Aaron Kromer began his first day in charge of the New Orleans Saints' coaching staff by providing his players with a dose of perspective. The images of flooded homes, schools and businesses in the south Louisiana communities hit hardest by Hurricane Isaac last week provided all the material he needed. "I talked to the team this morning about adversity, and that this isn't adversity: Having a new coach [in] Game 1, having Joe Vitt during the preseason, having Sean Payton have to leave when he did," Kromer said. "That's an opportunity for all of us to step up. "Adversity is when your house is flooded and you can't go home," Kromer continued. "That's what we talked about ... and our guys over time have realized that the fans and the people in this area can always bounce back -- and we live by that." Kromer will be the figurehead of the coaching staff for the first seven weeks of the regular season, starting with the opener against Washington this Sunday and including the bye week between the fifth and sixth games. Monday was the first official day of his ascension, and also marked the beginning of suspensions for Vitt (six games), general manager Mickey Loomis (eight games) and defensive end Will Smith (four games) in connection with the NFL's bounty investigation. Source: CBSSports
