I have to agree with this. And I think the irony is THICK that Loomis is so big on familiarity & continuity when, in fact, this franchise has experienced it's greatest periods of success when they went outside the organization for new blood.
I became a TRUE Saints fan when the USFL folded, and my favorite players and favorite coach ended up in NO. So I'll refrain from commentary on anything that happened before then. Besides, other than the Bum Phillips era, I hear it was mostly a sheet-show, LOL.
- Mr. Benson bought the team in the 1980s. He went outside the organization to hire Jim Finks as GM, one of the most respected GMs in the game. Jim Finks, in turn, went outside the organization (hell....outside the entire NFL) to hire Jim Mora. This resulted in the first "golden era" of Saints football. When Mora melted down, Rick Venturi was promoted from within to interim HC and compiled a 1-7(?) record.
- Mr. Finks passed away, and the Finks/Mora era slowly fizzled away. Bill Kuharich was promoted from within. This familiarity and continuity begat the hiring of Mike Ditka, which was a sheet-show from the get-go, and only got worse with time.
- Mr. Benson stepped in to clean up the mess, firing Kuharich and going outside the organization again to hire Randy Mueller. Kuharich was picked up the Chiefs front office in a low-profile executive capacity where he disappeared into anonymity...might even still work there? Never sniffed a GM opportunity again. Mueller went outside the organization to hire Jim Haslett, and this resulted in a renaissance of the Saints, at least for a short time. I wouldn't call it a "golden era", due to the short term nature of the era, but it did result in new heights...a playoff win....FINALLY!
- Mueller was dismissed for somewhat unknown/disputed reasons, but he brought Mickey Loomis with him from the Seahawks. Loomis was promoted from within, but the franchise continued to slide, both on and off the field, until the 3-13 Katrina season. I can't blame that one on Loomis, but maybe the slide started earlier. Mueller/Haslett won a playoff game. Loomis/Haslett didn't even make the playoffs. Haslett was dismissed.
- The Saints went outside the organization again and hired former Asst HC and QB coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Sean Payton. This began the 2nd "golden era" of Saints football. The TRUE "golden era" of multiple division titles, NFL records, frequent playoff appearances, deep runs, and a Superbowl CHAMPIONSHIP.
- CSP left under somewhat unknown/disputed reasons, and ML stayed inhouse to promote DA to HC. The Saints went from missing the playoffs due to a convoluted tie-break scenario in CSP's last season, to a record of 18-25 under DA; including a 2-7 final gasp before being fired mid-season. Darren Rizzi was promoted from within to interim HC and compiled a 3-5 record.
Looking at this in a broad brush manner, the best years of Saints football under the Benson era came from looking outside the organization. Jim Finks, Jim Mora, Randy Mueller, Mickey Loomis, Jim Haslett, and Sean Payton were ALL OUTSIDE HIRES that breathed new life into the franchise. Bill Kuharich, Rick Venturi, Dennis Allen, and Darren Rizzi were ALL INTERNAL HIRES with losing results. The only outside hire that produced losing results was Ditka.
Past history is no guarantee of future outcomes, but it seems pretty clear that the best chances for renewed success of the franchise will come from an OUTSIDE source....NOT FAMILIARTY. So why does ML seem to be placing such a premium on his familarity criteria?