New Orleans Saints and Bill Parcells: A Match Made in Bountygate Heaven

Hey Bill! If you want to scratch the coaching itch one more time, but don't want to commit to a team long-term, have I got a once-in-a-lifetime deal for you!

2012 Interim Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Seven years ago, that deal would have sounded awful. The Saints were displaced in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, had to play "home" games in three different states, and were probably the last place anyone would go to play or coach, even if it could be someone's chance to satisfy a one-and-done, no-strings-attached coaching itch.

That has all changed since Bill Parcells' protege, Sean Payton, has instilled a winning culture (albeit a controversial one of late) and flipped people's perception of the Big Easy and their team.

And, now, Payton might be calling in an audible to an old mentor.

“I had plenty of opportunities to do things with different teams, and I’ve turned them all down,” the Big Tuna said on Wednesday, a day after a round of golf with Payton and Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis on Tuesday. “But this one is special. This guy is like family to me. And if I could help him, I would.”

Parcells, 70, could be the best thing that the Saints & Who Dat Nation could hope for coming out of the historic aftermath. Coach Payton's year-long suspension, the forfeiture of two 2nd Round draft picks and other suspensions have left New Orleans in quite a predicament.

He has been known to love fixer-uppers, as you can see by his stops in New England, New York (Jets & Giants) and Dallas. Each one of those franchises had sub-.500 records in the years leading up to his arrival, and they were always in better condition when he left.

The Saints situation is not a fixer-upper, by any means, but the tainted aura of the bounty investigation fallout could stand having some fresh air infused into it. Or maybe just an old can of Tuna that's still fresh enough to get something worthwhile for both parties involved.  

Allows Coordinators to Focus on Their Side of the Ball

Hiring Parcells would help ease the extra workload and pressure that would have been on one of the two coordinators in the absence of Sean Payton.

It would allow Parcells to focus on the bigger picture and be the figurehead that is used to the exposure that would result. He has handled big personalities (Keyshawn Johnson) and drama-filled situations (T.O.'s Dallas tenure) with relative ease, due to his very disciplined demeanor. 

I doubt Pete Carmichael, the young offensive coordinator, would be able to handle the spotlight that will follow the Saints this year, and I think Steve Spagnuolo would rather just concentrate on his defense and get away from the politics of the head spot.

That is not to say that neither is capable of taking the wheel and steering this ship for a year. Carmichael stepped in beautifully last year in calling plays for Payton while he was out with a broken leg. Spags was just let go by the Rams after only leading them to 10 wins in three years, but has always been an elite defensive mind. 

Parcells would be the second-to-last step (Drew Brees' long-term contract would be the last) towards what could be an even more dangerous team than they had last year—and that team went 13-3. With all of the attention that is being paid to bounties and Parcells, the Saints have made some very good moves in free agency that aren't getting the attention they deserve. 

Robert Meachem and Tracy Porter will be missed, and losing Carl Nicks was huge. The players leaving could have been much worse had Loomis and Co. not salvaged the free agency period with three signings I don't think anyone saw coming: Ben Grubbs, Brodrick Bunkley and Curtis Lofton.

Grubbs immediately replaces Nicks, and the only thing he lacks is the experience that Nicks had in this offense. Besides that, Grubbs is just a half-notch below Nicks in the talent department, and the half-notch down saved about $2 million per season that can go towards Brees' long-term deal.

Bunkley gives the Saints a young run-stuffer who is coming off his best season in Denver. Bunkley landed in Denver after a disappointing start in Philadelphia, where he was made expendable when the Eagles signed Cullen Jenkins, a Saints' target, in free agency last year.

Lofton might be the biggest defensive free agent to come to New Orleans in his prime since the Saints signed La'Roi Glover fifteen years ago. Not only is Lofton entering his prime, his arrival also weakens the hated division-rival Atlanta Falcons up the middle of their defense. His landing in the Big Easy could also mean the end of fan-favorite Jonathan Vilma, who is smack-dab in the middle of the bounty investigation.   

Parcells Loves a Fixer-Upper

I don't know if there is some innate feeling Bill Parcells has towards a bad situation, but he just can't look away and puts his hat in to help (most times).

Since leaving the Giants in 1990, Parcells has gone from one terrible situation to another and has always come out smelling like a rose. He has walked into some of the worst situations in the NFL. These situations also weren't in hideaway places like Seattle or Jacksonville where he could orchestrate turnarounds in quiet. These were places like New York, Boston and Dallas, where the heat is always on to produce. 

And produce he did.

Coming off of his second Super Bowl win, the Big Tuna decided to take some time off. He would work as a TV analyst in the two years he was away from the NFL. In '93, Parcells was hired to lead the New England Patriots organization out of the cellar and back to the big game. In the four years before his arrival, the Patriots had gone 14-50, a far cry from their AFC Championship year in '85. Four years later, New England had made two playoff appearances and were coming off their first Super Bowl trip in 11 years.

Parcells left the Patriots after that Super Bowl because he wanted more say in player personnel decisions. After agreeing on compensation with Parcells, New York hired him to replace Rich Kotite. In those Kotite years, the Jets were 4-28 and 10-38 in the three years total before Parcells arrived. New York didn't have a losing record in the three years following his arrival, and appeared in the '98 AFC Championship Game (losing to Denver).

His longest hiatus between head coaching jobs was between his Jets tenure and his new tenure as the Dallas Cowboys' head man. In 2003, Jerry Jones' Cowboys had fallen on hard times in the lull after the dynasty years.

The Chan Gailey/Dave Campos era was a mess, and Dallas only managed to rack up 23 wins in four years, with three straight years of 10 losses or more. Despite some questionable personnel moves by Jones, Parcells got the talent level back up past par. He also accomplished something never done by another NFL coach—he took his fourth team to the playoffs. 

His Presence Keeps Continuity Until Payton's Return

An outsider, on a one-year rental, bringing continuity?

In this specific situation...Yes, it does. 

For all of the "doomsday" predictions out there that have the Saints not standing a chance in 2012, what happens when the—I don't know—unthinkable happens and the Saints win, like they are accustomed to doing in the Sean Payton era? What happens if Parcells is not hired and one of the coordinators is put in charge of the team and they make the playoffs and beyond? Yes it would be awesome for Who Dat Nation, but in that scenario it would be the worst playoff season ever.

The biggest reasons Payton is going to Parcells for help are familiarity and continuity. If Payton gets Parcells on and he catches fire with the Saints and they make a deep playoff run, Payton would say, "Thanks for the help, Bill, but I'm not suspended anymore, so I'll take it from here."

No one's feelings would be hurt. Parcells can go back to Florida and wait for his Hall of Fame call to come. Everyone wins.

If one of the coordinators gets the interim nod and they are just as successful, what happens to the staff afterwards? In that scenario, the Saints risk losing one of their prized coordinators to another team.

Even if they didn't leave, could they take a step back down and still coach under Payton? The logical choice would be Carmichael, just because he has been on the team longer and that would allow Spags to just run the defense. Carmichael would be gone either way if he were to take the interim job because there is no way that he could go back under Payton and just take orders.

That is why Parcells, with no ties to the organization, could come in, bark orders and keep the heat on him while the Saints continue on and bring the same ship back to Sean Payton that he planned on having this year.