After an uncomfortable interaction with an employee at a local grocery store, it’s safe to say that New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is not a fan of unsolicited opinions. The Super Bowl winning-coach recently admitted he took his frustrations out on a butcher at a local Whole Foods for questioning his decision to do a two-point conversion early in the game.
“I certainly understand fans asking questions,” Payton said during his weekly coach’s program on WWL, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I got the guy at freaking Whole Foods asking me about the two-point play. The guy from the meat section. I looked at him and said, ‘Hey, your steaks don’t look too good right now. Worry about your meat. Driving me crazy.'”
The Saints lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers 48-46 after a walk-off field goal sealed the win for the visitors.
Payton further explained himself on the show:
“It was two things. I love the play and it didn’t help they missed the line, but there was a personal foul so we can take the kick at the 50. And you can think about pinning them back. You can think even about an onside kick at the 50 or this year they’ll allow you to go and assess it on the two-point play. So instead of running a two-point play on the 2, we’re now on the 1. I knew exactly what we wanted to get to. It was a play we felt real good with. We’re on the 1-yard line. I’ve always been more conservative and never really looked at that chart until the second half. So it was really more about the penalty and the ability for us to run a play from the 1-yard line. The safety lines up on the wrong side of the ball. We send the motion and all of a sudden we’re going into an extra man. But mainly that decision was on the personal foul and getting the ball on the 1 rather than the 2-yard line.”
The Saints, who won the NFC South after defeating the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving, are now 10-3 on the season.
Could Cam Newton Take His Talents to the Superdome?
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was officially placed on injured reserve last month, and rumors have been swirling since then about where the former NFL MVP might play next season. As of late, reports indicate that Newton will remain in the NFC South and take his talents to the Bayou.
On ESPN Daily, @JFowlerESPN suggested a few destinations for Cam Newton, including…New Orleans??!
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“The wildcard here is New Orleans,” Jeremy Fowler said on December 3. “Now, it would be unlikely, but one guy I talked to said Sean Payton secretly loved Lamar Jackson in the draft and he loves that style of quarterback where you can just get creative. You can run him, you can throw him, you can do whatever you want. And so, they have kind of experimented a little bit with that with Taysom Hill as a result. So, if you do Newton you have to be all in. It would have to be a successor situation to Drew Brees, but if Brees keeps completing 74 percent of his passes or, whatever it is now, it’s going to be hard to move on from him.”
It’s unlikely that Carolina would trade Newton to a division rival, Fowler added. However, it’s safe to say the Newton remains a hot commodity for teams desperate for a talented franchise quarterback.
Newton Underwent Foot Surgery Monday
Seeing as the Panthers are out of playoff contention and on the hunt for a new head coach, it’s a fitting time for Newton to jump start the recovery process. On Monday, the former Auburn Tiger underwent surgery to repair his ongoing foot sprain.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton underwent surgery on his Lisfranc injury today in New York, per sources.
Nets doctor Martin O’Malley, who did Kevin Durant’s Achilles procedure, performed the surgery.
Carolina still has Newton signed under contract for one more season, but it’s probable he’ll be searching for an extension before he suits back up. Now, whether he makes his triumphant return to Bank of America next season remains a large question.