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Payton and Belichick connected by another Bill
Sean Payton and Bill Belichick may never have coached together, but they do share a tie in their respective upbringings.
Belichick spent 12 years working under the Tuna in New York, rising from special teams coach to linebackers coach to defensive coordinator. Payton, meanwhile, jumped on board with Parcells in Dallas, spending three years there with him before getting the Saints job.
He'd already been an offensive coordinator for three years before going to the Cowboys, making his experience a bit different than Belichick's, but he said that you can probably find similarities in any program with Parcells roots.
"There’s gonna be structure, and there’s gonna be a certain way you want to play the game," Payton said. "There’s been coaches that have been with him longer than others. When you really date back and look at the history of Parcells and Belichick and the success they had with the Giants, and forward, it’s very impressive, and something that all of us hope to someday to enjoy and understand how hard it is week-in and week-out to win in our league."
Belichick and Payton did get a chance to spend time together as coaches of the respective runners-up in 2006, getting each a man a trip to Hawaii to coach in the Pro Bowl.
"We spent a lot of time together," Belichick said of the week. "I think he’s a really sincere guy that comes from the heart. There’s not a lot of fluff and B.S. on top of it. He’s really down to earth, humble, sincere and a man that I really respect. I respected what they did in that season. I respect what they do now.
"We had a chance to spend a whole day out there on a fishing trip and it was a lot of fun. It was relaxing, it was very insightful. From where that franchise was, when he got there and everything they’ve been through and how much they’ve had to overcome and rebuild, not just on the team, but in the community and so forth."
Payton remembered that early in the week, he was worried about his kids jumping off the bed early in the morning -- Because Belichick's room was directly beneath his. And he also recalled that, after an NFC bus broke down on the way to the game, getting on an AFC bus and sitting next to the Patriots coach.
"It was a great opportunity for us," Payton said. "When you have a chance to spend a week, and really just try to get someone else’s opinions and thoughts, someone as successful as Bill’s been, for me as a young coach, after my first year, it may be just three or four scheduling questions or things that you might want to get a little better grasp on, he’s a guy that I have a ton of respect for and really enjoyed the time we had to spend that week."
Little different than last week, huh?
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