FOX Sports has learned that Benson this week ripped up head coach Sean Payton's current contract agreement and has rewarded him with a new five-year contract — a deal which catapults him among the five highest-paid head coaches in the NFL.

Payton now joins the upper echelon in coaching salaries and is presumed to be behind only Seattle's Mike Holmgren, Denver's Mike Shanahan, Tennessee's Jeff Fisher and New England's Bill Belichick.

NFL Week 2

Sunday

Redskins 29, Saints 24 -- Recap | Box
Panthers 20, Bears 17 -- Recap | Box
Giants 41, Rams 13 -- Recap |

But the deal also shows that things have clearly changed for the better in the Big Easy. The Saints are now considered a possible NFC powerhouse and one of the more solidly run organizations in football, and Benson is showing the fans a huge commitment to the current regime.

Payton took over a team that had no home because of Hurricane Katrina, was lingering at the bottom of the league record-wise and was mired in rumors of whether the franchise would relocate to Los Angeles.

Just years after the team tabbed Payton as coach, the Saints now enjoy a huge waiting list for season tickets. In addition, Payton along with GM Mickey Loomis have built New Orleans into what appears to be a playoff-caliber team after hitting the NFC Championship Game in Payton's first year.

More importantly, the Saints were largely credited with helping to rebuild and reenergize a city devastated by Hurricane Katrina two years ago.

Kudos to Benson for re-upping Payton in a day and age when other teams are also looking to lock up their coaches after showing early success. Mike McCarthy, Tom Coughlin and Jack Del Rio also received new deals within the last eight months.

YOUNG'S DISTRESS EVIDENT EVEN TO OPPONENTS: Vince Young's bizarre week began last Sunday when he refused to go back into the game against Jacksonville. How distraught was Young? Several sources told FOX Sports that even the Jaguars players saw how affected Young was by the rampant booing and, in a very strong change from the norm, his opponents actually began to try to help him get through his pain.

"I've never seen anything like this," said one source. "Players on another team were actually yelling to him, 'You can't let it affect you. Don't let them get you down.' One guy told him to stop pouting and take control. It was incredible. You could tell he was really struggling but I can't remember another team ever trying to prop up the opposing quarterback."

The next day head coach Jeff Fisher informed his entire team that Kerry Collins would be the starter until further notice. He cited Young's injury but also the fact that he had some other issues he needed to clear up off the field before he becomes the starter again.

Other Titans sources insist the players are fed up with Young's act and that the Titans QB must win back the locker room.

"We don't dislike him and obviously we hope everything works out well for him but we're not into babysitting a 25-year-old," said another Titans source.

The bottom line is Young was not accurate in the preseason, he struggled in his play in Week 1 and has a long way to go and grow before the Titans can count on him again. They are, however, pulling for him to pull it together as they realize the potential weapon he could grow to be.

POLLARD NOT FINED, BUT OTHERS WERE: There was a bit of a controversy regarding Bernard Pollard's season-ending hit on Tom Brady last Sunday. Pollard was not fined for his hit on Brady, a hit that put the New England QB on the shelf for the year with a torn ACL and MCL, but two others were for similar hits.

FOX Sports has learned the league fined Chargers LB Shawne Merriman $7,500 for a hit on Jake Delhomme's lower leg on the Panthers' game-winning drive and Falcons DE John Abraham $10,000 for a hit on Jon Kitna's lower leg in their matchup.

The difference? The league felt Pollard didn't have the ability to avoid the hit whereas Abraham and Merriman did.

HURRICANE IKE'S EFFECT: The league postponed the Texans-Ravens game largely because of the reaction of many of the Houston players. Several players felt extremely uncomfortable with leaving their families in an area with no power and possibly vulnerable to looting.

Houston authorities will assess the damage done to Reliant Stadium on Monday and there is already a possible contingency plan if the Texans are unable to play at home for a while. The league is considering swapping the home-and-away series between the Colts and Texans, making the Week 5 matchup now slated for Texas a Colts home game and giving one back to Houston later in the season.