Saints’ future far from lost due to suspensions

    The sky is not falling on the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints’ bounty program and the subsequent 10-month suspension of head coach Sean Payton have cast a dark cloud over the organization.
    But, my guess is Payton will survive and, in his absence, the Saints might thrive.
    Sean Payton will return as the Saints’ head coach for the 2013 season. Can you imagine general manager Mickey Loomis picking up the phone and telling Drew Brees, “We want you to stay, but Sean has to go”?
    No chance. The only way Payton doesn’t return is if pressure comes from the NFL for owner Tom Benson to remove him. And, that is very unlikely.
    In Payton’s absence, coordinator Pete Carmichael will run the offense, and new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will run the defense.
    The Saints’ stability on their coaching staff (Carmichael, offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, running backs coach Brett Ingalls, tight ends coach Terry Malone, special teams coordinator Greg McMahon and defensive line coach Bill Johnson have all been with the club multiple years) will pay huge dividends as Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and assistant head coach Joe Vitt serve lengthy suspensions.
    Lost in the considerable hoopla over Payton’s suspension is this fact: the New Orleans Saints have done a very solid job in free agency.
    The Saints lost guard Carl Nicks but were able to replace him with a Pro Bowl guard, Baltimore’s Ben Grubbs.
    The Saints lost wide receiver Robert Meachem and cornerback Tracy Porter but were able to sign defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley from the Broncos and linebacker Curtis Lofton from the Falcons.
    Lofton has never missed a game in four NFL seasons. And 2011 was his best year. He had one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and a career-high 147 tackles.
    The Saints also were able to retain wide receiver Marques Colston.
    In the meantime, the rallying cry for the 2012 season is already etched in stone. It is us (the New Orleans Saints) vs. the NFL (commissioner Roger Goodell).
    Saints fans have reacted with shock and anger over Payton’s  suspension. But it wasn’t the bounty program that got Payton docked for a year. It was the cover up. When Goodell says on NFL Network, “Yes, we were lied to,” then serious consequences are sure to follow.
    The NFL said in writing that among Payton’s sins were “to falsely deny that the program existed” and “to encourage the false denials by instructing assistants “to make sure our ducks are in a row.”
    Sorry, but if the NFL’s claims that Payton lied to the league are correct, then he must pay the price. But as Payton sits, I doubt seriously his coaches and players will stumble badly. Minus their very talented head coach, the New Orleans Saints still look like a playoff team.
    And Saints fans everywhere cling to a dream – that even without their leader, their team reaches the Super Bowl in the Superdome.
    Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].