Former Saints players, coaches are suffering alongside fans watching this year’s team

The Saints are not good, and the players and coaches of past years are suffering just like the fans watching it go down.

Eli and Peyton Manning should be tried for crimes for forcing to have Sean Payton watch his former team implode on national television. Maybe it was Peyton’s way of getting back at Coach Payton for what he did to him in Super Bowl XLIV when the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts.

Just minutes into his appearance on the Manningcast, the Ravens kicked a field goal and the Saints threw an interception on the next play. Three plays later the Ravens scored a touchdown to go up 27-6.

Payton was visibly disgusted with the team. Though he’s no longer employed, you have to assume he still feels some sort of emotional connection to the team after coaching them for 15 years, 241 games.

After last week had fans thinking Sean Payton himself drew up the gameplan, Saints fans can be sure that Payton definitely isn’t coming back to save the team anytime soon after what he witnessed last night.

This team is bad and has no direction. Though one could see the horrible division they play in as evidence that they are still in the running for the playoffs, in reality, the only thing that will do is give the Saints a mirage of hope, a feeling that they can be competitive when in reality, zoom out a few years and there is little to no discernable plan for this team.

Former players are fed up with the Saints, too

It’s not just Payton, though. Former players are suffering through watching this team. Lance Moore, a crucial part of the Saints’ only Super Bowl team, called the performance, “embarrassing.”

He’s not wrong. It was embarrassing. The Saints converted three of 11 third downs. They only had 22 minutes of possession time. You absolutely will not win the game when Lamar Jackson gets to hold the ball for over 37 minutes.

Additionally, it’s painful to see such a solid organization that has enough gravity to keep former players as fans turn to a stain.

What can be done? At this point, the Saints need to hope Payton gets back in the coaching game and gives the team a stockpile of draft picks in a trade. The core is aging and they’re facing injury issues. They also might be losing their best player to injury any day now.

The only thing Saints fans can be happy about is knowing that they have former players right there with them in their misery.