Saints have packed up for the winter, and that means its time for the Sean Payton rumor mill to start spinning. This time, there's a twist: instead of him leaving to coach elsewhere, he's thinking of heading for the broadcast booth. This is a little more legitimate, since - unlike leaving for another team - his contract would not prevent him from taking that job. And crazy as it sounds, I find myself thinking it might be best for the team (if that's what he really wants to do next) if he makes that move sooner than later. Hear me out: the roster is in good shape, enough so that it would be practical to promote from within, rather than bring in someone from outside who may want to rebuild the staff and otherwise shake things up. The most logical choice to promote to HC is Dennis Allen. That means we'd need a new DC, and there are two good candidates already on staff in Secondary Coach Kris Richard and Assistant HC Ryan Nielsen. Problem is; Allen is a candidate for the HC job in Chicago, and Richard is getting sniffs elsewhere for DC positions. We could lose both if the staff stands pat otherwise. If Payton is going to make the move, hopefully he does it quickly, and gives management a shot at locking up Allen and Richard. Otherwise we're looking at a big coaching shakeup.
Let the Payton to the Cowboys rumor begin and continue through next season until McCarthy gets fired for another failed attempt at winning a playoff game.
Early reports saying Da Bears will be going with Indy's DC. I think they were the only ones who had interviewed Dennis Allen so far.
Alvin Kamara arrested after the Pro Bowl in Vegas for Battery "with serious bodily harm," a felony. Have to wonder what that guy did to provoke someone as mild mannered as AK to that extent.
ESPN reporters tweeting Dennis Allen has been told the job is his, despite an 8-hour interview with Bienemy yesterday.