Polymarkets has Mike McCarthy as odds on favorite to be Saints next head coach (1 Viewer)

[dutar76]

No problem with McCarthy. I don't have big expectations or even many delusional hopes for our team over the next couple of years, but we gotta start somewhere. Might as well be with a coach who has proven production over the past four decades in all. Not a sexy hire by any stretch, but I agree with an earlier post in this thread. Our front office leans heavily towards familiarity.

I'm not super familiar with him other than reading through his coaching stats. But from memory, he was a good OC for us in the early 2000's with some weak QB's and still had us in the middle of the league on that side of the ball.

He built a champion in Green Bay where some internal stuff of one sort or another ended with him being let go late in the season. (Seem to remember some strife with him and Aaron Rodgers?) One thing for certain there, he didn't wait for the franchise legend to completely collapse before he had another future HOFer ready to go. Although I'm not sure if he actually drafted A-Rod or not, the whole Rodgers/Farve thing shows that he wasn't afraid to make a change, popular or not, which has been sorely lacking here in New Orleans.

I have a really hard time counting a tenure in Dallas as a plus or a minus for a head coach. That team seems to be poorly managed in a lot of ways from the top down. Not sure how much "say-so" a head coach has in that building. Still, in his 5 years with the Cowboys, (outside of the 2020 season which will always have a huge asterisk attached to it for me) he led his team to 3 straight 12-5 seasons. In 2022 he even went 4-1 with a back up QB to achieve those 12 wins. He wasn't able to do the same in 2024 but we Saints fans should understand as well as anyone that getting wins with your back-up QB is a tough task.

I do remember something about how he had quit even interacting with the team in Green Bay his last few years there. I found that hard to believe back then and after finding some success in Dallas, I really can't put much stock in that. Media has a way of exaggerating and twisting things to fit or form a narrative. Click bait isn't a new thing.

Side note: To me it's kinda be funny that after all the Januarys and Februarys we spent watching the same BS storyline pop up that the Cowboys were going to take our coach, here we are in January, heading into February, talking about getting theirs.

 

[livefromDC]

Well duh. Loomis is prone to making the lazy hire now.

Nevertheless, I hope McCarthy kicks @$$

 

[Snakehead]

Not going to lie, I’m kinda ready for some mock draft threads. I can’t be completely ready until we have everything else in place. Like what offensive/defensive schemes we will be implementing

That's why I stopped doing the mock draft simulators. I'm curious what offense and what defense we go with.

 

[St. Widge]

If nothing else, I think MM gets the edge because Loomis et al have known him forever and he carries the lowest risk.

I would go with one of the younger guys but I don’t think there is a lot of appetite for risk in this process.

Go with the guy you know is a pretty pervasive quality on Airline

The FO might be about low risk, but do they really tend to go with the guys they know? Payton was obviously an outsider, as was most of his staff. He then proceeded to bring in multiple DCs with no connection to the Saints until he got to DA. Yes, they hired DA off of his staff, but they tried to hire Coen, an outsider, as his OC but he turned them down so they kept Pete. Then when they realized they needed a new OC they went way outside of the usual and brought in Kubiak and his entire staff that have no ties to the Saints. Loomis even brought in Ziegler and Ireland who before they got here had no connection to the Saints. So, in the end, it's really only DA and recently Mueller that were really familiar to the Saints that were brought in.

And, the truth is that all teams tend to hire guys they know or who they are connected to. It's a league that is all about getting jobs through connections just like most of the rest of the world.

And most teams are looking to hire the HC that has the least risk. Nobody hires a HC because they think he is a huge risk. They might decide to take a risk, but if they do it's only because they have a conviction that he's the best coach.

 

[St. Widge]

Well duh. Loomis is prone to making the lazy hire now.

Nevertheless, I hope McCarthy kicks @$$

How would hiring McCarthy be lazy? Especially after they have spent more time than any other team interviewing coaches, much to the frustration of a impatient fanbase. They made one "lazy" hire, DA. That's not exactly a pattern.

 

[Hubig]

Really interesting that no other team really rushed to talk to McCarthy. Bears were all in on the Ben Johnson sweepstakes, not sure if the interest was ever legit there. Raiders went after someone 12 years older than him. Jacksonville seemed to be all in on Coen, they fired their GM for him.

