I will be honest, I haven't felt this unsure about this team's trajectory in over 20 years......... (1 Viewer)

[rsmith2783]

Just curious, not challenging or criticizing: how are you feeling differently now than, say, the last Ditka years? Or the last Mora or Haslett year?

Mainly because this time around we saw a snapshot of how the team has performed and there hasn't been any changes significant enough to convince that things will be different. I felt the same way going into Haslett's final year, however there was always a glimmer of hope that you hold on to.

At this point i'm not confident in the coach or GM. We also have no identity on offense, nor a legit QB. Other than some excitement around draft picks or UDFAs, there's really not a lot too look forward to.

 

[Goatman Saint]

Actually now that they are looking at another former raider coach for DC, I’m getting good about how things are going.

 

[treeduck]

Yes, I can't explain it but I'm getting a very weird vibe from Loomis and the front office since Payton "retired" and it's not a good feeling.

 

[Bill]

Some of you older guys , that experienced the lean years of the Saints, are you feeling the same way ?? If anybody has any positive news , please share them. I think some of us could use it.

The best thing I can tell you is that if you are 50(ish) or younger, you may last long enough to see the Saints next great run. Most of us older folks... won't.

 

[HoustonSaint68]

I feel the same way. I just wish we had a direct way to let Loomis and Mrs. Benson know that other than empty seats in the dome. I doubt even that would have an effect on them because they see the dome as sold out due to the tickets already sold.

Yeah, I see how you might come to this conclusion, but I just disagree.

IMO, they absolutely are motivated by empty seats in the Dome, including the mere prospect of no longer selling out the Dome beyond this coming year. But they know the remedy: winning in the long run.

Lauscha and Loomis are very, very smart guys. Just like any competent business, they know that the road to long term success does not include overreacting to shareholders whining and complaining about a few bad quarters. Now, certainly, their approach could turn out to be very wrong...but I guarantee they're making decisions for the long term, not the short term.

As just one possible example, I expect that they are very, very well aware that the Saints job is very unattractive right now -- both from a salary cap and roster standpoint -- and certainly paled in comparison to some of the other openings. I can see where it makes sense to them to give DA another year, make progress on the salary cap, rebuild draft capital, get the team younger and have a better job to offer a candidate in 2024 should DA slip. Of course, the really smart thing to have done with that strategy would have been to gut the roster, and take the Broncos 2024 first rounder, plus the additional picks in points that it would take to equal a 2023 first round 16th pick. But THAT would have sent the fan base (and likely the locker room) into a true tailspin, especially with such a weak NFC South. I can just hear what that would have sounded like next November: "Oh, we could have easily won the division if they hadn't gutted the roster, and done X, Y and Z!"

Again, their strategy may turn out to be wrong, but people accusing Loomis of being out of his depth are just seeing what they want to see, and not the truth. They're usually the same people who blame him for all of the "bad" draft trade-ups -- and those decisions were squarely on Payton's shoulders.

 

[Tony1Saintfan]

Just curious, not challenging or criticizing: how are you feeling differently now than, say, the last Ditka years? Or the last Mora or Haslett year?

I can’t answer that question for rsmith2783 but I can for myself. When Ditka was hired we were getting a Super Bowl winning coach. I even played blackjack with him several times at what was at the time Casino Magic in Bay St Louis. He was a great guy to talk to and always left you feeling pumped up about the team. But then it became clear that he wasn’t the man to get the job done. It was time to move on and the team did. Mora had some great teams but we had to play the 49er’s twice a year and that’s what kept us out of the playoffs each year and it was time to move on and the team did. Haslett showed some flashes and the year we had Jeff Blake was looking good until he got injured. Then Aaron Brooks came in and looked like the QB we had been missing. Then there was the backwards pass and the wheels started falling off. Then Katrin…. I’ll just stop there.

Then we got a coach that hadn’t made a name for himself outside or coaching circles and a QB coming off a major injury. Then the draft hit and we got Reggie Bush and the rest is history.

Drew retired and then Sean left. So here we are with Dennis Allen and I think most fans were ok with the hire but something just didn’t feel right. As the season progressed we started to see the way things were headed. I got this sick feeling that I hadn’t had since the late 90’s-early 2000’s. At the end of the season there was no excitement on game day. I watched the games but there was nothing there. I felt like it was time to move on but the team didn’t. Now I’m feeling bad for guys like Cam Jordan who has busted his arse for this team but a championship ring doesn’t look good for him and that’s wrong. I hope to get excited about the team after the draft but I’m not sure that I’ll be able to. So right now I’m just in holding mode hoping for a spark but not counting on it.

