Who in the Local Media Do the Best Job of Covering, and Providing Analysis on, the Saints?

These are my thoughts, which are different from those above.

I frankly am more interested in analysis, especially big-picture analysis, rather than breaking news, which increasingly has become the province of the national media and which everyone learns of 10 minutes after a website runs the story.

I generally like those on the tertiary radio stations (that is, not WWL)--Matt Moscona, Gus Kattengell, Scott Prather in Lafayette, and the Saints reporters they normally interview.

I think one of the best is Deuce McAllister. He really knows the game, he is fair, but he is also fairly candid. Mike Detillier is also a favorite. Bobby Hebert is an embarrassment to his employer station and the region it services.

I have no problem with Jeff Duncan, but do not go out of my way to read him. It seems that he resolved long ago any issues with Sean Payton. I find the rest of the reporters on nola.com something of a revolving door and again do not go out of my way to read their articles.

I save for last Nick Underhill and Mike Triplett, in part because I no longer subscribe to Underhill's website--for me the value was a question because I did not have the time or desire to listen to hour-long podcasts--and thus have not had access to their more recent stories. Between the two, I favor Triplett more than Underhill. I understand the reasons that Underhill is a favorite of many--he works extremely hard, he has a passion for the team, he is a trained professional journalist, and he spends much time watching game film so that he can break down what is happening on the field. I certainly understand why many find value subscribing to his website.

My sole criticism of Underhill is that, whether because he values his access to the organization or a positive temperament, he avoids criticism of the organization when I believe it is warranted. I can remember a podcast about two or three months ago with Mike Triplett when Underhill was still less critical of the team's 2022 offseason decisions than was Triplett and essentially favored a continuity-light approach going forward. In short, I think the biggest story in Underhill's career was whether the Saints were correct last year in believing that they were still talented enough to win a championship, that Dennis Allen was the right choice at head coach, and that their aggressive draft decisions such as the Philadelphia trade made sense. Underhill was one of the organization's biggest champions last year. His training-camp reports were especially positive. And it seems that more than most--though again I do not currently have access to the website--he still is generally supportive of the general manager and the organization's approach.