Saints expected to be very interested in former Packers/Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy [McCarthy will interview early next week]

My least favorite candidate is Mike McCarthy. He is the high-floor, low ceiling candidate. If you feel we need a real change in direction and culture, he is not the coach. He is the status-quo choice. On the other hand, if you believe that the Saints have been victims of bad luck and bad bounces and are legitimate contender, then he may be your high guy. He would bring some stability. He is not a bad coach. But at this stage of his career, he is a mediocre coach.

Yes, he has great career numbers. But in Green Bay, he had Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers as his quarterbacks, an incredible front office led by Bob Harlan and Mark Murphy, and very talented teams. And he had talent in Dallas. There are reasons other than Katrina that Sean Payton wanted badly the Green Bay job in 2006.

Are there people in Green Bay who think the Packers should have kept McCarthy and would prefer McCarthy over LaFleur? Not many. And I suspect most in Dallas think Jerry kept McCarthy too long as head coach. There are reasons that two different teams parted ways with him.

Regarding the question of whom do I prefer, I am tended to say none of the above. I am not thrilled about Glenn--who seems to be the prohibitive favorite. I would open the field as wide as possible and am willing to throw deep. We are going nowhere in the next two years anywhere. My fear is that two years from now some reporter will be asking Loomis why he is right person to be general manager, and he will still be saying because he had success before. I wonder if Mickey uses that criterion for evaluating his financial advisor. I doubt it.