A COVID-19 outbreak within the New Orleans Saints has led to six assistant coaches being sidelined this week among their collection of positive cases.
That circumstance has led head coach Sean Payton to have to pick up more of the slack this week as the Saints prepare to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
For quarterback Jameis Winston, the need for Payton to be more hands-on this week has presented a unique opportunity and a bit of a silver lining for him and the team.
“We got to experience one of the best offensive mind head coaches ever in the game one-on-one like a staff meeting running the team,” Winston said, via Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. “I’ve never been in that room of watching tape with Sean, of going through situations with Sean and voicing how he would like something done.
“I do care about the health of our coaches, and I want them to get them back. But if they just want to let him run the meetings, I would really enjoy it.”
While not naming specific coaches, Payton said that a running backs coach, wide receiver coach, offensive line coach and two tight ends coaches were among the six sitting out. With that many offensive coaches out and having to contribute remotely until they clear protocol, Payton’s had to run most of the offensive show this week.
Just like the Saints having to relocate to Dallas and play their home opener in Jacksonville due to Hurricane Ida, the Saints have had to adapt and Winston praised Payton was the way he’s led the team in such circumstances.
“I think it fell right into how we’ve been adjusting here in Dallas,” Winston said. “One thing I admire about our head coach, he doesn’t blink an eye. He really embraces those situations. He voices to us how we should embrace it. We just team up with him and we roll with him.”