In this week’s Monday Morning Quarterback on SI.com, Peter King let us know that Sean Payton spent part of last week bragging to some Saints about the fact that he never had to have surgery during his playing career.
After Sunday, we imagine Payton won’t be inclined to brag about never being hit by a car, struck by lightning or anything else that could land him in the hospital. The Saints coach tore his MCL and suffered a tibia fracture when tight end Jimmy Graham slammed into him on the sideline during the loss to the Buccaneers.
Payton had surgery on Monday morning to repair the injuries and, like most surgeries, it was deemed a success by the doctor who performed it.
“The surgery went very well,” said Saints Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Deryk Jones in a statement released by the team. “We plan to keep him overnight tonight for observations and have him home tomorrow. I anticipate Coach Payton returning to the office sometime Wednesday or Thursday. The recovery period for this type of surgery is three to six months. I would anticipate him being able to put partial weight on it in about eight weeks.”
Assistant head coach Joe Vitt will handle the head coach’s usual Monday meeting with the media and presumably will act as a liaison with Payton regarding planning for Sunday’s game against the Colts. Payton said Sunday that he anticipates having to coach from upstairs in the next few weeks, something that seems more certain after hearing from Dr. Jones.