TAMPA, Fla. -- New Orleans coach Sean Payton tore the MCL and fractured the tibia in his left leg following a collision on the sideline of the Saints' 26-20 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday.
He spent the second half in the training room watching the game via television and gave the play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Payton will have surgery on the knee Monday and will begin rehabilitation immediately afterward.
Payton told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he hopes to be back in the Saints' offices Tuesday, but wasn't sure about being at practice Wednesday. He admitted that he might have to spend some games in the coaches' box.
"Because it's a fracture it's different," Payton told the paper. "If it's the MCL you can have the brace, but the fracture on the outside means the weight bearing part of it really changes."
Payton told the paper that he wanted to run the offense from the coaches' box, but the pain wouldn't allow him to.
Payton fell to the ground and got his leg caught underneath Saints tight end Jimmy Graham when he was tackled by a Bucs defender early in the first quarter.
Payton stayed down while receiving medical attention before being helped to the bench.
He remained there with his leg propped on the bench, but kept on his headset.
The Saints players alternated clearing out their two sideline benches between possessions to allow Payton to see from his seat until he was driven off the field on a golf cart with 3:40 left in the first half.
"I think my initial plan was to go up in the (coaches') box,'' Payton said. "The problem was just dealing with some of the pain issues.''
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.