We owe Sean Payton a half-apology

Apparently, this was Ronnie Lott's fault all along.

Lott, who played cornerback and safety in his 15-year Hall of Fame career spent mostly with the San Francisco 49ers, is now a successful businessman in northern California.

He met with the Saints this summer when they traveled to play Oakland in the preseason and spent some one-on-one time with (Saints safety Darren) Sharper, offering pep talks that resonated with the veteran.

Lott provided one of the Saints' motivational slogans for this year: "Smell Greatness." And Sharper said Lott encouraged him to enjoy every practice and every game as if he were a rookie all over again.

"What I remember from that talk is that sometimes you don't see the greatness that other people see in you, " Lott said. "I think Darren Sharper has greatness written all over him. You can see it. You can smell it.

Of course, the Saints did pick that up and print it on T-Shirts. It's still unclear to me who was responsible for that.