[rachaldenise]

NEW ORLEANS -- Faced with the unique (and next-to-impossible) task of trying to defend a Super Bowl title, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton sought council during the offseason from others who have been in the enviable (and pressure-packed) situation. Payton, though, has declined to say who some of those individuals were.

But we know one, for sure.

Payton was a quarterbacks coach at Illinois when Jon Gruden, then offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, came calling to hire him. Somehow, Payton squeezed respectable numbers from the Philly three-headed monster of Ty Detmer, Bobby Hoying and Rodney Peete, and off his career went -- to the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys as offensive coordinator, and eventually to the Saints in 2006 as a head coach.

It was Gruden, now the red-hot color analyst for "Monday Night Football," who came to Saints training camp last summer and promptly announced Payton's team as a bona fide Super Bowl contender. It was Gruden who addressed the Saints in advance of their divisional round playoff game against Arizona in January. And it's Gruden -- and his good karma -- who joined Payton and his players this weekend as part of his training tour to preview teams.

Gruden won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay following the 2002 season. The Buccaneers returned virtually intact in '03, only to go 7-9 and miss the playoffs. The franchise had never won a title before, either, so the euphoria was all new. They had injuries on offense. When the losses piled up there was a high-profile clash between Gruden and Keyshawn Johnson. Those Bucs became a "Don't Let This Happen To You" poster for defending your championship.

FanHouse flagged Gruden down for a quick chat Thursday.

Q: What did you see in Sean Payton to give him that job as QBs coach in Philly?

A: "Well, No. 1, he's a great guy. He had been a quarterback himself at Eastern Illinois. He'd gone up the ladder the right way. We were looking for a young guy with great ambition. No. 2, we wanted a guy with brains and charisma. You meet Sean, you know you're talking to someone who loves it, who's smart and competes. People respond to him. It was an easy hire."

Q: Did you see eventual head coaching material?

A: Everybody has the ambition to be a head coach. One way to do it is getting on a successful team. He went to New York and did some great things as an offensive coordinator. And then to Dallas. He was productive and was discovered. And I just think he's only beginning to showcase what he can do."

Q: The onsides kick Payton called for to start the second half of Super Bowl was a game-changer. It was also a monumental gamble. The guy's been known to take some risks as a coach. How did you see that play?

A: Well, first of all, I almost fell out of my chair. Gamble? It might be the gutsiest call in NFL history -- certainly in Super Bowl history -- but let's be honest here, when you're in a game against Peyton Manning, you've got to try to steal a possession. Bill Belichick went for it fourth-and-2 [earlier in the season] and tried to do the same thing. It didn't work. What the Saints did worked and it caught the nation by surprise. In hindsight, you kick off, Peyton Manning gets the ball at the 33- or 34-yard line -- what? -- you've penalized yourself about 30 yards of field position. Yeah, maybe it seemed crazy at the time, but it was a huge, huge momentum-turning point."

Q: In 2007, you were on the winning side of one of Payton's gambles. He was up by three points with about three minutes to go and called a double-reverse in a December game with division title implications. The Saints fumbled, Bucs recovered, scored a touchdown with 14 seconds to go and went on to clinch the NFC South the following week. What is the mentality of a risk-taking coach?

A: "The media scrutiny now is greater than ever. If it doesn't work, you're going to be reminded about it. But going back to that play, if you throw a forward pass inside three minutes, a lot of bad things can happen: sack, strip, receiver bobbles and a pick. Yeah, he called that double-reverse, but it was a poorly executed play. I think I've seen them run it probably 15 times since flawlessly. Flawlessly. Hey, Sean calls plays looking forward. He has a powerhouse offense and as the play-caller of that offense -- with Drew Brees, those receivers, that offensive line -- he expects flawless execution. That's the way he practices. His practices are long and some of the most thorough I've ever seen."

Q: As close as you two are, I know he's called on you to talk about the challenges of defending a Super Bowl title. What have you told him?

A: "Basically, let's not get real deep and philosophical about it. Let's think about how hard it is to get to a Super Bowl. There are a number of teams in the league who have never been to the damn game. So let's get back to business. Let's avoid distractions. Let's concentrate on our football team and do the best we can. They know they're the hunted one. They know they're no longer a surprise team in the NFL. They have a grueling road, brutal schedule and have to stay healthy. But more than anything, just go play, man. Quit talking about what you don't have to do and go practice and play. ... And let's not forget something: they have Drew Brees. I'm really, really happy for him, man. He beat New England and Tom Brady on "Monday Night Football." He beat Brett Favre. He beat Peyton Manning. He's now in their class. And with that kind of quarterback play, you're not only going to have a chance to win every Sunday, you're going to have a chance to win the Super Bowl."

http://nfl.fanhouse....s-another-visi/

[WhoDat205]

Ole chucky is trying to become the next madden.