National Football League

Saints' Payton goes to bat for Panthers' Fox

Published Nov. 7, 2010 1:03 a.m. ET

foxsports

It wasn't long ago John Fox was fresh off a trip to the NFC title game and a couple years removed from a Super Bowl appearance as he pushed to get buddy Sean Payton his first head coaching job with the New Orleans Saints.

Now wearing a Super Bowl ring, Payton is a coaching star. Fox's fortunes, meanwhile, have plummeted. Denied a contract extension, his Carolina Panthers are among the worst teams in the league and all signs point to this being his last year in Charlotte.

Payton knows he needs the banged-up Saints (5-3) to complete their first season sweep of the woeful Panthers (1-6) since 2001 on Sunday to erase a slow start and stay in the mix in the competitive NFC South. But it hasn't stopped Payton from looking out for his embattled friend.

''When he becomes a free agent, you get a feel for the market,'' Payton said. ''For him it will be a good thing.''

Fox, too, said last week that, ''I've never really worried about having a job in this league and I'm not going to start now.''

But it's striking how the roles are reversed from the end of the 2005 season when Payton, then a Dallas assistant, got a strong recommendation from Fox has he sought the Saints job.

''Somewhere along the line, I'm sure people that make those decisions asked me about Sean,'' Fox said. ''Of course, I have nothing but great things to say.''

They became close from their time together with the Giants, when Fox was the defensive coordinator and Payton ran the offense as New York reached the Super Bowl following the 2000 season.

''We lived near each other and spent a lot of time together,'' Payton said. ''I have a ton of respect for his football knowledge and his ability and I think that is something we had a chance to share.

''He has always been a guy I bounced ideas off of. When your two offices down a lot of times there were late nights when you're thinking of something like third down or red zone and he always had great insight and good advice.''

Fox has seemingly run out of answers - or talent - this season, however. Powerless as owner Jerry Richardson ordered management to slash payroll and begin a youth movement, the Panthers have become the NFL's bottom-feeder in points (12.1 per game), yards (251.4), interceptions (13) and turnover margin (minus-10).

Last Sunday was another nightmare, as Matt Moore threw three more picks in a 20-10 loss at St. Louis as the Panthers managed 25 yards rushing to eliminate any momentum from their first win over San Francisco a week earlier. It marked the fourth time in seven games Carolina has scored 10 or fewer points.

''It's just so bad on offense,'' left tackle Jordan Gross said. ''There's no other reason we're losing besides that.''

Indeed, the defense is ranked fourth in the league and gave Drew Brees fits in the first meeting last month, when New Orleans scored just one touchdown but escaped with a 16-14 win.

It's been part of an alarming trend for the Saints, who have struggled against bad teams as they try to avoid a Super Bowl hangover. They needed a last-second field goal to beat San Francisco and suffered double-digit losses to Arizona and Cleveland before an impressive win over powerful Pittsburgh last week.

''This is going to be huge to get us kind of in a flow,'' said Malcolm Jenkins, who could move back to safety if cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer return from injuries. ''Then we'll go into the bye week, get healthy, take a breath and then put our heads back down for the remainder of the season.''

The Saints sit a half-game behind division co-leaders Atlanta and Tampa Bay, who play each other Sunday. A win over a downtrodden team would put New Orleans in decent shape despite a slew of injuries that have sidelined running backs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas and much of the secondary.

And the Saints showed some glimpses of their 2009 selves in the fourth quarter against the Steelers when Brees threw two touchdown passes.

''We're chomping at the bit to rattle off a couple games of 30 plus points each,'' said Brees, who has 16 TD passes but also 11 interceptions. ''That's when you're clicking.''

The Panthers would settle for just basic offensive competence as they face the NFL's third-rated defense.

Moore, who had been benched for rookie Jimmy Clausen in the first meeting with New Orleans, will start despite being responsible for 12 of Carolina's league-high 23 turnovers. With running back DeAngelo Williams (foot) still hobbled, the Panthers have few big-play threats.

''We just can't get out of our own way sometimes,'' Gross said.

It's put Fox's streak of never finishing worse than 7-9 as an NFL coach or an assistant in jeopardy. He also needs one more win to guarantee a winning overall record in Carolina, but a poor final season would put a hole in his resume.

Perhaps Payton would find a spot for him on his staff in 2011?

''I don't think he's going to have to worry about being an assistant,'' Payton said. ''But I would always look for a spot for a guy like John Fox because he is that good.''