Sean Payton’s obsession hinges on a better Saints defense

Sean Payton turns 54 on Dec. 29 and is in his 12th season as New Orleans Saints head coach. He was an NFL assistant coach for nine seasons before that. He was a college coach for nine seasons before that.

But the way Payton views it, he is only in the middle of his NFL coaching career. A Super Bowl XLIV championship in 2010, a “Bountygate” suspension for the entire 2012 season, an undisputed status as one of the NFL’s cleverest offensive minds, and three straight 7-9, non-playoff seasons entering Saints training camp on Thursday morning coalesce to form his view on the game and his “obsession.”

“I feel like I’m relatively young to the profession, granted I have been with this team for a long time,” Payton said in a telephone interview on Wednesday afternoon from the Saints training camp in Metairie, La., at the team’s headquarters outside of New Orleans. “In the last few months, we saw another college football champion (Clemson) crowned, the Golden State Warriors win another NBA championship, and just recently a fantastic British Open where Jordan Spieth won it with that great finish. It reminded me of our Super Bowl champion team and that once you get to that spot, you are obsessed with returning.

“It’s all you think about. It is somewhat consuming, but in a good way. Mr. (Tom) Benson, our owner, just turned 90. We’ve got to bring him a second one.”

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Training camp is a huge marker in each NFL team’s championship quest; a period of hot days and taxing work that help form their enduring mettle.

The Saints for the last three years held camp in West Virginia, but they returned home this year. Payton says it is time to mix it up, recalibrate this bunch, retool, rethink, sculpt and mold.

“This time of year for everyone in the league is anxious and exciting,” Payton said. “Every year is different, and I think in today’s game you have to set things up differently. Whether you are coming off success or a lack of success, you’ve got to create a completely different slate, a new set of challenges and goals for your team. This league is different from the MLB or the NBA — you can make that jump into the playoffs more readily.

”This is an important camp for us. We’ve got two recent draft classes that should be ready to come on now. We’ve got some very good, very smart players on the PUP list (among them center Max Unger and left tackle Terron Armstead) who we look forward to getting back. But until then, this allows younger guys to get work at those positions.”

Defensive tackle Nick Fairley (heart condition) is lost for the season — possibly a career-ending situation. But defensive end Alex Okafor is in as a free agent from the Arizona Cardinals. And promising cornerback Marshon Lattimore is in as a 2017 first-round draft pick. And future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson is in the fold.

The Saints have long featured the electric combination of Payton and quarterback Drew Brees, a prolific NFL head coach/quarterback duo. But this team’s recent struggles center on its defense.

New Orleans began last season with a 35-34 loss to Oakland. Its first victory was 35-34 over San Diego in Week 4. In losses to NFC South rival Atlanta, the Saints allowed 45 and 38 points.

This defense finished 27th overall last season. It was last in the league vs. the pass (273.8 yards allowed per game). It was next-to-last in points allowed (454). It was 27th in fewest sacks gained (30). It also trudged through a barrage of injuries.

Dennis Allen returns as the defensive coordinator. Veteran NFL coach Mike Nolan joins as linebacker coach.

Payton was asked if the defense will be better in 2017.

“It has to be,” he answered. “I think it will be.

“But the question is not if but how? Are we going to be better in takeaways? Pass defense? What can we do on offense to complement it? I think we just have to understand what it is we must do to get the best each week. In this league, you have to have an evolving, game-specific plan. I just know that we’ve had our share of 48-40 games, and that is something we have to change.”

Brees is in the final year of his contract.

Speculation persists that this could be the final Saints season of Payton/Brees.

“It’s not unusual,” Payton said of the chatter. “But I think each year that Drew has approached the last year of his contract, it has been handled. This is not the first time this kind of talk has happened. For the last three years, I am going to coach somewhere else, the reports say. I’m in year two of a five-year deal. If you write that type of stuff long enough, I expect one time or one day you will be correct. But I don’t expect us to be apart at all after this year.”

Payton spent his vacation time visiting his son, Connor, a tight end/linebacker, at his Texas high school and visiting his daughter, Meghan, a Pepperdine University sports journalism major who is currently interning with the Dallas Cowboys. Meghan was born in 1997 when Payton was with the Eagles, and Connor was born in 2000 when Payton was with the Giants.

“They’re NFC East brats,” Payton said, chuckling.

But Sean Payton’s core is New Orleans. It’s the Saints.

He arrived the year after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and within four seasons navigated them into Super Bowl champions.

If his defense rises, he thinks the Saints can compete for that glory once again. Meet his obsession.

The offense once again looks lethal, and Peterson adds one more tantalizing weapon.

”He’s in tremendous shape, I just visited with him in the locker room, and I can say there is something still burning within him to get a chance to play in ‘that game,’ Payton said. “Every once in a while in this league, you get a unique player who you hope gets the chance to do that.”

The Saints open the regular season on Sept. 11 in a Monday night battle at the Minnesota Vikings, against Peterson’s old team.

“He’s motivated,” Payton said.

And so is Payton. Motivated to end the season where it starts.

Super Bowl LII will be played on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis right where the Saints begin their march.

For Sean Payton, that’s a complete circle of obsession that colors this Saints training camp.