New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has never been the type of guy to bite his tongue and give ‘coach-speak’ answers during interviews and press conferences.
So it should come as no surprise that the 2006 NFL Coach of the Year didn’t hold back when a butcher at his local Whole Foods questioned his decision to attempt a two-point conversion in the first half of the Saints’ 48-46 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14.
Payton detailed the incident on his weekly appearance on The Saints Coaches Show on WWL Radio:
“I certainly understand the fans asking questions. I got the guy at frickin’ Whole Foods asking me about the two-point play. I looked at him, the guy in the meat section, and I said, ‘Hey, your steaks don’t look too good right now. Worry about your frickin’ meat.'”
Payton went on to explain the situation in more depth, making it clear that it was a light-hearted interaction with a devoted fan.
“You know, on Sunday after a game, I’m going to pick up some food for dinner, I really don’t want to hear about a 2-point playcall,” Payton said (via Mike Triplett of ESPN). “Anyway, it just got under my skin. I circled my cart back around and kind of called him out. I was kind of sliding down the aisle, got the produce right here to the left, you see the meats, I made a right and I’m heading for the coffee. I thought they were all kind of in jest, and I heard one of them say something about, ‘Why’d you go for two?’ I kept walking toward the dairy and I’m like, ‘Ah, I’m not letting this go, I’m turning around.’
“I went back and he was fine, it wasn’t negative, he just wanted to know. And I explained it to him. I would never [usually go for two] that early. But when we get a penalty, now we’re on the 1-yard line and we’re 50% closer. He got it. Then I gave him a hard time and said, ‘Some of these cuts don’t look good to me.’ That was what happened. It was in jest. We were having a little fun.”
Payton is without a doubt the greatest coach in Saints history. This troll job only adds to his legendary status in The Big Easy.