 

[HoustonSaint68]

...and the year we had Jeff Blake was looking good until he got injured.

Yeah, that's one of my big what-if's as well.

Some of the others:

- What if they had stuck with Fears for a couple more years (although the inept ownership and front office likely would have done them in eventually)?

- What if they had stuck with Hank Stram for a couple more years (although all that snow in the locker room likely would have cratered that team)?

- What if Finks had just paid Hebert (and #7 and #51), and we had actually done something special with the Lawrence Welk picks?

- What if Haslett had gone to Delhomme when Brooks was obviously too hurt to play?

- What if Payton and Loomis had shut down Williams and the bounties when they were first warned?

- What if they had thrown the flag?

- What if Drew had retired as he intended, and Brady came here with Payton and that defense?

For me, I always knew that we would have to pay the piper for kicking the cap-can down the road chasing a ring with Drew. That time is now. As I mentioned before, Loomis gets a mulligan with me at least until the end of next season.

 

[BayouSAINTJoe]

I'm sure about the trajectory I know exactly where we're heading

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

I share the concern about the team's trajectory--largely because I do not believe we have the organizational leadership capable of righting a ship that is listing badly. Lauscha is on the organization's business side. He is not Jim Finks. Until the ticket and suite sales fall off dramatically, Lauscha is not going to counsel Gayle Benson on, and stay clear of, football operations.

I have little faith in Mickey Loomis. He deserves much credit for working with Sean Payton and creating a team structure that allowed Payton to act as the de facto general manager, which was largely, though not always, a good thing. But as evidenced by last year's embrace of continuity in making Dennis Allen head coach and other pivotal decisions, the trade we made with Philadelphia last April, and our crazy pursuit of Deshaun Watson, the team's current management cares nothing about the long-term interests of the team. The focus has been and remains fixed on winning now.

 

[HoustonSaint68]

...the team's current management cares nothing about the long-term interests of the team. The focus has been and remains fixed on winning now.

Can you explain in more detail what you mean by, specifically, "cares nothing" and "winning now"?

I'm not jerking your chain -- I just sincerely don't understand what you're implying about their intent. And since you're referencing their intent, I'm interested in why you think they would do that, not a factual repetition of the mistakes that they have made.

 

[No2DC]

Obviously, no one can predict the future, and no, I do not think Loomis is intentionally aiming for us to be a losing team. I think he and Sean made some questionable choices these 3-5 years. We're stuck with DA for at least another year but I do not know how one can be optimistic given our current situation. Our coach is a proven loser. Our GM is near retirement age and has demonstrated absolutely no sense of urgency because he's a made man in the organization. Finally, we do not have a QB and there's a possibility that our coach will put us further into cap hell by signing a mid-tier QB in an effort to save his job.
Outside of that, all is well with my beloved home team.

 

[sammymvpknight]

I'm hoping we won't be in the cellar long. If we have a bad season this year, it leads to an early first round pick for a franchise qb and a new head coach. We hope. Loomis has not been on his A game lately.

Not if we trade away our next years first.

 

[NewOrleansFan]

Not if we trade away our next years first.

This is what I am worried about because DA needs to win now. Hope Loomis won’t let that happen.

 

[Maik Jeaunz]

I feel the same way. I just wish we had a direct way to let Loomis and Mrs. Benson know that other than empty seats in the dome. I doubt even that would have an effect on them because they see the dome as sold out due to the tickets already sold.

Taking that a step further…

New Orleans is a destination city for people who like to have a good time. If we endure several bad seasons, and people stop coming out to watch the Saints, we may be on the verge of the Dome being full…of opposing fans.

As a fan, I can’t think of anything more pathetic.

 

[meily]

People were saying the same thing this time last year and leading up to training camp bodies until we started signing players and adding to the team then people got behind the Saints again, granted the season turned out to be a repeat of the previous season with inconsistencies on offense and managing injuries on both sides of the ball but the point remains, once things started to clear up and you could see the vision people jumped right back on board, so you guys keep treading water will let you back on the boat when your ready.