 

[Snakehead]

Really interesting that no other team really rushed to talk to McCarthy. Bears were all in on the Ben Johnson sweepstakes, not sure if the interest was ever legit there. Raiders went after someone 12 years older than him. Jacksonville seemed to be all in on Coen, they fired their GM for him.

He's just waiting on use to finish these mandatory interviews and most teams probably know that.

 

[dutar76]

That's why I stopped doing the mock draft simulators. I'm curious what offense and what defense we go with.

Regardless who we hire as our next HC, without a complete roster re-vamp, we're going to be a 4-3 base defense. We don't have anywhere near the OLBs or NTs to go 3-4 any time soon.

On offense... Unless we do some sort of all-out cut-bait regardless of cap hit with Carr like Denver just did with Russel Wilson, I'd expect we remain some version of a WC offense. Hopefully the new coach sees the need to add a big-boy possession receiver and/or a TE that defenses have to game-plan for.

So if I'm doing mock drafts, I'm still drafting the same type players at the same premium positions early in the draft and trying to accumulate as many picks as possible this year and next. DE or DT in round 1 and IOL in round 2 unless some real game changing skill player falls to us that we can't pass up on. Although IF we were to push the nuclear button on Carr, I can easily see a new HC drafting "his guy" at QB in this draft or next. Not a horrible option IF you get it right even though draft gurus say this year's QB crop is very weak. Experts are wrong just as often as us "non-experts".

Give me a Nix or Purdy or Jackson to build around any day. The cap relief that alone brings for the next 5 seasons is totally worth eating Carr's 2025 cap hit.

 

[livefromDC]

How would hiring McCarthy be lazy? Especially after they have spent more time than any other team interviewing coaches, much to the frustration of a impatient fanbase. They made one "lazy" hire, DA. That's not exactly a pattern.

It's like punting on 4th and short. Even when the pace of the game suggests you should probably go for it, you won't get beat up for punting. It's safe, it's obvious, it's lazy. Fans won't criticize you too much, the media will ignore it. You took the low effort approach and NFL doctrine still says thats ok. That's what McCarthy is this coaching cycle. Nobody is going to beat you up for doing it. As soon as his name became available we should've all seen it coming.

I think he didn't draw much attention for the same reason Belichick didn't last year. I also think if the Saints were looking for a coach last year, they would been all over Belichick too. It’s punting when most other teams are trying to go for it.

 

[Snakehead]

Regardless who we hire as our next HC, without a complete roster re-vamp, we're going to be a 4-3 base defense. We don't have anywhere near the OLBs or NTs to go 3-4 any time soon.

On offense... Unless we do some sort of all-out cut-bait regardless of cap hit with Carr like Denver just did with Russel Wilson, I'd expect we remain some version of a WC offense. Hopefully the new coach sees the need to add a big-boy possession receiver and/or a TE that defenses have to game-plan for.

So if I'm doing mock drafts, I'm still drafting the same type players at the same premium positions early in the draft and trying to accumulate as many picks as possible this year and next. DE or DT in round 1 and IOL in round 2 unless some real game changing skill player falls to us that we can't pass up on. Although IF we were to push the nuclear button on Carr, I can easily see a new HC drafting "his guy" at QB in this draft or next. Not a horrible option IF you get it right even though draft gurus say this year's QB crop is very weak. Experts are wrong just as often as us "non-experts".

Give me a Nix or Purdy or Jackson to build around any day. The cap relief that alone brings for the next 5 seasons is totally worth eating Carr's 2025 cap hit.

Yeah, who we need on offense pretty much doesn't matter what scheme we run, although I'd prefer to keep building KK's offense.

On defense, I had been getting guys who were scheme flexible, but sometimes I would do a draft with the thought of switching to a 3-4. We might be closer to being able to field a 3-4 than many think. It's the easier defense to get players for. We may actually be able to use Foskey as a OLB in a 3-4 as opposed to a DE in a 4-3 where he gets exposed. Now, finding a NT for a 3-4 will be a huge need, but there are some in the draft.

 

[St. Widge]

Really interesting that no other team really rushed to talk to McCarthy. Bears were all in on the Ben Johnson sweepstakes, not sure if the interest was ever legit there. Raiders went after someone 12 years older than him. Jacksonville seemed to be all in on Coen, they fired their GM for him.

