Was Spags being fired completely based on the worst defense in history...

I honestly think CSP is cleaning house.

He's probably furious after what he saw during the year.

If we take SP's words on their face, then he fired Spags more for a change in philosophy than for performance.

But SP could just be being diplomatic.

Combination of a bad defense and seeing our def personel closer to a 3-4 with drafting for a 3-4 also easier. Add the trouble the Saints and CSP have had vs the 3-4.The worst def in history gives you the biggest opening to switch you could ever have.

One nice bonus is that our enemies atl TB and carolina have not seen this def from the Saints in a long time.

I think Payton probably did a ton of research and watched a ton of film. Unless Spags completely set the world on fire this year, Payton was gonna go a different direction.

I've been thinking about this a lot. Of course last years performance had something to do with the decision, but there had to be some friction between Spags and others on the staff.

The switch to the 3-4 will help this offense get over the issues they've had against the 3-4. That, imo, is what is really standing in the way between us and another Championship. Of course the defense has to be play better, but we had to be able to run and not be a turnover machine against the 3-4.

Payton was contemplating the switch for a while now. Spags defense helped make the decision a reality. I'm happy because this may be the huge push this team needs to get past years of mediocrity on the defensive side of the ball. This decision right here may be the culmination of future championships under this regime. Payton just made a huge move to get this team back where we all know it should be. On top.

No one is arguing that the defense was anything short of an embarassment bcs they were for the most part of the year. The stats prove that.

However, SP is a classy guy and always has been. Switching to a 3-4 I think is the main reason that Spags is gone, however, it serves a dual purpose of also letting Spags go in a classy manor.

When I wrote a few months ago that Spags had to go, I got jumped on like a kid with a pair of Lebron shoes. Payton saw what everyone else saw: A defense that didn't improve from start to finish. A defense that looked confused in executing basic skills. A defense that looked as unprepared as a crackhead taking a mensa test; these are the reasons the man got his walking papers.

Saints fans need to be thankful that Payton had the gonads to step in and put the dog to sleep in quick fashion.

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or was it based more on the fact that Payton just wants to switch to a 3-4 defense?

Did he sit back this year and realize the 3-4 scheme is just more successful and may be better suited for our personnel? So he pulled the plug while he knew he could?

I'm all about the 3-4 defense back in the Dome!

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I'd put it this way. In Payton's opinion, this was about the easiest time he would ever get to make a decision like this. There were VERY few things keeping him from making the move...including Spagnuolo. It wasn't a hard decision.