Food for thought......
There are many JG detractors here and throughout Cowboys fandom, and I've heard rumblings and musings about what life as a Cowboy fan would have been like with Sean Peyton at the helm, so I decided to do a little comparison.
Let's talk about won/loss records first. I'll use SP's record since 2012, Garrett's first full year as HC:
JG: Regular Season: 77-59 - 3 Playoff Appearances, 2-3 - No NFCCG - 3 Divisional Titles
SP: (Last 8 years) Regular Season - 76-60 - 4 Playoff Appearances - 4-3 - 1 NFCCG (today) - 1 Divisional Title
The nod goes to Garrett by just one game in the regular season. The Saints have been to the playoffs once more than the Cowboys, and they've won their first round game each time. We'll see today if the trend of losing their second playoff game continues when they face the Rams later today.
Garrett has had 1 losing season during his tenure, while Peyton has had 4 during the same time period. We had cries of mediocrity after three 8-8 seasons, with 3 'win and in' losses 2011-2013. I wonder what we would have heard about Peyton after he went 7-9 for 4 out of 5 seasons.
Numbers don't lie. SP has one extra playoff appearance and two additional wins. Is SP a 'better' coach? I'm betting the Garrett haters will be unequivocal with their answer, though unless one places ridiculously heavy weight on playoff appearances, they've had almost identical records.
It's worth noting that Peyton has had a HoF QB during his entire tenure, while Garrett has had Romo (possibly costing us 3 playoff appearances with his 'win and in' losses. One can choose to say that we wouldn't have had those opportunities if Romo hadn't 'carried the team' during those 8-8 seasons, but then what does that say about Brees during his 7-9 seasons?
Pete Carmichael has been the Saints OC since 2009. Using Cowboys fans logic, he should have been placed on the trash heap long ago. On the defensive side of the ball, there are some familiar names for the Saints: Rob Ryan, Steve Spagnuolo, and Dennis Allen, two of which have been head coaches in the NFL. We have Marinelli, also a former head coach. Take from that what you will.
Is Sean Peyton a better coach? Over the same time period, his regular season record says no (by a hair) and his playoff record says yes (by the same hair).