© Derick E. Hingle | 2019 Dec 8
Sean Payton has beef.
Specifically with a butcher at his local Whole Foods, who gave him some lighthearted flack over the Saints coach’s decision to go for a two-point conversion during last Sunday’s 48-46 loss to the 49ers.
“I certainly understand the fans asking questions,” Payton told New Orleans based radio station WWL. “I got the guy at frickin’ Whole Foods asking me about the two-point play. I looked at him, the guy in the meat section, and I said, ‘Hey, your steaks don’t look too good right now. Worry about your frickin’ meat.’
“You know, on Sunday after a game, I’m going to pick up some food for dinner, I really don’t want to hear about a two-point playcall. Anyway, it just got under my skin. I circled my cart back around and kind of called him out,” Payton said. “I was kind of sliding down the aisle, got the produce right here to the left, you see the meats, I made a right and I’m heading for the coffee. I thought they were all kind of in jest, and I heard one of them say something about, ‘Why’d you go for two?’ I kept walking toward the dairy and I’m like, ‘Ah, I’m not letting this go, I’m turning around.’”
Payton clarified that the back-and-forth was mostly playful in nature, and he explained why he made the call.
“I went back and he was fine, it wasn’t negative, he just wanted to know. And I explained it to him. I would never [usually go for two] that early. But when we get a penalty, now we’re on the 1-yard line and we’re 50% closer. He got it. Then I gave him a hard time and said, ‘Some of these cuts don’t look good to me.’ That was what happened. It was in jest. We were having a little fun.
“I didn’t feel like kicking a touchback, thought about kicking an onside kick,” Payton said. “So on the 1-yard line, I think we’re gonna get two points. And then we get the defense misaligned, obviously it doesn’t have any success. And then the game ends and, ‘Why were you going for two?’ Because I wanted to. We were on the 1-yard line.”