Sean Payton Stays with Saints

Saints coach Sean Payton said on Wednesday he’s remaining with New Orleans, ending speculation that he could be on the move after consecutive 7-9 seasons.

Payton has been with the Saints for a decade and is coming off his first consecutive losing seasons.

“I don’t envision myself ever coaching for any other clubs,” Payton said.

“I know it appeared there was a looming decision, but I think this is really me saying again: here I am and nothing’s changing and I plan on finishing my career here. I’ll be here as long as they’ll have me.”

Payton began his first and only NFL head coaching job with the Saints in 2006, the season after the team had been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Since then, he has gone 87-57 in the regular season with five playoff appearances and one Super Bowl title in the 2009 season.

His playoff record is 6-4. Payton’s record excludes the 2012 season, when he was suspended in connection with the NFL’s bounty investigation.

Payton spoke on Wednesday as Saints owner Tom Benson sat off to the right of the podium, with general manager Mickey Loomis and Saints president Dennis Lauscha standing nearby.

The coach said he understood the speculation about him leaving New Orleans, given that he has been with the Saints for a decade and that coaching vacancies were opening on other clubs as the season wound down.

But Payton stressed: “I knew in my heart of hearts that was not going to be something that was going to come to fruition.

“There will be a time when they don’t want you back, and that’s OK. One by one, that train stops for all of us,” Payton added, then added a line he learned from his mentor, Bill Parcells: “We’re better for having ridden, then never having been on at all.”

Payton said his contract, which runs for two more seasons and pays him about $8 million annually, remains unchanged for now.

“I’m sure at the right time, all those things will take care of themselves,” Payton said.

With Drew Brees as his quarterback, the offense Payton designed has ranked first in the NFL in five of the nine seasons he has coached, never ranking lower than sixth.

However, the Saints have often ranked near the bottom of the NFL defensively during Payton’s tenure.

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Brees Breaks Marino Passing Record

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has broken Dan Marino's 27-year-old record for passing yards in an NFL season.

The 32-year-old's final pass in the 45-16 home win over Atlanta Falcons saw him pass Marino's mark of 5,084 yards for Miami Dolphins in 1984.

Brees ended the game with four touchdowns and 307 yards as the Saints clinched the NFC South title.

"Honestly, I was trying not to think about the record," he said.

"I knew we were close. I got [rushed] by the offensive lineman and I figured at that point, 'Ok, I guess we finally broke the record or they wouldn't be hoisting me up like this.'

"So many people contributed to this and I'm happy for them."

Brees's nine-yard pass to Darren Sproles with two minutes 51 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter not only confirmed Saints's seventh successive win but eclipsed one of the longest-standing individual records in NFL history.

Marino tweeted his congratulations to Brees, saying: "Great job by such a special player."

On average, Marino threw the ball about 35 times per game during the 1984 season. This year, Brees has typically had nearly 42 attempts, significantly boosting his chances of breaking the record.

Brees now has 5,087 yards to his name with one match of the regular season remaining.

New Orleans have a 12-3 winning record and can secure second seeding for the play-offs with victory over Carolina next week, coupled with a San Francisco defeat to St Louis.

Brees also becomes the first NFL quarterback to twice throw over 5,000 yards in a season, having achieved the feat in 2008.

Saints coach Sean Payton admitted he would not normally have called for a passing play so late in the game.

He said: "Typically, would I be throwing there? The answer would probably be no. In fact, the answer is I wouldn't be.

"But I thought it was appropriate to get [the record] and we did it. I felt real good about my decision."

SINGLE SEASON PASSING RECORD

Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) 5,087 yards in 2011*

Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins) 5,084 yards in 1984

Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) 5,069 yards in 2008

Kurt Warner (St Louis Rams) 4,830 yards in 2001

Tom Brady (New England Patriots) 4,806 yards in 2007

*2011 regular season yet to finish