Payton's Place is Phanatic's Coach of Year

Release from The Phanatic

Philadelphia, PA (The Phanatic) - Two football minds with no prior head coaching experience, one an offensive genius the other a defensive guru, led their respective clubs from the NFL basement to the playoffs in one season.

The Phanatic recognized the accomplishments of both men, but in the end, only one could take home the hardware.

By a 6-3 count, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton captured The Phanatic's first NFL Coach of the Year Award, as voted on by a panel of nine staff writers.

Payton not only resurrected a franchise, turning the Saints from a three-win street dweller to a 10-win toast of Bourbon Street, but also revived a city stricken by the lasting economic and emotional effects left by Hurricane Katrina.

With a pedigree stemming from Bill Parcells, Payton started his NFL coaching career with your hometown Philadelphia Eagles, where he served as quarterbacks coach in 1997-98. He then moved over to the Giants in the same capacity, before taking over the reins of the offense in 2000.

He moved to Dallas as the main offensive coach in 2003, leaving to become Saints head coach this past season. Payton's place in The Phanatic's trophy room may have been etched on the eve of the NFL Draft, when word broke that the Houston Texans were prepared to select North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams instead of Reggie Bush with the first overall pick.

Payton was at dinner at the time, explaining, "The news came between minestrone and redfish." Whether or not he drew the foundation of the prolific Saints offense on napkins is up for debate, but the results can't be argued.

New Orleans finished as the top yardage offense in the entire league and finished fifth in scoring. Payton pushed quarterback Drew Brees to the brink of stardom, and made what many thought would be a problem -- a crowded, talented, ego-driven backfield -- into a dynamic one, two punch.

He delegated well on the defensive side of the ball, and the Saints never beat themselves. They may not have always been the most talented team, but Payton's crew was always the most prepared. The results are a playoff berth complete with a week to rest and, most importantly, this high distinction.

Eric Mangini?!?! That was the reaction of New York Jet fans when the club named the 35-year-old Bill Belichick disciple the new head football coach. Preseason prognosticators claimed the Jets had little talent, but they failed to measure intellect and heart. Mangini brought in another young football mind, Brian Schottenheimer, to run an offense built around the decision-making strengths of Chad Pennington. He implemented a Patriot-like style on the defensive side of the ball, and the two meshed to form the surprise of the season.

Mangini's Jets won 10 games, and he'll have the opportunity to match wits with the teacher in Foxboro this Sunday in the AFC Wild Card round.

Official Voting Results:
Sean Payton, New Orleans: 6
Eric Mangini, New York Jets: 3