Head Coach if there is no GM change
So now that that’s all shaken out…
What GM wants to come here and be the Cap Cleaner-Upper? The team is hamstrung by futures borrowing and if the logic goes that a quality coach won’t come here, which quality GM will want to bother cleaning up this mess?
I’ve proposed that Loomis’ status in the Benson will means he’d have the be in a role I made up called the Chair of the C-suite, whereby he’s over the partners in the Saints/Pelicans/associated businesses portfolio in a less hands-on role than that of the traditional general manager of a football team.
But that’s rich folks’ business, and I’m working-class. They’ll figure it out
Oh boy....stirring the hornet's nest, are we? LOL!
You've actually asked the very question I've been thinking of. First and foremost, I don't think ML is going anywhere. I'd like a new GM, but I'm afraid we're stuck with him until he decides to part under his own terms. JMO. But IF he leaves and we're looking for a new GM, that would certainly impact the HC candidates, IMO.
Before we get into that.....I don't know where this conclusion that "a quality coach won't come here" has gotten such traction? All I've seen (and specifically in this thread), is that the Saints are unlikely to land one of the more popular/in demand candidates. I guess that means Ben Johnson(?). I think it's simple supply/demand economics that the most popular/in demand candidates are going to be able to "cherry pick" their destinations....the teams that are perceived to offer the highest chance of sustained success the quickest. And that's not the Saints. We've got solid & stable ownership, with a history of providing the HC whatever he asks for to build a team, and a history of giving him enough time to demonstrate the results. But that's about it. We also offer: no franchise QB (yet?); holes throughout the roster; questionable depth across the entire roster; lack of cap $ for FA; limited number of draft picks, and a history of "burning" picks for "need". I seriously doubt the most popular/in demand coaches are going to see the Saints as the preferred choice. But that DOES NOT mean a quality coach won't come here!!!
If the most popular/in demand coaches are considered "tier 1", our new HC will likely come from "tier 2". Coach candidates are a lot like draft picks....a bit of a crapshoot whether you're getting the HOF-er, the perennial All-Pro, the average starter, or a bust. Round selected is no guarantee of outcome. Same with coaches...tier selected from is no guarantee of outcome. It looks like there will be 6-8 new HC selected this cycle. Each team will likely interview 3-5 of their "top candidates", on average. That means there will LIKELY be between 18 (6 teams x 3 interviews) and 40 (8 teams x 5 interviews) "top candidates" for 6-8 positions! (There will obviously be some "crossover" between teams, but no way all teams will be interviewing the same 3-5 candidates!) We are going to get one of the top 6-8 candidates! There are only 32 of these jobs in the WORLD, and only 6-8 available in 2025! I'm confident a quality coach WILL come here. Maybe not the guy that every team wants, and maybe not the guy that the loudest voices in the fandom want, but we're going to be able to get one! Let's not forget that CSP wanted the Green Bay job in 2006 hiring cycle...the Saints were his "fallback" choice. When his agent called him to say that Green Bay was hiring McCarthy, CSP got serious about the Saints offer REAL QUICK. (side note...wasn't McCarthy on the Saints radar in 2006, due to previous familiarity? Isn't it possible McCarthy was our "top" candidate in 2006, but we pivoted to CSP when McCarthy accepted the Pack's offer?! We'll probably never know, but it certainly fits the Saints historical MO.) Regardless of how it actually happened, I'd say that 2006 hiring worked out VERY well, despite the Saints not being CSPs first choice. I can't remember with 100% clarity on this, but wasn't McCarthy the "hot" candidate in 2006? I know it wasn't CSP! With all that said, the only question in my mind, is whether the Saints organization will be able to accurately identify him?!
With that myth dispelled, I think the GM argument is dispelled for like/same reasons. So back to KB's original question...which I think is infinitely more interesting than the coaching discussion...who should be considered in the event of GM change? Coaching trees are easy to identify from game-day experiences. GMs....not so much. Assistant GMs and Directors of Scouting....even less so. I know I can't name any names! But I can look to other franchises' sustained success over long periods and recognize their competitive relevance, despite different QBs and different HCs. Green Bay, Pittsburgh, & Baltimore are best in class...."tier 1", IMO. All have changed HCs and QBs in the past decade or two, and yet continue to churn out winning seasons and challenge for playoff spots and division titles. What assistant GM and/or Scouts in THOSE franchises are ready for their opportunity? I don't know, but that's where I'd start my search. Who's in "tier 2"? IMO, it's the teams who have assembled the right combination of HC and QB, and are sustaining that success. Buffalo, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Detroit, and probably SF & LA Rams. I'd consider "tier 2" candidates also. (I would've put the Saints in "tier 2 before CSP left)
"Tier 3" consists of teams that have experienced success with the right coach and QB, but the jury is still out regarding sustainability over long term. Teams like Washington, Houston, Denver, San Diego. This is a "transition tier", and teams in this tier will either rise to Tier 2, given time and experience, or fall back into Tier 4. Tier 4 doesn't appear to have the right HC, or the right QB, or neither; and traditionally hover around .500 or worse....it's "everyone else". Saints are Tier 4, IMO. While the ultimate goal is to build a franchise culture that reaches Tier 1, we first need to get to Tier 3 (competitive success and challenger). If we can sustain it, we'll get to Tier 2. But we need to sustain it for lengthy periods...across QB changes, and coaching changes....to get to that elite Tier 1. The best and most logical way to get there, IMO, is to poach the right guy from Green Bay, Pittsburgh or Baltimore who is ready to take the next step and build HIS vision of a dynasty in New Orleans. But that's the easy part....broad brush. Specifics will be the challenge. Who fits that description in these organizations? Does ANYONE on this forum have a clue, because I sure don't!