Saints expected to be very interested in former Packers/Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy [Rapoport: Interview to be early next week]

BoNcHiE said
I get it, and I get why people will downvote my post, but McCarthy has been a regular-season wonder the last eight seasons, and he's been loaded with talent along the way.

He's 61-years-old, which means you probably only get five seasons of him even if he does get us back to the playoffs, and there are serious questions about how much of his offensive success in Dallas was him or Kellen Moore given things got worse after Moore left, even with Dak on the field. Before that, he had prime Aaron Rodgers to work with and still ended his tenure in GB with two losing seasons.

There's a ton of faith being put in what he did a decade ago. Sean Payton has had much more recent playoff success, and he's also shown he can win no matter who is at QB (including his 9-8 season here with a carousel of scrubs). He's had one losing season in the last seven years, and that was Denver last year when he had to work with arguably the worst roster in the NFL, and he still won eight games.

I'm just not a fan of McCarthy as a candidate today. I don't think we are getting 2014-era McCarthy.

Those are mostly valid criticisms of McCarthy. But I don't know that the what has he done lately is. He has been 12-5 in 3 of the last 4 years and does have one playoff win. You would like more, but random sheet happens in the playoffs all the time where the better team and even better coached team doesn't always win. Saints fans should know that well.

And, I've never been a huge McCarthy fan, but he has won wherever he goes and although his most recent playoff record isn't great, he has won in the playoffs too. Guys don't just forget how to coach at age 61.

And as I have said over and over, McCarthy is not really my top choice and maybe not my second choice for the job, but I do think he is still a good football coach and would be an overall good hire. I'm not sure he gets us where we want, but I think he's a guy that can build your organization back to being a consistent playoff team and leave you with a more attractive roster for the next head coach in 3 to 5 years. But, I also think it's possible he does end up having the kind of success we want.

Some of the young guys might have more upside, but they also have a huge downside and I think this organization is at a cross-roads where you turn it back around or you end up cellar dwellers again for many years. So, I think we have to get this hire right and McCarthy is the safest bet to get us back to the playoffs and build the roster back. Maybe he doesn't do it, but he still seems like the currently available coach with the best chance to do it.

But, a lot will depend on the front office getting it right on the draft picks.