The difference between the Saints and Eneron is those player salaries are all accounted for. It's not funny money in the sense that it disappears. Some can come off via trades, cuts or other transactions, but it's all accounted for. It's just allocated differently. And again, the salary cap isn't static, so unless it's stagnant or shrinks, a growing cap allows the team to spread out money over varying lengths of time. There's nothing saying the Saints can't do it.
Loomis knows the tricks of the trade and managed to keep a competitive core group of players for 15+ years which was good for 4th best record in the NFL and just 4 wins out of 2nd over that time frame. It's a tried and true formula that has worked well and allowed the team to be competitive over a long period of time. It's hard to argue the results imo. The recent dip is indicative of the transition period in which we saw our HOF QB retire and coach move on. It certainly hasn't been without its hiccups, but I think it's wise to not overreact and give Loomis a couple of years to make this transition work with Allen and Carr leading the team.