National Football League

After 7-9 season, Sean Payton determined to not have a repeat of 2014

Published Jun. 22, 2015 12:34 p.m. ET

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After finishing 7-9 in 2014, right tackle Zach Strief of the New Orleans Saints may have summed things up best.

"The best thing that ever happened to this organization was going 7-9 and not making the playoffs," veteran right tackle Zach Strief told Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. "Because it was eye-opening.

"If we would have slipped into the playoffs at 8-8 it would have been easy to say, 'Oh, we were right there. We were close.' ... No, we weren't. We were so far away."

It's a very interesting way to think about it, but Strief is right. The fact that the Saints finished at 7-9 has to motivate the team, and it absolutely has motivated head coach Sean Payton, who essentially called himself out.

"I just recall in the latter part of that season, we were 'that team,'" Payton said. "We were still in it, but in every facet I saw where we needed to get better. And it starts with me. I know better."

Payton made it clear that he's not going to have a repeat of last season, which makes it obvious that this team is focused on the "playoffs-or-bust" mentality. It's the right mindset to have and one that a serious contender should never lose.

(h/t NOLA.com)

Photo Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images