses to conduct his visualization session after the walk-through on the day before each game.
Later that night at the hotel, Payton presents the first 12 to 15 plays, or openers, to the offensive players. A short walk-through is conducted in street clothes to familiarize everyone with their assignments on the opening set of plays. The group then breaks for a snack before Payton, Brees, Carmichael, and Lombardi reconvene for a final meeting, which is referred to as the dot meeting, normally about 9:15 pm.
It’s not unusual for NFL quarterbacks to meet with the play-caller on the eve of game day to synchronize their thoughts. But the Saints take it to another level. They break down every play in each situation of the game plan. It varies week to week, but Brees usually will identify four to six favorite plays per category during the meeting. His choices are based on how successful the plays were in practice and how comfortable and confident he feels in executing them on game day. Payton uses a yellow highlighter to identify each of Brees’ favorite plays on the laminated call sheet, then he takes a black Sharpie and adds a single black dot to each one.
“Having played the position, Sean knows that if you like the play then you’re going to go to great lengths to make sure it’s successful,” said McCown, who sat in many dot meetings during his three-year tenure as Brees’ backup from 2013 to ’15. “You really study it. You’re going to know the ins and outs of it. You’re going to understand the rhythm of it, the timing of it and where people should be. You’re going to make that play go.”
Like most things under Payton, the dot meeting is a collaborative effort. Brees and Payton dominate the discourse, but everyone in the room is free to weigh in. Brees will ask Payton how he sees a play working against certain coverage or when during the game or where on the field he might call a certain play. He might tell Payton he really likes a certain pass play but is a little nervous if the defense attacks it with a certain blitz. If Brees doesn’t like a play, Payton might try to present a case for why he thinks it will work, but nine times out of 10 it’s eliminated from the game plan. The meetings usually last about 40 minutes, but sometimes they can extend until late that night. By the time it ends, Brees has vetted, dissected, and probably practiced every play that he will run in the game.
“It’s an exciting process,” Brees said. “It’s a bit nerve-wracking early in the week because you’re sitting there watching film after film and you’re trying to identify all the ways that you can attack that defense, but it all eventually comes together. I think some of our best ideas at times come late in the week, on a Saturday night or even Sunday morning. When the game starts, I can anticipate what he’s going to call in every situation and why he’s calling it.”
The tedious, mind-numbing grind of film study and game-planning is the least glamorous part of an NFL coach’s job. It doesn’t make for compelling theater on NFL Films documentaries. Most fans don’t understand the amount of work that goes into preparing for each game and most media members don’t appreciate it. But for the Saints offensive staff, it’s one of the reasons for their success, something that gives them an edge on their opponents. A lot of coaches and players talk about it. The Saints live it, because Payton demands it.
“It’s a results-oriented business, so there’s certain things that you have to get done on a Monday night and certain things that need to be done by Tuesday night and Wednesday night,” Payton said. “We try to be prepared, to be ready, to be thorough, so I don’t know how you define that. The fear of failure is sometimes what drives you the most, I think. The fear of not being successful.”
A father of six, Lombardi wasn’t sure he was ready and willing to make the sacrifice required to make it as a member of Payton’s coaching staff. He remembers the culture shock of his first year on the job in 2007. The Falcons, with whom Lombardi worked as a defensive assistant the previous season, certainly didn’t work this way. His mind was so boggled by the long hours and draining schedule that he called his father, a former coach himself, to vent. His father’s advice resonates with him to this day.
“He said, ‘Hey, who was the No. 1 offense in the NFL