Sean Payton Keeps His Play-Calling Sharp By Running Up The Score On Sixth-Graders

Fledgling blues keyboardist Sean Payton has to sit out this season as New Orleans Saints head coach following this summer's bounty scandal, but that doesn't mean he's been exiled from all football activities everywhere. In fact, Payton hopes to keep his play-calling chops in game shape by helping out as the offensive coordinator for his sixth grade son's football team. He's even (apparently) using the exact same football terminology that he used with Drew Brees, albeit with a drastically reduced playbook. His first game? A 30-0 victory.

Mike Triplett of The Times-Picayune caught up with Payton on Tuesday for an extensive Q&A that touched on a range of topics, but the big takeaway is that Saints offensive play-calling isn't so intricate that a sixth-grader can't grasp it with a little practice:

T-P: What's your role with Connor's team, offensive assistant? How has it been so far?

PAYTON: "I run the offense. The head coach is Brennan Hardy, who does a great job. We had our first game Saturday, and we won 30-0. Obviously it's a completely different element. Yet you get just as excited to see the team you're a part of do well. It was about 110 degrees on the Astroturf, I was just glad no one melted. But it was a good win for us to start the season. We scored a lot of points and created some turnovers. And they get excited about it, which is great to see."

T-P: What's the most exotic play you threw in there?

PAYTON: "We have 12 plays on the wristband. The terminology is the same as we used in New Orleans. The kids said, 'This looks hard.' But I said, 'I've seen your homework. That's a lot harder.' And they've done a great job with it."

Fine, but when that Liberty Christian quarterback starts averaging 342 passing yards, then we'll know where to give proper credit.

Sean Payton Q and A: New Orleans Saints coach discusses unprecedented year away from football [NOLA.com]