"He's done a great job," Loomis said. "He embraced the circumstances coming off last year, and he embraced them immediately. And there wasn't hesitation about it, whatsoever.
"It's hard to describe, and I think John Fox said it best when he called to recommend him. He said, 'Hey, I don't know what it is to be a head coach, but whatever it is, Sean has it."
Wait a minute. John Fox? He's the coach of the Carolina Panthers, the club that was supposed to win the NFC South and the one hurdle left between New Orleans and a first-round bye. If the Saints beat Fox and the Panthers next weekend, they have the following weekend off.
I know Carolina's chasing the playoffs, too. And, yes, I never underestimate John Fox. But I'd book a New Orleans victory because I have as much faith in Payton and his surging team now as Loomis had in Payton when he hired him. Look what the Saints did to Dallas two weeks ago. Look what they did to the Giants Sunday.
"It's pretty exciting," Loomis conceded.
Sure, you can credit quarterback Drew Brees for a lot of what has happened. The guy gas been as consistent as he has been marvelous. The additions of rookies Marques Colston and Reggie Bush are important, too. So is the improved play of an offensive line that has Brees sacked 18 times all year -- the third-best record in the league.
But when you're finished reciting the record, you come back to where you started: You come back to Sean Payton.
"He gets all the responsibility for what's happening," said defensive back Fred Thomas. "He gets all the credit. He turned this whole organization around, with his enthusiasm and the way he goes into practice and keeps us up and keeps us in the game. I would be very shocked if he didn't get Coach of the Year because he's done a great job."
Thomas confessed he knew nothing about Payton before he was hired. Ditto tackle Jon Stinchcomb, who was forced to consult Payton's bio to learn more about his new head coach.
"He is the keystone to the turnaround of this organization," said Stinchcomb. "He had a vision. He wanted it done his way and what he felt was the right way. He wanted everything to be first class, and I don't think he left any stone unturned. He had a picture of what he wanted."
And what he wanted he got. The Saints not only are respectable, they're formidable -- winning 10 games for only the sixth time in 40 years. Once they were a Cinderella story, but now they're more, much more, than that. Now, they're a legitimate threat to Chicago in the NFC.
It's not just Brees, Bush and the league's top-ranked passing attack that convinces me. It's Payton and his aggressive, attacking style of coaching that Sunday contrasted with the conservative approach of his former team.
Three times in the first half he kept his offense on the field when it was fourth-and-2, including once when New Orleans, down by one, was at the Giants' 2 with two minutes left. And three times he made it -- scoring the go-ahead TD with the last attempt.
"I was really trying to be a little more aggressive than usual," said Payton.
And so he was, once throwing deep on a third-and-1. Brees completed it for 40 yards to set up another touchdown.
"I like to see someone who has confidence in his players," said Thomas. "If he's going to sit out there and tell you we're going to go for it on fourth down that means he has confidence in the players out there. That's just him. He believes in us."
And the Saints believe in Payton. They should. He has this team where it isn't supposed to be. Once, I thought it was a combination of luck and timely plays. Now, I'm more convinced it's timely plays and magnificent coaching. Sean Payton, take a bow.
"He's done an unbelievable job coming in, taking the reins and winning a lot of games," said Stinchcomb. "He deserves to be Coach of the Year. My hat's off to him."
