Sean Payton enters his third year as head coach of the New Orleans Saints and in his brief time with the club already ranks among the most successful head coaches in franchise history. He is the only coach to lead the Saints to an NFC Championship, was a unanimous choice for NFL Coach of the Year, has been the architect of an offense that has rewritten the club’s record books and since his arrival has instilled a winning culture within the organization.

Payton has done so while overhauling the roster. The Saints enter the preparations for the 2008 season with a team that has only 14 players from the group he inherited, players that have the responsibility, character and accountability that Payton has stressed since he came to New Orleans.

Teamwork and a dedication to the fundamentals have been the hallmarks of the Saints since 2006. Payton assembled a staff that is deep in coaches who are teachers first, and the NFL’s traditional timetable for rebuilding was scrapped after he took over. In his opening season, the club jumped out to a 3-0 record –- a first in team history –- and clinched the NFC South title before the regular season ended.

That season the Saints also ranked first in the league in offense for the first time in club history. When his opening season as head coach came to a close, Payton was voted the Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers of America, The Sporting News and the Maxwell Club.

In 2007, the Saints endured injuries and a slow start, but put together a four-game winning streak and soundly defeated the 11-5 Jacksonville Jaguars and 10-6 Seattle Seahawks. New Orleans finished No. 4 in the NFL in total offense and held nine opponents to 17 points or less.

The Saints’ offense has thrived with Payton handling the play-calling. In 2007, the Saints set a team record with an NFC-high 346 first downs and ranked fourth in the league with 5,780 total yards. The Saints scored 47 touchdowns – the third-most in team history – gave up a league-low 16 sacks and also led the NFL in scoring percentage (72.0) in the red zone.

It was a memorable encore to 2006, when New Orleans ranked No. 1 in the NFL in offense (averaging 391.5 yards per contest), posted 330 first downs and 6,264 net yards and tied a team mark by scoring 49 touchdowns. New Orleans rushed for 1,761 yards and 19 TDs and was the only team with four players with over 650 receiving yards.

Payton has had particular success tutoring quarterbacks since arriving in the NFL. Last season, QB Drew Brees had the finest season for a passer in club history, setting a league record for completions with 440, and team records with 28 touchdowns, 4,423 yards, 67.5 percent completion percentage and 652 attempts.

The performance came on the heels of a 2006 season when Brees led the NFL with 4,418 yards and a club-record 96.2 passer rating. Over the last two years, WR Marques Colston has hauled in 168 passes, the most in NFL history for a player in his first two seasons. RB Reggie Bush ranks second with 161.

Since 2000, every passer under Payton’s guidance has thrown for over 3,000 yards. The three starting quarterbacks he worked with in Dallas – Drew Bledsoe in 2005, Vinny Testaverde in 2004 and Quincy Carter in 2003 – all surpassed the milestone.

Payton was hired as the 14th head coach in Saints history on Jan. 18, 2006 after being a member of the Dallas Cowboys staff since 2003. In 2008 he enters his 12th season in the NFL and 21st as a coach. Prior to his final season with the Cowboys, Payton was promoted to assistant head coach/passing game coordinator and was responsible for the team’s play-calling.

For the previous two years with Dallas, he had been assistant head coach/quarterbacks. Prior to joining the Cowboys in 2003, he was with the New York Giants (1999-2002) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1997-98).

In 2005, the Cowboys had the NFL's 13th-ranked offense and finished tied for second in the NFC with 318 first downs. When Payton arrived the Cowboys had ranked 31st in passing the previous year but immediately improved to 17th, as Carter became the first Dallas quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards since 1997.

Payton came to Dallas after four years with the New York Giants, the last three as offensive coordinator. The Giants had one of the NFL’s most productive offenses and QB Kerry Collins posted franchise-record passing numbers. Behind his club-record 4,073 passing yards, the Giants finished 2002 as the NFL’s sixth-ranked offense, the team’s highest ranking since 1985.

Payton solidified his reputation as one of the game’s top offensive minds in 2000. In his first season as coordinator, the Giants captured the NFC title and went to Super Bowl XXXV. New York scored 328 points – the club’s highest total since 1990 – finished 13th in the NFL in offense and jumped from 24th to 11th in rushing.

Payton was first assigned play-calling duties prior to a game against the Jets on Dec. 5, 1999. The Giants responded by scoring 41 points and gaining 490 yards – both season-highs – and he retained that assignment over the final five games. Appointed the offensive coordinator the following season, over the next three years the Giants passing attack continually improved, ranking 13th in the NFL in 2000, tied for eighth in 2001 and sixth in 2002. In the decade prior to Payton’s arrival, the Giants hadn’t ranked above 20th.

Payton joined the Giants as quarterbacks coach on Feb. 3, 1999. Prior to joining the Giants, he spent 1997 and 1998 as Philadelphia’s quarterbacks coach.

Payton wrapped two coaching stints at San Diego State University (1988-89 and 1992-93) around a stop at Indiana State (1990-91). During his second stretch with the Aztecs, Payton was running backs coach, working with Heisman Trophy runner-up Marshall Faulk before becoming quarterbacks coach.

Following the 1993 season, Payton moved to Miami of Ohio (1994-95) where he was quarterbacks coach prior to being promoted to co-offensive coordinator. He spent 1996 as quarterbacks coach at Illinois prior to entering the NFL with Philadelphia.

Payton earned a degree in communication at Eastern Illinois, where as a quarterback he had 10,665 passing yards, then the third-highest total in NCAA Division I-AA history. The three-time AP All-American selection followed his college career with professional stints with Chicago of the Arena Football League, Ottawa of the Canadian Football League and the Chicago Bears in 1987. Payton was inducted into the Eastern Illinois Hall of Fame in September of 2000.

Born Dec. 29, 1963 in San Mateo, Calif., and raised in Naperville, Ill., Payton and his wife, Beth, have a daughter, Meghan and a son, Connor.