It seems like every time New Orleans coach Sean Payton gets on a conference call with the Carolina media, he goes out of his way to promote his old buddy John Fox.
Payton once again said Wednesday that he doesn’t think Fox, who appears virtually done in Carolina, will have trouble finding a head-coaching job next season. That might be true, because Fox is respected around the league. But what’s happening in Carolina this season isn’t making his resume glisten. Plus, you never know what jobs will come open or when, although Fox’s agent is doing his best to figure that out.
But, let’s just say for a second, that Fox doesn’t immediately land a head-coaching job. Then, hypothetically, let’s say New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams does land a head-coaching job, which is at least a possibility.
I’m willing to guess Payton would do anything possible to get Fox to come in and run his defense. Everyone knows these two worked together with the New York Giants. But it goes beyond that.
If you’re at the league meetings or the scouting combine, you almost never see Payton without Fox. Payton and Williams have co-existed nicely since Williams joined the Saints last season. But they’re not all that close. If Williams gets a head-coaching job and Fox is sitting out there, Payton and Fox might be together even more often.