If the players buy into Rizzi..

Here's the way I see it...

It's absolutely impossible to know what kind of head coach Rizzi is or can be with what is left of our starting lineup. I know that everyone is worried about the possibility of missing out on one of the (very) few quality coaching prospects who may (or may not) be available at the conclusion of this season. To me, that is a lot to hope for when we all know that a guy with such a resume' would likely be weighing a whole lot more than just who can pay him the most money to coach for them.

In the meantime, IF (and it's a big IF) Rizzi has been able to turn chicken [droppings] into chicken salad by the end of this season, it will be hard for folks not to wonder if we could be letting a great coach move away from this franchise. We ALL know that we are at least 2 years away from getting some relief from our salary cap woes. That painful reality could be one of the deal breakers to a top head coach prospect if we don't have the financial ammo to stalk a prize free agent.

The bird in the hand regarding Rizzi is that we already know the culture he has made/created with his current players. Losing that at this stage of the rebuild could prove detrimental toward putting the wheels back on the bandwagon in the future. IF Rizzi can be the new Sean Payton, we can only know the answer for sure with a season of healthy players at his disposal. If he simply holds the ship together until the salary cap grip loosens up a bit, that in itself has some merit in buying some time until things look a little more attractive to a potential suitor for the eventual head coaching change down the road.

Will there never be another top head coaching prospect on the horizon? Of course not. Great football minds are showing their wares as great assistant coaches all over the league each year. One of those guys may see New Orleans as the best location to finally get his shot at one of the top 32 coaching jobs in pro football. But that may not be the current view in the condition this team is in at present.

It's waaaaaaaaay too soon to say that Rizzi needs to be given the 2025 season already. But with a good showing down the stretch he could be just what the doctor ordered to give the Saints organization the precious time it needs to get it's act together and prepare the way for a hungry new head coach. Or perhaps Rizzi will have the time to prove that he is the best choice all along. Exciting times ahead folks! :grin: