Opinion ESPN’s Bill Barnwell rates the Saints as least desirable job for HC candidates [mod edit] (26 Viewers)

[Saint Jack]

That Bears job looks unattractive after that disaster last night.

 

[Saintman2884]

If we believe Gayle, it was the players that were in her ear. Anway, all reports are that Loomis did not fight the decision and that he was likely going to let DA go at the end of the year. Some might even argue that would have been the better move since it gets you a higher draft pick. But, frankly, I think DA should have been let go 2 years ago and certainly after last year. But, I do think that willingness to give a HC all the rope he wants to hand himself is going to be attractive to some coaches.

The lack of talent can be remedied and the owner still gave a terrible HC 1 1/2 years more than he should have gotten.

The cap will be reset in two years and the thing about Loomis is that the personnel decisions are as good as the head coach is at making personnel decisions since Loomis clearly lets a HC pick his own team. If you are a HC that wants that kind of control and monetary backing there are advantages to this job in addition to the fact that we do have some good young talent and the talent we do have was clearly not being maximized by DA.

I mean even DA had more or less this roster close to a .500 team so a competent coach would have had them in the playoffs in this terrible division. So there is a base to work with here that a new HC can build on while having a patient front office who will give him the players he wants after a 2 year reset that will buy him even more time.

It's not the most attractive job, but it's in the jumble of all the other jobs. Just depends on what situation each coach is most comfortable with. Personally, I'd steer way clear the the Jets, Cleveland, and Raiders jobs. And if it wasn't for Burrow, I'd steer way clear of the Bengals job if it came open. But Burrow makes that job attractive alone.

Cleveland actually has a decent, respectable roster and has some good pieces in place to become a halfway-decent, competitive team a lot sooner than lets say Raiders or the Jets. A smart, instinctive up-and-coming HC with a very good, loaded draft next year with a proven veteran QB could actually make Las Vegas a 8-9/9-8 win team again like they were in 2023.

Kevin Stefanski has probably been the Browns best HC since they essentially returned as a expansion franchise in all but name in 1999. The two biggest, most glaring problems facing Cleveland is an woefully stupid, clueless FO and ownership who gave a good QB with a questionable background a guaranteed contract that upended the NFL's power dynamic for a while due to their desperate stupidity and the fact that Cleveland plays in one of the NFL's toughest, hardest divisions since the old, ultra-tough NFC West from 1970-2001. If Cleveland was in the AFC South, they'd probably be 7-8 or 6-9 right now.

Joe Burrow is a great, transcendent QB whose having a NFL MVP-CALIBER season statistically with a team that at best, might finish at 9-8 for the second, consecutive season. That magical SB run in 2021 seems quite some time ago and Burrow has to be wondering if he wants to continue in the great tradition of past good or great Bengals QB's like Ken Anderson, Boomer Easiason, Carson Palmer, and Andy Dalton who had great statistical careers (especially Ken Anderson, IMHO, a HOFer) but due to inept, bad FO decisions and frankly, incompetent cheap ownership like Mike Brown, rarely built great supporting casts like Pittsburgh and Baltimore did.

If I'm Joe Burrow, no matter if Zac Taylor stays for a few more seasons and leads you to a couple one-and-done WC losses or some relative nobody cheap-arse Mike Brown hires because he doesn't want to pay good money for a proven HC or coordinator, do I want to stay in Cincy my entire career busting my arse for a franchise that doesn't meet me even 25% of the way with sheetty draft picks and terrible FA signings? Just like all the others, do I want to take that chance or do I try and sign with a franchise that does have a smart owner with a already-good roster like Seattle or San Francisco?

 

[St. Widge]

Cleveland actually has a decent, respectable roster and has some good pieces in place to become a halfway-decent, competitive team a lot sooner than lets say Raiders or the Jets. A smart, instinctive up-and-coming HC with a very good, loaded draft next year with a proven veteran QB could actually make Las Vegas a 8-9/9-8 win team again like they were in 2023.

Kevin Stefanski has probably been the Browns best HC since they essentially returned as a expansion franchise in all but name in 1999. The two biggest, most glaring problems facing Cleveland is an woefully stupid, clueless FO and ownership who gave a good QB with a questionable background a guaranteed contract that upended the NFL's power dynamic for a while due to their desperate stupidity and the fact that Cleveland plays in one of the NFL's toughest, hardest divisions since the old, ultra-tough NFC West from 1970-2001. If Cleveland was in the AFC South, they'd probably be 7-8 or 6-9 right now.

Joe Burrow is a great, transcendent QB whose having a NFL MVP-CALIBER season statistically with a team that at best, might finish at 9-8 for the second, consecutive season. That magical SB run in 2021 seems quite some time ago and Burrow has to be wondering if he wants to continue in the great tradition of past good or great Bengals QB's like Ken Anderson, Boomer Easiason, Carson Palmer, and Andy Dalton who had great statistical careers (especially Ken Anderson, IMHO, a HOFer) but due to inept, bad FO decisions and frankly, incompetent cheap ownership like Mike Brown, rarely built great supporting casts like Pittsburgh and Baltimore did.

