Frankly Football: Saints bond by helping, plus more NFL straight talk

Saints coach Sean Payton knows how to take advantage of the moment and is not afraid to take on new challenges.

Back in 1997, Payton was leaving his post as quarterbacks coach at Illinois for a position on the Maryland coaching staff. Working in the Philadelphia Eagles front office at the time, I called him to inquire if he would have an interest in driving to Philadelphia to meet with owner Jeffrey Lurie and head coach Ray Rhodes. Lurie wanted Rhodes to hire a young coach who could replace Jon Gruden as the offensive coordinator when Gruden eventually left to become a head coach. (Gruden had been flirting with the Oakland Raiders for the past two years.)

Payton and his pregnant wife, Beth, were in College Park, Md., expecting his moving trucks to show up at any moment when my call came. Still, nothing could deter him from immediately jumping in his car and driving to Philly for a chance to get in the NFL. Grabbing a cell phone to stay in constant touch with Beth, Payton made quick time. He went on to earn the job and launch his NFL career, with the upcoming season being his third as the Saints head coach.

What always impressed me about Payton was his determination and his ability to adapt. The working conditions in Philadelphia in 1997 were just horrible. Payton did not have an office. He worked out of his own briefcase, had no phone line and had to rely on a cell phone with very spotty service. To watch film, he moved from room to room, but he never complained. He never was in a bad mood. He just welcomed the new challenge with a smile.

Payton told me last week that every offseason he has some kind of team bonding session, usually paintball or bowling. This year he thought it would be the right thing to do to give back to the city of New Orleans. Payton held a team meeting and put his idea to a vote: either practice for an OTA day ... or help rebuild a neighborhood.

In a no-brainer unanimous vote, the Saints loaded their team buses to work with the Rebuilding Together New Orleans project. Rebuilding Together is a national nonprofit with a network of nearly 225 affiliates across the U.S. Their mission is to preserve affordable housing by bringing volunteers and communities together to rehabilitate the homes of low-income homeowners.

In the heat and humidity, the Saints worked on four homes in the Holly Grove neighborhood of New Orleans, which is still trying to recover from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. With the same intensity that goes into preparing his team, Payton and the Saints worked diligently, intent on rebuilding these homes and their owner's dreams.

"It's an awesome sight," said Payton, "The guys know how important these types of things are to our community. We are all in this together. This is our city. This is our home. We are just doing a small part, but it matters to the people that live here and it shows we care about them. It digs your roots in the town."

To further emphasize his commitment to the city, Payton and his staff invited high school players from inner city New Orleans for a one-day skill camp last weekend. The camp also allowed high school coaches to learn football from the Saints staff. For many of the kids, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Saints are now a big part of restoring the city. Author Michael Lewis, who wrote the best-selling sports books "Moneyball" and "The Blind Side," has recently moved back to New Orleans to conduct research for an upcoming book that will center on the restoration of New Orleans. "It's slightly alarming how much better run the Saints are after the storm than they were in the 38 years before it," he says. "They aren't a symbol of the city getting back to what it was before the storm; they're a symbol of the city remaking itself entirely."