Payton says he settled on the Saints; really wanted the GB job

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"I'd flown up to Green Bay and had a terrific interview with the Packers," Payton wrote. "That's a great organization - a team I had followed since I was a kid. I felt optimistic about that possibility and was expecting to hear something soon."

"I really thought there was a good chance I was getting the Packers' job," Payton wrote. "Without a doubt, Green Bay is where I wanted to go. Knowing the tradition. Coming from the Midwest. Growing up around all that. And Beth too - I knew she could see herself in Green Bay, despite those winters that never end."

While Payton was in New Orleans in January 2006 to meet with Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, he kept checking his cell phone to see if 920, the Green Bay area code, was attached to a text or voice mail.

After talking to Saints officials, including owner Tom Benson, Payton was relaxing in his room at the Renaissance Hotel, which was still open after Hurricane Katrina, before going out to dinner at Tommy's Cuisine.

"I took off my coat and loosened my tie," Payton wrote. "I was relaxing on the bed, almost dozing off. The cell phone began to vibrate. I had a message from 920, Ted Thompson, the Packers GM. Ted got right to the point. 'Hey,' he said, 'the process has gone well. We've decided to go in a different direction, and I wanted to let you know as soon as possible. It hasn't come out yet. Please don't say anything until we announce it.'

"I wanted to cry," Payton wrote. "I appreciated the heads-up. But damn!"

The different direction Thompson was talking about was Mike McCarthy, who was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006. LINK

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