“It’s 32 teams, including the Saints,” Payton assured hosts Bobby Hebert and Zach Strief, looking back at one of his worst blunders in the first years of his tenure in New Orleans.
He continued: “Tampa Bay at home, 2007, we’re up by four, we run the double reverse and fumble it. I beat the Saints, too.”
That ugly end-of-game sequence saw Reggie Bush cough up the first of two Saints fumbles in the fourth quarter against the Buccaneers, with the Saints leading 23-20 at midfield. The loose ball was recovered by Tampa Bay defensive lineman Jovan Haye, who set up Luke McCown to drive downfield and extend the visitors’ lead over the Saints with a 4-yard touchdown pass.