This time, Sean Payton receives call from fans of Saints, New Orleans and NFL

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The massive impact of the no-call NOLA no-call hit Sean Payton while on vacation at Turks and Caicos.

Even in the remote British colonial islands, the most egregious blunder in the history of the NFL was a topic of discussion. Wherever Payton turned, strangers sought to give their opinion and sympathy to the Saints' New Orleans head coach.

"Every time, it's like, 'Look, it's good, guys did it, we're going to bounce back,'" said Payton. "But you realize how many people are watching our match."

And that's why Payton was so ecstatic on Tuesday (March 26th) when the NFL owners adopted a rule that will effectively prevent such a mistake from getting to another team in the future.

Beginning in the 2019 season, coaches and a match official will be able to challenge pass interference penalties identical to those imposed by Nickell Robey-Coleman on Tommylee Lewis in the closing minutes of the NFC championship game two months ago. .

According to the new rule, which was passed by a 31-1 vote of the owners, coaches will be allowed to challenge calls and non-calls at any time of the match, with the exception of the last two minutes.

In the last two minutes, a retransmission manager assumes responsibility for challenging these calls or non-calls.

The change has been ratified on a one – year trial basis.

Pass interference calls are the only penalties added to instant replay protocols. The league will consider further penalties in the future, said Payton.

"We wanted to walk to the start," said Payton, who led the call for change as one of two competition committee coaches who presented the rule change proposal to homeowners for a vote. "It's a positive change. Obviously, some calls are not taken into account. At least we can start looking at this as we move forward. I think everyone is delighted to have got a good answer. "

The decision was a surprise. Most NFL insiders and observers thought that it would take at least another year of research to make a change. The fact that it happened so quickly honors the creativity, motivation, and persuasiveness of Payton and his fellow coaches, who rallied behind the cause and put hard pressure on homeowners for hours on Monday.

But the possibility of a positive vote began to gain ground among homeowners on Tuesday morning after Payton and other members of the competition committee's coaching subcommittee came up with new proposals that deal with some of the very significant penalties. heavy on interference in passes, current challenges and arbitration protocols.

"I do not think it will affect how we watch games," said Payton. "There are two other calls we'll be working on, and I think the room (owners) felt really good about it. This is the system we know and our fans know. "

The positive vote was also a victory for Payton. As one of the two competition committee coaches, who is the steward of the league's rulebook, Payton carried the torch for the organization of the Saints, the city of New Orleans, and angered the followers of the Saints.

He has clearly lobbied, cajoled and pleaded for a change in the system since the early days following the controversial 26-23 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Almost every Saints or NFL member I spoke to this week talked about Payton's passion for making change.

"Today 's day has been good for the saints," said Saints President Dennis Lauscha. "Sean deserves a lot of credit. He drove this house. "

After the vote, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stabbed Payton as he exchanged congratulatory cuddles with owner Gayle Benson in the hallway at the end of the day. outside the meeting room.

"Honestly, when you sit on this committee, you are trying to make decisions that can help the game and not just out of spite for a part that has occurred," said Payton. "We participate in these meetings with the idea of ​​how to improve our game. There is this responsibility we have towards the game. We do not take it lightly, and I think it's important. "

Payton deserves a ton of credit for the change. He may have lost the battle in January, but he won the war on Tuesday. Part of his legacy will be the rule change that was adopted Tuesday to improve the game of the NFL.

The fearlessness that Payton has shown throughout his career as a call to the offensive game has been very useful in his crusade to redress the harm of NOLA No Call.

"I think we are afraid of things we have not done," said Payton. "What is more scary is to get through this (NOLA without appeal in the game of the NFC championship) or to pass through the folds of the flag on the ground. And I would say that reliving that would be more troubling. Can you imagine? "

Thanks to Payton's diligence and perseverance, we no longer have to imagine it.