SERBY’S SUNDAY Q&A WITH ... PAYTON Sean

Former Super Bowl-winning Saints coach Sean Payton, whose name emerges regarding virtually every NFL coaching opening, takes a timeout to huddle with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: What do you miss most not coaching?

A: There’s two things. The preparation is enjoyable, because when you work on something, you see it on video and then it has success in a game, you miss that. And ultimately, the thing you can’t replicate, you miss the wins, you miss winning. That feeling is so euphoric, putting in a whole week of work and preparation, even though it may not be perfect, having success and winning, those would be the two things.

Q: What are the requirements of a right fit?

A: I think you know it when you see it. I was spoiled in New Orleans with great ownership, a general manager [Mickey Loomis] who to this day is one of my closest friends, and a fan base that’s passionate. It wasn’t just always a bed of roses, but I saw a very, very functional [organization] and was a part of that for 16 years, so I don’t want to say the word spoiled, but there’s an expectation then once you’ve kind of had that. And so I think for me that’s the standard because that’s what I was able to experience for 16 years.

Q: Does the city or the weather have any impact?

A: No, I’ve coached everywhere.

Q: How about winning tradition?

A: Well, the Saints didn’t have that when I arrived. Let’s be honest, there are a number of teams that, for whatever reason, losing has found them. Why is that? I’ve always found that if I’m focused on the current thing I’m doing, the other stuff ’ll take care of itself. And I know that as this season winds down there’s gonna be more and more requests relative to, “Hey, where are you going?” I’ve really looked closest at the Fox element of we have a Super Bowl this year, and each week in preparation for the studio job, whether it’s the first one or the second show, what are the areas that I can improve on? The coaching, if it returns again, it’ll have to be the right fit. And part of that is when I went on my interview in New Orleans, the question mark for me at that time, I felt really good about my visit with Mickey and ownership, it was more is this city gonna recover from [Hurricane] Katrina? Each place has got its unique set of challenges. You look at it I think from my perspective is do they have a chance to win?

Q: How about an elite quarterback, how does that factor in?

A: We’re not running from that (laugh). There wasn’t that in New Orleans, we knew we had to address it, we found it, we identified it. And I think we, when I say that, our staff, myself, are pretty good at evaluating that position and making those type of decisions. This upcoming class is pretty good in college, from what I understand. The following year looks pretty good as well. That kid at USC [Caleb Williams] looked tremendous the other night [against UCLA]. I think that doesn’t trump functionality within the front office and ownership group.

Q: Describe the job Giants coach Brian Daboll has done, and how well do you know him?

A: Just know him professionally, not that well other than that. What he came to relative to some of their challenges from a personnel standpoint and a cap standpoint. It’s good to see Saquon [Barkley] healthy, and this is the year where you’re looking at it saying, “Hey we’re getting some return on that investment.” You can tell there’s an energy, and it’s certainly reflective of their head coach.

Q: Do you think Daniel Jones is their quarterback of the future?

A: It’s hard for me to give that opinion ’cause I don’t see as much of the reps as those guys do. I would say this: His chances of being that have increased dramatically with the addition of Brian. On his past trajectory, it didn’t look positive, but I would say he’s having a fantastic season, so that would be tougher from an outsider looking at

that.

Q: What are your thoughts on Zach Wilson?

A: He’s struggling, obviously. The team has had success. One of the big allies for good quarterback play is a balanced or good running game, I don’t care who you are — all the way from [Patrick] Mahomes down the list to the newest rookie that’s playing. So I think it’s become a little bit more of a topic just as their running game is diminished with the injury to their runner [Breece Hall]. Yeah there’s pressure on him, I think he probably would regret how he handled the postgame interview, and I think that became a little bit more polarizing with his response than it might have been otherwise.

Q: What would you tell him if you were his head coach?

A: Andy Reid was great at this, you have a tough loss, and somewhere in that initial opening statement, he’d say, “Look, it starts with me, I’ve gotta do a better job,” and it’s pretty liberating when you say that, and it also defuses any of the negative energy in the room. I think that’s something he’ll learn.

Q: If Drew Brees had said what Zach Wilson said, would you have addressed that with Drew?

A: First off, it would never come from Drew, but I got Drew older in his career . ... It’s unbelievable how much pressure you can take off yourself by holding yourself maybe to an elevated level of accountability, and that’s part of playing quarterback. I think you’ll get a different vibe from him from here on out. This is just one of those “you fell on the pavement, not on the grass” mistakes.

Q: So you would have addressed it with a young quarterback immediately.

A: I would have just been like, “Hey, you want some help here? Or you want to keep battling these guys this way?”

Q: Describe the bond you’ve had with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

A: He was one of the first ones to write me after we won a Super Bowl in ’09. Just always enjoyed his company, his personality, his passion, and I think Bill [Parcells] felt the same way.

Q: The struggles of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers?

A: We’re in a changing league each year with personnel, and I think the offensive line changes have been difficult for both of ’em, just as the loss of a real good receiver for Aaron, and the same with Tom, the weapons have changed on the perimeter. I think a lot changed around them in their units. Despite how fantastic they both are, you saw the impact of it this year, it just happened to be at the same time.

Q: The Chiefs traded in front of you to No. 10 in the 2017 draft to beat you to Mahomes.

A: I wouldn’t be on the phone with you right now if that happened.

Q: Deshaun Watson was still available.

A: But our focus was on [Marshon] Lattimore and Mahomes.

Q: What did you think of the contract — five years, $230 million fully guaranteed?

A: I thought it was too much. But it’s Cleveland. The year the movie “Draft Day” came out, you remember [Browns GM played by] Kevin Costner does the functional thing and makes the right decision. The very same year that movie came out, the Browns are facing the same decision, they draft Johnny Manziel. And so in Hollywood they got it right, and in Cleveland they got it wrong.

Q: What did you make of all the massage therapists’ allegations?

A: It’s hard to keep up with it all, and obviously it’s concerning when he’s your franchise quarterback.

Q: What is a typical day like for Sean Payton right now?

A: I’m here getting a tire repaired, someone else might have taken the car (laugh) to the dealership. My daughter lives an hour from here, played a little bit more golf than normal . ... I’m running some errands, I’m trying to get caught up on some things that I have to get done. It’s much less regimented.