No sooner had no penalty been called than Sean Payton knew the painful truth and so did the NFL. A Super Bowl berth had been determined in part by a cruel error in the game between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams. “We’ll probably never get over it,” the Saints’ moist-eyed coach told reporters Sunday.
At least Payton isn’t alone in his anguish. Another NFL coach who has been in that same possession validated Payton’s initial impression Tuesday, although he would have preferred to talk about something — anything — other than the infamous tuck rule game of January 2002.