A case for Payton to stay put as Saints’ head man

    Is soon-to-be free agent Sean Payton leaving the New Orleans Saints?
    I think not.
    But if Payton were to depart, the only place he would go is Dallas. He loves the area, and his two children reside there.
    In the meantime, history has not been kind to Super Bowl-winning coaches who move on to their next job(s).
    Chicago coach Mike Ditka won the Super Bowl in January 1986 when his Bears routed the Patriots to cap off an 18-1 season.
    Ditka’s return to coaching with the Saints was a disaster. He won 15 games in three seasons and was fired in January 2000.
    Giants coach Bill Parcells won a pair of Super Bowl titles. He was able to return to the Super Bowl in January 1997, when his Patriots were whipped by the Green Bay Packers.
    George Seifert won a pair of Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers. His return with the Carolina Panthers delivered modest results.
    Jimmy Johnson won a pair of Super Bowl titles with the Dallas Cowboys. He was unable to replicate that success with the Miami Dolphins.
    Mike Holmgren won a Super Bowl title at the Superdome when the Packers beat Parcells and the Patriots. He was hired as the general manager/head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Holmgren was able to return to the Super Bowl, where the Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
    Mike Shanahan, who won back-to-back Super Bowl titles with the Denver Broncos, has struggled mightily in his return with the Washington Redskins.
    Dick Vermeil won a Super Bowl title with the St. Louis Rams. He was unable to return to the big game with the Kansas City Chiefs.
    Five of the seven head coaches above left their championship teams with franchise quarterbacks.
    Seifert had Steve Young. Johnson had Troy Aikman. Holmgren’s quarterback was Brett Favre.  Shanahan’s was John Elway. Vermeil’s Rams were quarterbacked by Kurt Warner.
    In New Orleans, Sean Payton has Drew Brees and something he would never have in Dallas: autonomy.
    Payton’s relationship with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is good. But Payton and Jones are two like personalities. And as strong-willed as Payton is, Jones owns the team.
    Payton has a very close relationship with Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and owner Tom Benson. His ties with Benson have only grown stronger during his season-long suspension. Benson is the only person in the Saints organization who can have contact with Payton.
    The hole card for New Orleans is Brees.
    In 2006, Payton convinced Brees to come to New Orleans. Payton wouldn’t abandon Brees. And when he does leave the Saints, it will be for a new career he already has decided.
    Network television.
    Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].