The Bears flew McCarthy in on a private jet. The bears normally fly HC candidates in coach (no pun intended). So, they clearly had serious interest in McCarthy and McCarthy in them.

And, McCarthy is in a position where he can pick and choose who he wants to talk to. He's not a young coach who has to do the entire interview circuit.

And it's possible that other teams already know that McCarthy wants to come here and that we are going to hire him as soon as we comply with the Rooney rule.

Also, I don't think anyone other than the Raiders bothered to talked to Carroll. And, IIRC, Vrabel didn't talk to anyone other than New England and it's not like he wasn't a sought after coach.

 

[St. Widge]

It's like punting on 4th and short. Even when the pace of the game suggests you should probably go for it, you won't get beat up for punting. It's safe, it's obvious, it's lazy. Fans won't criticize you too much, the media will ignore it. You took the low effort approach and NFL doctrine still says thats ok. That's what McCarthy is this coaching cycle. Nobody is going to beat you up for doing it. As soon as his name became available we should've all seen it coming.

I think he didn't draw much attention for the same reason Belichick didn't last year. I also think if the Saints were looking for a coach last year, they would been all over Belichick too. It’s punting when most other teams are trying to go for it.

The Bears requested to talk to McCarthy even before his contract was over in Dallas. And they flew him in on a private jet for an interview as soon as he was free from Dallas.

But if you want to call hiring a coach that has won over 60% of the NFL games he has coaches, been in 4 NFC championship games, and won a Super Bowl lazy, I'm not going to stop you. It just seems like you might be pushing a narrative instead of looking at the reality of the situation.

 

[livefromDC]

The Bears requested to talk to McCarthy even before his contract was over in Dallas. And they flew him in on a private jet for an interview as soon as he was free from Dallas.

But if you want to call hiring a coach that has won over 60% of the NFL games he has coaches, been in 4 NFC championship games, and won a Super Bowl lazy, I'm not going to stop you. It just seems like you might be pushing a narrative instead of looking at the reality of the situation.

And Belichick has an even better track record. He got an interview too. So what's the narrative? What is it that me and the GMs for several teams are missing? I'd prefer the Saints hire a younger coach, that's more likely to stay with the team at least 8 years. What narrative are YOU trying to push on me?

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

The FO might be about low risk, but do they really tend to go with the guys they know? Payton was obviously an outsider, as was most of his staff. He then proceeded to bring in multiple DCs with no connection to the Saints until he got to DA. Yes, they hired DA off of his staff, but they tried to hire Coen, an outsider, as his OC but he turned them down so they kept Pete. Then when they realized they needed a new OC they went way outside of the usual and brought in Kubiak and his entire staff that have no ties to the Saints. Loomis even brought in Ziegler and Ireland who before they got here had no connection to the Saints. So, in the end, it's really only DA and recently Mueller that were really familiar to the Saints that were brought in.

And, the truth is that all teams tend to hire guys they know or who they are connected to. It's a league that is all about getting jobs through connections just like most of the rest of the world.

And most teams are looking to hire the HC that has the least risk. Nobody hires a HC because they think he is a huge risk. They might decide to take a risk, but if they do it's only because they have a conviction that he's the best coach.

At the risk of being creating another kerfuffle about Aaron Glenn being their “top choice”, if you believe that he was their top choice (as I do) and then now they are pivoting to MM, then that makes 3 straight candidates (DA, Glenn, MM) that have a pre-existing relationship with Loomis and the Saints.

Which is not automatically a bad thing or a good thing, it’s just how (I think) they operate these days.

nothing wrong with hiring someone you know (happens every day in the real world) as long as it’s the right guy.

 

[lilvipa221]

The Bears requested to talk to McCarthy even before his contract was over in Dallas. And they flew him in on a private jet for an interview as soon as he was free from Dallas.

But if you want to call hiring a coach that has won over 60% of the NFL games he has coaches, been in 4 NFC championship games, and won a Super Bowl lazy, I'm not going to stop you. It just seems like you might be pushing a narrative instead of looking at the reality of the situation.

Are we getting Aaron Rodgers in his prime? Those 4 NFC championship games are what? 10 years old at this point?