The right man for the job Payton's personality a big factor in his success, former colleagues say.(Sports)

0 Comments | Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), January, 2007 | by McDill, Kent

Byline: Kent McDill Daily Herald Sports Writer Rarely, in the history of the National Football League, has there been a coach better suited for a job than Sean Payton was when he became coach of the New Orleans Saints. Never, in the history of the NFL, has the hiring of a coach had greater significance to a franchise, a city, a state and a way of life.

As a result of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina and the failing levees holding back Lake Pontchartrain in 2005, the city of New Orleans needed to be rebuilt. In many similar ways, so did the New Orleans Saints, who suffered through a 3-13 season as a result of playing 16 road games in the 2005 season. When Saints owner Tom Benson and general manager Mickey Loomis went looking for a coach to replace...