4. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
The Saints need to make it to the postseason. The last time the team played past Week 17 was in 2013. Since, they have had three, very dry, 7-9 finishes in the NFC South.
Payton has one of the most elite quarterbacks in the league in future Hall of Famer, Drew Brees. As a result of Brees’ talents, the Saints produced the No. 1-ranked offense in 2016. Yet, because of a terrible defense, only the seven wins were accomplished.
Getting to the playoffs is obviously Payton’s No. 1 priority in 2017. That’s the same for every coach. But unlike many, anything less than a postseason berth could result in the end of the Payton era. Brees vows to play another few years, so the window of opportunity for Payton to advance his team into the postseason is closing.
Payton and the Saints need to bolster their defense in order to improve their win-loss record. Last year, New Orleans’ defense surrendered 28.4 points and 375.4 yards on average per contest.
It’s time for Payton to get his team back on course…or else.