Bill Parcells Might Be the Best Answer for the Post-Bountygate Saints

The New Orleans Saints have been left scrambling since the fallout from their so-called "bounty scandal" was announced last week.

The punishments handed down include the suspension of head coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season. With last year's interim coach, Joe Vitt, also suspended for the first six games, the organization will have to find a new head coach.

It looks like the Saints might have their first candidate. 

According to ProFootballTalk, Payton has reached out to Bill Parcells to coach the Saints this coming season.

Sean Payton is a branch from the Parcells coaching tree, as it were. During the NFL Hall of Fame coach's last stop in Dallas, Payton served as his offensive coordinator, so these guys are pretty tight.

Payton, who has already apologized publicly for his role—or lack thereof—in the pay-for-performance infractions, realizes the void that his suspension leaves for his team, and his suggestion to his former mentor underscores the gravity of the situation for the Saints.

Now, Bill Parcells is not the greatest head coaching candidate out there, and even calling him a candidate is a bit disingenuous. The future Hall of Fame coach will turn 71 in August and already has a cushy retirement job as an analyst for ESPN.

Surely, the old man from North Jersey would be doing his former protégé a huge favor in such an unexpected return to coaching.

But it's not a terrible idea.

The lynchpin of the arrangement, competitively speaking, would be Parcells' abilities to operate within a finite, one-season window. Parcells uses psychological tactics to motivate his players, an approach that might be left wanting, considering that (a) he hasn't occupied an NFL sideline in six years and (b) the majority of players on the team may just tune him out, realizing that he'll be out the door at the end of the year.

If Parcells could implement that style under those conditions—and I'm not saying that he can—then such a venture would have a chance for success.  

But which Parcells would the Saints be getting? Would it be getting the late-20th century Parcells, who reached five Super Bowls with the Giants and Patriots? Or would it be getting the older 21st-century model, who toiled under the thumb of Jerry Jones for four seasons in Dallas before claiming he was burned out on coaching?

Unfortunately for the Saints, logic suggests the latter.

The other consideration is whether or not New Orleans can pull a better or even comparable replacement from their own staff. Their best in-house option might be defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who spent his last three NFL seasons trying—and failing—to get the St. Louis Rams out of first gear in a horrible NFC West.

But bringing Parcells into the fold could give the team a needed PR boost. After the bounty punishments and Drew Brees' contract stalemate, the Saints could use a little good news, even if it's just simple nostalgia. The Saints could consider making a stand in 2012. With Brees potentially leaving New Orleans next season, this would be a prudent play.

Their national goodwill has been eroded by this whole bounty business, and one is left to wonder if the organization will fully rebuild if Brees becomes an—ahem—New Orleans refugee.

Is bringing in Parcells the best move for the Saints? Almost certainly not, but there are clear benefits to giving it consideration. If the old man wants to talk about one more season on the sideline, then the Saints should listen.