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Reports say Saints fired Rob Ryan, Sean Payton says they didn't

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints have been a defensive mess this year, as they seem to be every year. Yesterday, they allowed Kirk Cousins' team to put a ridiculous 47 points on them, the fifth time this year the team has allowed more than 30 points and the seventh time they've allowed more than 400 yards.

The Saints are ranked lasted in points allowed, yards allowed, touchdowns allowed, interceptions grabbed, net yards per attempt allowed and yards per carry allowed, second to last in first downs allowed, third to last in passing yards allowed and fourth to last in rushing yards allowed. This time, in other words, cannot stop anybody. So it's no surprise that we saw reports that they're firing defensive coordinator Rob Ryan after this and last year's disastrous performance, although he did produce good defense in 2013.

But then at today's press conference, head coach Sean Payton not only claimed that the Saints didn't fire Rob Ryan, but that he'll meet with the general manager. This is some confusing mess right now. But one thing is clear: the Saints are not only a bad team, they are a disorganized bad team. And that's lots of fun for other NFC South teams. Because they've been wasting Drew Brees' best years with terrible defensive play for years on end.