The struggling Saints haven’t had much success this season, but one of the few highlights came back on Oct. 30 when New Orleans blanked the Raiders 24–0 to pick up their only win in their last five games. According to an initial report by NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, the team may have gotten an extra boost in the week leading up to the game in the form of a pep talk from former head coach Sean Payton.
“Sean Payton popped in because he had something to do in New Orleans, and like gave them a pep talk that week, they won 24-nothing,” Schrager said on The Bill Simmons Podcast this week. “And then Sean Payton leaves, and it’s like, maybe the worst thing he could have done was give them a taste of the Sean Payton magic. Because they won 24-nothing once he lit a fire under their asses…”
While Schrager’s report turned some heads, the story of Payton’s pep talk also caught the attention of Saints running back Alvin Kamara. The ballcarrier firmly quashed the rumors on Twitter, asking Schrager, “who gave you this Fake news??”
