Report: Saints' Sean Payton may give up play-calling duties this season
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton could relinquish an important part of his job.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Payton has been letting offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael call plays in the preseason and it could continue in the regular season.
Carmichael called the Saints' plays for a stretch in 2011 after Payton suffered a broken leg, and for the entire 2012 season while New Orleans' head coach served his year-long suspension for Bountygate.
Sean Payton on OC Carmichael: ”He’s got experience. We go back to 2011, where he had most of the season and he did outstanding with that.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 18, 2014
It's tricky for coaches to juggle a handful of responsibilities during a game in addition to play-calling duties, so Payton handing off the role to the experienced Carmichael makes sense. It also helps to have Drew Brees, who has been in the offense for eight years and is basically a coach on the field at this point.