The undesirable but most likely reality.
Other than Brock Purdy, who literally no one saw coming hence his draft position, what QB that actually looks good have the Saints been in a position to draft since DA has been here? If we didn't sign Carr last season what QB would we have targeted in that draft? Will Levis? Going back to the year before it's Kenny Pickett? Desmond Ridder? Malik Willis? Matt Coral?
Coaches know the leash is short in the NFL, they don't have the job security to keep picking a young QB year after year until one hits unless they have skins on the wall. One of the last two coaches that people thought had that kind of job security is doing TV and youtube right now while the Patriots look even worse than last year. The other took a sabbatical and is coaching the Broncos, where he might find out he doesn't have that kind of job security with a new franchise if results don't come as early as next season.
I like Ross Jackson as a podcaster/Saints specific reporter more than I like DA as a Head Coach but DA has never had the best circumstances since he's been our HC. We have no idea what that looks like. I'm fine with never finding out what that looks like but it's just a comment that doesn't make any sense to me. This isn't the 2018 roster DA is running with here, let alone the 2011 one. That's without factoring in the ridiculous amount of injuries.
I wasn't a fan of Carr, but I wasn't opposed either. Something had to be done to make the effort to upgrade....they took a swing, but appear to have missed. I think that could have been predicted, but they made the attempt. And I think that's the point you're missing. Hindsight is 20/20, but at the time we KNEW we needed to upgrade the QB position. We just didn't know who was the best choice. So to answer your question...Levis, Pickett, Ridder, Willis, Corral....YES! When you don't have a franchise QB on roster, you keep drafting until you get one! Saints didn't even take the swing....they defaulted to Carr....a fully-formed QB with very little or no further upside. At best, he's a stop-gap or bridge. Since then, we've taken Haener & Rattler in consecutive drafts. I'm fine with that. And I hope they do it again in 2025! You keep drafting QBs until you have a franchise QB....it's that damn important! And if the DA apologists have any credibility, that's the ONE thing DA needs to save his job and be successful.
Your points about a short leash and job security are well founded though. But I maintain that's NOT a reason to NOT pick a QB. In fact, you MUST pick a QB (and hope it's a "hit") if you want to stick around beyond the first 3 years. The consensus on this board seems to be that the "right" coach and the "right" QB is the key to the future; but we all know that the draft is a major crapshoot, and you have to be somewhat lucky to find the "right" one. If you don't have the "right" one, the one thing you CANNOT do is take no one, as you're guaranteeing another year of what you already know ain't the "right" one. Just like many things in life, you HAVE TO take the shot and hope luck plays in your favor sooner rather than later. If it does not, all you can do is play the game of "sample size", knowing that with enough attempts, eventually you WILL hit.
The only other thing I'd add about your 3rd paragraph is that in the NFL..."stuff occurs" every season. Injuries, scheduling quirks, bad matchups at the wrong time, a big whiff on the FA splurge....it's always SOMETHING. That's normal, and it's to be expected. To that end, I agree with Ross Jackson....9-8 is the best we're gonna get (best we can expect) from DA, under NORMAL circumstances. This should not be confused with IDEAL circumstances....those outlier seasons where every FA acquisition performs to pay; the draft picks are all hits; the schedule is favorable; the bye week is at an opportune time; the team is injury free. I would expect ANY HC to perform well under those circumstances. But how often do those seasons come around? And why are we defending a coach who hasn't experienced that season yet? The measure of a GOOD coach, IMO, is how they handle adversity. In the best case scenario, they "rise above" the situation and coach their way out of it. In the worst case scenario, they "tread water" until the crisis has passed....sometimes that's the best you can do. But since when does a crisis last 3 (or more?) seasons? If a crisis lasts that long, you've got the wrong folks in charge. Maybe not entirely the HCs fault, but he hasn't done what a "good" coach does either.
DA & ML BOTH gotta go. ML created this mess, and DA just wallowing in it. Not a good combination. Do SOMETHING to start the cleanup. I can be a very patient man in the name of progress. Maybe even accepting of a temporary regression in the name of progress. But not when it comes to the status quo....not THIS status quo. Maybe the Chiefs/Reid/Mahomes status quo....but not THIS one. JMO...