The Saints went 10-6 last season and advanced further into the postseason than ever before with an overhauled roster that included 11 new starters. Payton scrapped the NFL’s traditional timetable for rebuilding and changed the culture within the team by stressing responsibility, character and unity. New Orleans stormed to a 3-0 start for the first time under a new coach, featured the league’s top-ranked offense – another first in team history – and clinched the NFC South title before the season finale.

When the season came to a close, Payton was voted the Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers of America, The Sporting News and the Maxwell Club. Now Payton has put the accomplishments of 2006 in the history books, and set the club’s focus on the future.

Payton was hired as the 14th head coach in Saints history on Jan. 18, 2006 after being a member of the Dallas Cowboys staff since 2003. In 2007 he enters his 11th season in the NFL and 20th as a coach. Prior to his final season with the Cowboys, Payton was promoted to assistant head coach/passing game coordinator and was responsible for the team’s play-calling.

For the previous two years with Dallas, he had been assistant head coach/quarterbacks. Prior to joining the Cowboys in 2003, he was with the New York Giants (1999-2002) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1997-98).

Payton has had particular success tutoring quarterbacks since arriving in the NFL. Last season, QB Drew Brees had perhaps the finest season for a quarterback in club history, setting team records with a league-high 4,418 yards, 356 completions and a 96.2 passer rating.

With Payton handling the play-calling, the Saints’ offense ranked No. 1 in the NFL (averaging 391.5 yards per contest), set club records with 330 first downs and 6,264 net yards and tied a team mark by scoring 49 touchdowns. New Orleans rushed for 1,761 yards and 19 TDs and was the only team in the league with four players with over 650 receiving yards.

Since 2000, every passer under Payton’s guidance has thrown for over 3,000 yards. The three starting quarterbacks he worked with in Dallas – Drew Bledsoe in 2005, Vinny Testaverde in 2004 and Quincy Carter in 2003 – all surpassed the milestone. Bledsoe threw for 3,639 yards – third in club history – and posted an 83.7 passer rating, among the highest of his career.

In 2005, the Cowboys had the NFL's 13th-ranked offense and finished tied for second in the NFC with 318 first downs. When Payton arrived the Cowboys had ranked 31st in passing the previous year but immediately improved to 17th, as Carter became the first Dallas quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards since 1997. In 2004 and 2005, the team ranked 15th in the league in passing.

Payton came to Dallas after four years with the New York Giants, the last three as offensive coordinator. The Giants had one of the NFL’s most productive offenses and QB Kerry Collins posted franchise-record passing numbers. Behind his club-record 4,073 passing yards, the Giants finished 2002 as the NFL’s sixth-ranked offense, the team’s highest ranking since 1985.

Payton solidified his reputation as one of the game’s top offensive minds in 2000. In his first season as coordinator, the Giants captured the NFC title and went to Super Bowl XXXV. New York scored 328 points – the club’s highest total since 1990 – finished 13th in the NFL in offense and jumped from 24th to 11th in rushing.

Payton was first assigned play-calling duties prior to a game against the Jets on Dec. 5, 1999. The Giants responded by scoring 41 points and gaining 490 yards – both season-high totals – and he retained that assignment over the final five games. Appointed the offensive coordinator the following season, over the next three years the Giants passing attack continually improved, ranking 13th in the NFL in 2000, tied for eighth in 2001 and sixth in 2002. In the decade prior to Payton’s arrival, the Giants hadn’t ranked above 20th.

The Giants players under his guidance during those years flourished. WR Amani Toomer became the first player in club history to catch at least 70 passes in four seasons (1999-2002), and the first with four-consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. RB Tiki Barber set a franchise record for total yards in 2000 with 2,085 and in 2002 finished second in the NFC in rushing.

Payton joined the Giants as quarterbacks coach on Feb. 3, 1999. Prior to joining the Giants, he spent 1997 and 1998 as Philadelphia’s quarterbacks coach.

Payton wrapped two coaching stints at San Diego State University (1988-89 and 1992-93) around a stop at Indiana State (1990-91). During his second stretch with the Aztecs, Payton was running backs coach, working with Heisman Trophy runner-up Marshall Faulk before becoming quarterbacks coach.

Following the 1993 season, Payton moved to Miami of Ohio (1994-95) where he was quarterbacks coach prior to being promoted to co-offensive coordinator. He spent 1996 as quarterbacks coach at Illinois prior to entering the NFL with Philadelphia.

Payton earned a degree in communication at Eastern Illinois, where as a quarterback he had 10,665 passing yards, then the third-highest total in NCAA Division I-AA history. The three-time AP All-American selection followed his college career with professional stints with Chicago of the Arena Football League, Ottawa of the Canadian Football League and the Chicago Bears in 1987. Payton was inducted into the Eastern Illinois Hall of Fame in September of 2000.