NFL (Reports): Saints’ Coach Sean Payton Reached Out to Bill Parcells To Coach Team

Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

While seeking the counsel of his former boss and mentor, Bill Parcells, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has broached the idea of Parcells becoming the interim head coach during Payton’s suspension for the 2012 season, according to several league sources.

Payton and Parcells have spoken numerous times, sources said, since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced last Wednesday that the Saints coach was being suspended for the year because the league found that the team had engaged in a bounty program that included incentives to injure opposing players.

Payton is contemplating an appeal of his stiff sentence, sources said. His suspension begins April 1 and will end after the Super Bowl.

However, under a number of problem-solving scenarios related to his suspension that he has discussed with Parcells, one of those scenarios has gauged Parcells’ interest in taking over as interim head coach. Payton served as assistant head coach under Parcells when the two were with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-05, and has sought his counsel on a regular basis since becoming the Saints coach in 2006.

It is uncertain whether Payton has discussed Parcells’ candidacy as an interim head coach with Saints owner Tom Benson or general manager Mickey Loomis, who was handed an eight-game suspension.

Payton was unavailable for comment and Parcells, who is an NFL analyst for ESPN, did not return phone calls Monday afternoon.

Sources familiar with Parcells offer mixed opinions as to whether he would be tempted to fill Payton’s shoes during the suspension if presented with a formal offer.

“As a friend of Sean’s and a football guy, I’m sure he’d consider it but they’re talking about a lot of things,” said one source about Parcells. “In the end, I don’t think it would happen. It makes sense but it’s complicated.”

One complication is that Parcells, who was among the 10 finalists as a nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, would have to wait another five years once an interim coaching post is completed under the Hall of Fame’s bylaws. One Hall of Fame official said the bylaws would have to be changed but did agree it is a unique situation that could merit discussion. The five-year Hall of Fame clock may not have to be restarted if Parcells took a role with the Saints that did not specifically involve coaching.

Payton also has discussed the various candidates on his own staff, including offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., offensive line coach Aaron Kromer and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Outside candidates have been discussed but few, if any, have the experience or the intimate coaching relationship with Payton that Parcells offers.

The franchise would have to adhere to the Rooney Rule and interview at least one minority candidate if the Saints went outside their coaching staff to seek a coach to replace Payton for the 2012 season.

If Payton does appeal and persuades Goodell to reduce his penalty, it is unlikely he would try to coax Parcells into an interim job, sources said.

WRITTEN BY Chris Mortensen | ESPN & FULL STORY HERE