LONDON -- For some members of the New Orleans Saints organization, this week's trip to Britain for the second International Series game at Wembley Stadium is a bit of a homecoming.
England native Jermaine Allen, who played for the Hamburg Sea Devils when they won the final NFL Europa World Bowl, is a running back on the Saints' practice squad as part of the NFL's International Development Program. Veteran running back Aaron Stecker was the offensive MVP of NFL Europe while playing for the Scottish Claymores in 1999.
But for Saints coach Sean Payton, the game will come exactly 20 years after he played one season at quarterback for the Leicester Panthers, in the British American Football Association. Though he's never made much of it publicly -- in fact, he declined to discuss it with a number of British reporters back in January when the Chargers-Saints matchup was announced -- it was an experience he's never forgotten.
"Certainly right out of college, having the opportunity to come overseas and enjoy a different area of the world was a great experience for me," Payton said at his opening news conference in London this week.
More than that, the season in Britain was an absolutely pivotal one in his career.
It was the experience of acting as a de facto coach that convinced Payton that was what he wanted to do. Payton, who in addition to playing quarterback for the Panthers, was also involved in making up the offensive game plan and tutoring less-experienced amateur players.
Payton played his college ball at Eastern Illinois, which has produced NFL coaches Mike Shanahan and Brad Childress, Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger as well as Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. In his senior year, he led Eastern Illinois to a 10-2 record, and the quarterfinals of the Div. I-AA playoffs.
Generously listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Payton was unlikely to get drafted in the NFL, so in 1987 he played for the Chicago Bruisers in the inaugural season of the Arena Football League. Later that year, he was one of the "Spare Bears" -- a replacement player with Mike Ditka's Chicago team during the 1987 NFL strike (his NFL career stats: 8-for-23 passing, 79 yards, 1 interception, 7 sacks). He also had a brief tryout with the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders.
So limited as the Leicester offer seemed, it was at least a chance for Payton to keep playing.
The late 1980s were a relative boom period for the British amateur league. It had sponsorship from Budweiser, and a championship game held at Aston Villa's soccer ground that drew more than 20,000 fans. The Panthers had their own sponsorship, from a local brewery. Each team was allowed up to four American players. Payton was offered a small bonus and salary, free housing and car, and, as he put it, "all the beer I could drink."
Keith Webster, who edited the American football weekly paper First Down, said the Panthers were in many ways the "envy of the league, with a solid sponsor, a good stadium, strong traveling support and a classy, professional setup. But they also had the reputation of being perennial bridesmaids, and never the bride."
Webster recalled Payton's running abilities being showcased more than his passing skills, as the Panthers went 8-5-1 and lost in the quarterfinals to the London Olympians, who went on to lose to the Panthers' arch-rival Birmingham Bulls in the championship game. Although Payton's had the better career since, Birmingham boasted the league's best quarterback that year -- Russ Jensen, who previously had played for the Los Angeles Raiders and the USFL's Los Angeles Express.
The most famous player to emerge from the brief Payton era in Leicester was actually a member of the youth team that Payton coached. Martin Johnson played tight end and defensive end before quitting football to concentrate on rugby. Eventually, Johnson would captain England to victory in the Rugby World Cup, and now is in charge of the national team. He remains an American football fan -- of the 49ers in particular -- and last season drew a standing ovation when he walked to the 50-yard line at Wembley for the ceremonial coin toss before the Dolphins-Giants game.
The Leicester Panthers no longer exist, but Johnson also took part in a reunion game last year, staged as a benefit for a rugby player left paralyzed by an injury.
For Payton, having realized that he wanted to become a full-time coach, the road led from Britain to California, where he began coaching that fall at San Diego State. After eight years in the college ranks, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles staff in 1997, moved to the Giants in 1999 and became offensive coordinator a year later. From there, he went to Bill Parcells' staff with the Cowboys before taking over the Saints in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, leading them to a 10-6 record and the NFC title game in his rookie season as a coach.
Now he returns to Britain with a far better deal, and a far bigger responsibility, than when he arrived in Leicester 20 years ago. But the London game presents him with a major new problem.
"We had some great times, and I made a lot of good friendships," he said Monday. "My only concern right now is that ticket request list."
