New Orleans Saints keep the faith in wake of penalties

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New Orleans Saints keep the faith in wake of penalties

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New Orleans Saints keep the faith in wake of penalties

Written by Sam Farmer

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(Photo : Reuters)

The parting instructions of New Orleans Coach Sean Payton — the words he told his staff and players before heading into the abyss of his season-long suspension by the NFL — are memorialized on a movie-screen-sized banner hanging in the Saints' indoor practice facility.

"Do your job" is the simple directive, the reminder written under a close-up of a glaring Payton on the sideline, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed.

His team doesn't always practice inside — the Saints worked out in the stifling midday heat Thursday — but it has embraced the message, even without the photo of its banished and beloved coach watching over it.

The NFL handed down severe penalties in the wake of an alleged pay-to-injure bounty program. The Saints are angry about the unprecedented suspensions that, for various stretches, will leave them without Payton and defensive captain Jonathan Vilma, both suspended for the season; General Manager Mickey Loomis, suspended for eight games; interim coach Joe Vitt (six), and defensive end Will Smith (four).

Quarterback Drew Brees spoke to two reporters Thursday long after his teammates left the practice field. He said he's bothered that the Saints, once the darlings of the league, are seen by a significant slice of NFL fans as a collection of low-character thugs.

"More than anything, that's not what we are, and it's not what we stand for," Brees said. "So the negative perception does hurt us, because that's not the way we conduct ourselves. That's not the environment and the culture we've created here."

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