Several trophies were bagged, among them the New York Jets' Eric Mangini, Cleveland's Romeo Crennel and Detroit's Rod Marinelli.

In the days ahead, more will follow, among them, perhaps some members of the Saints' coaching staff.

At his weekly day-after news conference, Saints Coach Sean Payton wasn't ready to lower the ax on any of his assistants. He said the coaching staff will have the week off before evaluating personnel next week.

In other words, don't expect any news on staff changes this week.

But it's important to note that Payton didn't completely dismiss the notion of making a change.

"We'll see," Payton said. "We'll look closely at the makeup of our staff as we head into 2009, and the responsibilities will be clearer."

Payton wasn't alone on the firing line Monday. Denver's Mike Shanahan and Houston's Gary Kubiak undoubtedly were dodging the same arrows. Those two and Payton oversaw the NFL's three most potent offenses this season, yet each team finished 8-8.

The criticism comes with the territory -- and the seven-figure salaries.

If only Payton's defense could defend the pass as well as he defended his defensive scheme, philosophy and embattled coordinator Gary Gibbs during his 29-minute session with reporters Monday, the Saints' season might not have been over with yesterday's loss to the Panthers.

But Payton said enough to provide a divining rod for the upcoming offseason.

While stating the obvious -- the need to improve the team's pass rush and ability to defend the deep ball -- Payton consistently deflected criticism of his defense by noting other problem spots like short-yardage offense and kick coverage.

Asked if the scheme or the players were mainly to blame, Payton said, "We have to decide: Are we doing the right thing, and are we doing it with the right player? Those are the two things that we look at every offseason, and we'll look at this offseason hard."

Asked about his staff, Payton said, "I think we're real sound. I think we're a well-coached team."

Asked if he intends to keep Gibbs, Payton bristled, calling the question "unfair" and accusing the questioner of "head-hunting."

Asked about his defensive philosophy, Payton defended the scheme, saying the 4-3 system is one he implemented when he took the job and is the same one Atlanta, Tampa Bay and "a good portion of the league" runs.

"Now it's finding the pieces to making it go," Payton said.

Translation: The Saints need Jimmies and Joes not X's and O's.

Whether that answer will satisfy the club's disgruntled fan base remains to be seen. Internet chat rooms and talk-radio lines crackled Sunday night and Monday with vitriol. Most of it was directed at Gibbs, the Saints' mild-mannered third-year coordinator who has become the club's modern-day whipping boy in the tradition of Carl Smith and Rick Venturi.

The call on Gibbs will be one of the biggest and most difficult decisions of Payton's young coaching career. He's a trusted confidant of Payton, the first man he hired when he became head coach.

It's important to remember the situation Gibbs and the other assistants encountered when Payton recruited them to New Orleans two years ago. The city was four months removed from Hurricane Katrina. Rumors about the city's infrastructure and resources still were prevalent.

As the former head coach at Oklahoma and a defensive coordinator in the SEC, Gibbs had enough skins on the wall to attract interest elsewhere. Yet, he chose to join Payton, bringing his family with him to an uncertain environment.

That was a big endorsement for Payton at the time, and the head coach isn't likely to turn his back on Gibbs in the face of adversity.

Coaches are loyal by nature. Payton is going to be especially loyal to the coaches who embarked on this journey with him.

Payton must weigh his allegiance to and support of a trusted colleague with the empirical data at hand. The Saints finished the season ranked No. 23 in total defense and No. 26 in scoring defense, similar numbers to where they finished the previous season.

The unit was forced to play much of the season without its two starting cornerbacks (Tracy Porter and Mike McKenzie) and starting defensive end Charles Grant. Other injuries robbed the team of depth.

Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis also must consider the big picture, the direction of the organization and its standing with fans, who have loyally supported the team throughout the post-Katrina recovery and national economic recession.

Loomis and Payton are paid extravagantly to make such decisions. This is why owner Tom Benson entrusted them with the keys to the most-prized vehicle in his garage.

"This is an important part of the year because this is where a mistake made can set you back or the right decision can set you forward, so we take it very seriously," Payton said.

We'll find out just how seriously in the coming days.

One way or another, Payton's decision will tell us a lot about his growth and maturity as a head coach.

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Jeff Duncan can be reached at jduncan@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3404.