Surprise! Surprise! Saints Name Joe Vitt Interim Head Coach

While the possibility of having Bill Parcells lead another team to the Super Bowl was nice and distracting for a while, it appears that the Saints are going with the logical choice for Sean Payton's replacement next season. On Thursday the Saints announced that assistant head coach (and linebackers coach) Joe Vitt would serve as the head coach of the team while Sean Payton is suspended due to the Bountygate scandal.

As the assistant head coach he would (or at least should) be the man who is the most familiar with the team. He's been with the team in his current capacity since January 2006, and did take over briefly last season when Sean Payton was laid up with a broken leg. His record as a head coach is not stellar (4-7 with the St. Louis Rams in 2005), but in all fairness he really didn't have much to work with there.

His name wasn't really bantered around much since he has a six-game suspension to serve himself, but apparently the Saints are okay with that, and think that he is the one best suited to continue on with Payton's vision for the team.

''It is important that we keep Sean Payton's philosophy front and center during this season,'' GM Mickey Loomis said. ''Sean has been the driving force behind the tremendous success our team has enjoyed during the past six years, his leadership will be missed. But we need to set a course of action that gives us the best chance to win this season without our head coach. "

The Saints did have a former head coach on the roster in new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (formerly of the Rams from 2009-11). Putting him in charge would essentially be altering the current philosophy of the team almost completely. Considering the trouble the team is in, some may consider that a good thing!

Of the available choices Joe Vitt is the best one. He is the one best suited to maintain the status quo in Sean Payton's absence. It will be interesting to see how the tea decides to deal with his six-game suspension to start the season.

I guess this means that Bill Parcells is now officially out of the running.

Article by Travis Pulver