If I'm Joe Burrow, no matter if Zac Taylor stays for a few more seasons and leads you to a couple one-and-done WC losses or some relative nobody cheap-arse Mike Brown hires because he doesn't want to pay good money for a proven HC or coordinator, do I want to stay in Cincy my entire career busting my arse for a franchise that doesn't meet me even 25% of the way with sheetty draft picks and terrible FA signings? Just like all the others, do I want to take that chance or do I try and sign with a franchise that does have a smart owner with a already-good roster like Seattle or San Francisco?

Cleveland has now tied themselves to DeShaun Watson until 2026 and they have the second worst cap situation after ours. And I'm not sure if they really have a plan to deal with it the way we know we can in 2 years. Plus, their ownership is bad. Not Bengals or Jets bad, but bad.

And yes, Burrow would be smart to get out of Cincy as soon as he can, but he's from the area so he may have ties to that team that we don't.

 

[RJS]

I don't know why people keep saying that the Saints will have patience with whoever the next head coach is. They just fired a guy mid-season of year three who had over a decade of service with the team. Why would anyone think that a new head coach will get a longer leash than DA did? It's weird to me that this is somehow accepted as a fact.

 

[Saint KayBee]

While I haven’t bothered to read the comments, I’m sure somebody pointed out it’s way more desirable than the year we hired Payton and signed Drew.

That’s also not a situation that would be easy, likely, or preferable to replicate. It was the worst these are human beings circumstances imaginable. Not sure why that’s even being brought up outside of it being a part of the Saints’ history.

 

[St. Widge]

I don't know why people keep saying that the Saints will have patience with whoever the next head coach is. They just fired a guy mid-season of year three who had over a decade of service with the team. Why would anyone think that a new head coach will get a longer leash than DA did? It's weird to me that this is somehow accepted as a fact.

Because DA was terrible and most any other team would have fired him last year. He was lucky to get the third year. But it's not just DA, Payton went through 3 bad seasons and a suspension by the NFL but they stuck with him. And, before that, they stuck with Haslett longer than they should have and even after he created a scandal. Even Mora and Ditka got long leashes.

And frankly, many fans, including me, wanted DA fired after his first year. But they stuck with him for 1 1/2 more years. Given DA's overall coaching record and lack of success he was given more time than was really reasonable.

 

[RaisingTheBar]

Who tf is Bill Barnwell?

 

[RaisingTheBar]

I don't know why people keep saying that the Saints will have patience with whoever the next head coach is. They just fired a guy mid-season of year three who had over a decade of service with the team. Why would anyone think that a new head coach will get a longer leash than DA did? It's weird to me that this is somehow accepted as a fact.

I can guarantee you they wouldn’t fire whoever it is before 2.5 seasons in. You have to give coaches adequate time to build the team they want. Even if you make the wrong decision (DA), you can’t just fire them a year in.

 

[Saint Greg]

I don't know why people keep saying that the Saints will have patience with whoever the next head coach is. They just fired a guy mid-season of year three who had over a decade of service with the team. Why would anyone think that a new head coach will get a longer leash than DA did? It's weird to me that this is somehow accepted as a fact.

It was pressure from the fans that got DA fired. Many of them wanted him fired the day he got hired. Carr is in the same situation. There’s a group of fans that will swear he’s the worst quarterback in the NFL until he’s gone.

 

[southdeltan]

Quote:
That’s also not a situation that would be easy, likely, or preferable to replicate. It was the worst these are human beings circumstances imaginable. Not sure why that’s even being brought up outside of it being a part of the Saints’ history.

end quote.


Perhaps because being undesirable has no bearing on how successful our new coach may or may not be.

Just like having a higher draft pick doesn’t mean we pick a more successful player.

 

[RJS]

Because DA was terrible and most any other team would have fired him last year. He was lucky to get the third year. But it's not just DA, Payton went through 3 bad seasons and a suspension by the NFL but they stuck with him. And, before that, they stuck with Haslett longer than they should have and even after he created a scandal. Even Mora and Ditka got long leashes.

And frankly, many fans, including me, wanted DA fired after his first year. But they stuck with him for 1 1/2 more years. Given DA's overall coaching record and lack of success he was given more time than was really reasonable.

Why should we assume that current ownership will operate the same as the previous guy?

What we know is that Gayle Benson fired the only coach she hired in less than three years. I don't think that it's a given that the next guy is going to get more time than DA did.

 

[SaintStephen1]

Darren Rizzi might be the best the Saints can do. Yuck

 

[Saint Greg]

Darren Rizzi might be the best the Saints can do. Yuck

No way.

 

[Saint KayBee]

Why should we assume that current ownership will operate the same as the previous guy?

What we know is that Gayle Benson fired the only coach she hired in less than three years. I don't think that it's a given that the next guy is going to get more time than DA did.

If there’s an Urban Meyer-level disaster happening then sure, pull the cord, but no fanbase experiencing the coaching carousel is having a good time on it. Hiring and firing coaches every 2 years is how you become the Browns.

 

[DSnfla]

Water is wet. lol anyone can see how undesirable this job is right now, but it’s been worse and we managed. Will do so again, agree with your post.

Who Dat either way.

But it's not that undesirable. Only if you're a chicken little