Are the Saints in need of a Mike McCarthy-style makeover on offense?
NFL Media's Brian Billick, the former Super Bowl winning coach for the Baltimore Ravens, suggested as much on Sunday morning. New Orleans head coach Sean Payton has clearly found his 0-2 team in a funk and with Drew Brees out for the foreseeable future, his players may need a head coach more than a play-caller.
That's why Payton should give it up.
"Bill Walsh always believed you can't be in one place more than ten years," Billick said on GameDay First. "Sean Payton is one of the great play-callers in this game. He ought to just think about being the head coach. When he was gone for a year, Pete Carmichael and Drew Brees threw for five thousand yards. (He should) become more the head coach because the team may need that now rather than the diffused 'I'm also the play-caller' -- might be a good move for his part especially at this point in his career."
Billick may very well be right. With many great innovators, the theory and language becomes so complex that coaches sometimes forget how to teach it at a basic 101 level. Rex Ryan's players complained of the same thing in New York by the coach's fourth season.
Plus, a fresh set of eyes on an old playbook may be welcome. As NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport noted Sunday morning, there are some serious issues with Drew Brees' shoulder which could very well impact the type of throws he can make down the stretch if and when he returns to the field.
Like Billick said, Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has a tremendous season under his belt already. Might it be time to test him again?
