Why Cincinnati Bengals OC Jay Gruden Is the NFL's Next Sean Payton

A five-game winning streak is liable to turn heads in the NFL, no matter the team, but when that team is led by a rookie quarterback, throwing to (among others) a rookie wide receiver, quietly—if not briefly—leading its division, then it's time to take notice of who steered them there.

Yes, the Cincinnati Bengals are also performing impressively on defense, and I'm not here to discount that, but offensive coordinator Jay Gruden seems to be building quite the argument for him to become a head coach in the NFL, sooner rather than later.

The comparisons to New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton aren't unwarranted. Payton went into a losing organization and managed to turn it around almost immediately.

Granted, he's had his ups and downs, but his hallmark was in revitalizing the team's weak offense, taking quarterback Drew Brees from an undersized under-performer to one of the most impressive passers in recent years.

Gruden's resume is far less impressive than Payton's; they both have the same amount of coaching experience, in terms of years, but Gruden cut his teeth in the Arena Football League (where he was a quarterback) while Payton worked exclusively in the NFL.

But results are results, and Gruden's certainly getting the kinds of results offensive coordinators can only dream of, especially in his unique situation.

There are offensive coordinators and offensive-minded coaches, and then there are offensive savants, quarterback whisperers, game-changers. Just as Payton became such a coach in New Orleans, Gruden is in Cincinnati.

He's a clear successor to head coach Marvin Lewis if the Bengals and he choose to part ways at the end of this or the next season, and he's worthy of the job. Good players surely make his job easier, but he makes those players better.

That's a special kind of coach, and that's something Payton and Gruden clearly have in common.