It's now 2017 or bust for Saints power trio: ESPN - Triplett (2 Viewers)

[Swimmer]

METAIRIE, La. -- Since the start of 2014, only two NFL teams have failed to produce a winning record at any point: the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints.

And the Saints (5-8) will now be lucky to finish 7-9 for the third straight season after giving their two worst offensive performances of the year in back-to-back losses to the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That’s the kind of mediocre track record that just got Jeff Fisher fired by the Los Angeles Rams.

I don’t think Saints coach Sean Payton or general manager Mickey Loomis will meet the same fate as Fisher at the end of this season -- and I don’t think they should just yet. I also strongly believe the Saints should hang on to quarterback Drew Brees until they find their own version of Dak Prescott to replace him.

But I think it’s now “2017 or bust” for all three of them.

If the Saints decided a radical change was needed, that would be the one to make: bringing in someone new to lead the personnel decisions, with Loomis moving into more of a VP role.

I’d be surprised to see Payton or Loomis cede control in that area, and I’d be surprised if Benson forced them to. But the Saints did acknowledge last year that they needed to make some front-office changes when they brought in former NFL GM Jeff Ireland to oversee their college scouting department and overhauled the college scouting staff. And so far it looks like they’ve hit on much of their 2016 draft class -- one of the best reasons for hope going forward.

Superb article about the real state of Saints franchise....

New Orleans Saints

 

[St. Geezy]

Agree...next year has to be the year. A fourth straight losing season would signal the need to push the reset button.

$30 million-plus in cap space and a roster full of young, improving talent, with a first ballot Hall of Fame QB still playing well - we MUST get it done in 2017. Anything less than 10-6, then we probably need to start over and strongly consider moving on to a new approach.

 

[dvdman]

They will probably have a 3rd or 4th place schedule to boot.

 

[AARPSaint]

They will probably have a 3rd or 4th place schedule to boot.

Really good point. When the playoffs arrive, though, the team needs to have played well against good teams. I remember Phil Simms, in a sudden spurt of adequacy, remarking how the 2009 Colts had not faced a good passing team going into the superbowl, which hurt them versus the Saints. I think this may be true in practices as well. Maybe Crawley, Moore, and Webb have improved because they face an elite QB in practices.

 

[Saint Jack]

They will probably have a 3rd or 4th place schedule to boot.

Next season, the NFC South plays the AFC East and NFC North.

 

[gregh]

another 0-3 start would spell doom

 

[duckjr78]

$30 million-plus in cap space and a roster full of young, improving talent, with a first ballot Hall of Fame QB still playing well

This exact quote is why I am very, very optimistic about '17 & '18.

 

[gregh]

This exact quote is why I am very, very optimistic about '17 & '18.

only if they use that money to bring in people that will actually pan out. another Browner and Spiller come in and that's devastating

 

[BooBirdSaint]

Let's be real here. We have our own FA's that we will need to consider as part of the 30 million. I think I saw an article that laid out if we pay our own FA's including signing Fairley we might end up with just under 10 million in free cap. So I would wouldn't get too excited that we are going to go all Madden with the roster. However, we do get significant dead money relief and if we are smart with how we structure our contracts (a first) we can make a few solid moves.

 

[saintsmarchin]

Next year gonna be sooooo good.. Free Agency, Draft.... camp... UGH the wait.. This year.. this year is backs against the wall..

Can't wait to see a "great" team again.

 

[NOLAJM504]

Give them ONE more year to get their act together. Anything less than a playoff appearance and it's time for them to get to stepping.

 

[AARPSaint]

Next season, the NFC South plays the AFC East and NFC North.

So that's NE, Miami, NYJ, Buffalo, Minnesota, GB, Detroit, and Chicago. Some tough, some not so much.

 

[St. PJ]

Can Sean and Mickey look in the mirror? Before his suspension, Sean put in the time to effectively be both the OC and HC. Divorced in his year off, ever since coming back he hasn't been the same play-caller. I simply don't think he puts in the same time to basically do two full time jobs, because of how it cost him personally. That's understandable and commendable, but dude, stop taking it away from Pete. At least he has to answer to you if he has a boneheaded idea or gets predictable or stubborn in his play calling, such as idiotic no RB personnel on 3rd and 1 two consecutive weeks that leaves the defense no doubt as to whether you may run or pass.

Aside from who is actually calling plays, Sean needs to fire his buddies who can't coach worth a damn. Perpetual special teams disaster for over a decade-- stop hiring your college buddy new assistants - HE is the problem, get rid of his ***.

Joe Vitt - might be a great guy to talk to, but he and his LB coach assistant clearly fail at coaching and developing LB's. Whose idea was it to bring in the worst rated LB over the last 5 years and put him in Stephone Anthony's spot, and what a great job developing Anthony in a position change and having he and the other LB's in the best position to succeed. The point is Vitt and whoever you've had helping him have never developed a LB for the Saints. The ONLY success we've had is in acquiring guys already trained. Please fire your vicodin fall guy and hire someone who can spot and develop a LB and always have them in the best position to make a play.

And while you are at it, do the same with the defensive line coach Bill Johnson. He's been there for the last 4 defensive coordinators (unlike Vitt and McMahon who've been there from the beginning), and he can't spot or teach defensive linemen and hasn't developed a lineman since he's been with the Saints. Cam Jordan and Sheldon Rankins were grown *** men when they got here, and he simply just didn't **** them up. Fairley is playing for a new contract for his home team... been trained by someone else.

Sean, please hire LB, DL, and ST coaches who are respected as one of the best at what they do, who can spot and develop UDFA and late round draft choices at their positions and are known for always having their guys in the best position using the best technique. What you have is **** -- pure doo-doo, and they've not improved this team and the areas it has been lacking for most of your tenure. I wouldn't think you need a lowly fan telling you this, but being that year after year you keep these *** clowns, maybe someone needs to say "that's why you don't hire your friends" or "look in the ******* mirror and fix your obvious mistakes".

As for you Mickey, look , we all know you were never much of a scout.. that's not what you do. You are a great confident and a good manager and people person. Please hire a GM who understands market value, who understands talent assessment, and who understands the concept of building through the draft-- a proven guy with the nuts to tell Sean "no" when Sean is begging to do something stupid, like trading up for developmental projects when we need as many young cheap draft choices we can get because of your FA blunders. Basically, not the ******* yes man you've been to Payton and Haslett.

That is all.

 

[platinumvinnyv]

I thought this in beginning of this season .. I don't know i just felt they weren't so much worry bout winning then evaluating players

 

[RaginSaint93]

If anything keep Dennis Allen and Carmichael and fire the rest of the coaching staff