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speculation here....but Marshon Lattimore has been injured alot over the past 3 seasons. He was known to have hamstring issues before he was drafted, but those issues seemed to disappear in his professional career, or at least calm down to the point where it was a non-issue. Maybe they're starting to reoccur as he gets older? But Latt is only 28, so that means these issues started re-occurring when he was 25ish? Seems awful young to me, but I'm not qualified to say.
OTOH, Latt's issues seem to coincide with DAs tenure, and I could absolutely see a correlation between "optional" warmup periods and soft tissue injuries. And with Miller issues coming to light (and apparently AT Perry, possibly MT13?), is it that far of a stretch to consider that DA was using IR designations to deny playing time to "problem players" who were challenges to his HC authority? And let's not forget the trading of CJGJ to the Eagles for practically nothing? Think CJGJ was a problem for DA? He was a problem when DA was DC, but CSP wasn't taking any of that crap. Coincidence Ceedy was traded during DAs 1st training camp as HC? With a 3-year lookback, is it that farfetched to conclude that ML has been massaging the team for DAs benefit, rather than the franchise's benefit? And if THAT is true, the obvious question is WHY?
Let's not forget that ML was investigated by the NFL several years back (I know, another Goodell vendetta because we don't "kiss the ring" with the appropriate amount of slobber) for a wiretap/eavesdropping scandal. AND he was suspended 8 games in 2012 for his role as GM in bountygate. I can't put a lot of stock in Roger's kangaroo investigations. I can admit there was likely SOMETHING there, but don't trust Roger's conclusions. And viewed in isolation, I can dismiss the allegations without losing any sleep. But considered collectively (like DA's tenure....I can rationalize the 0-7 skid, but I can't rationalize continuing an 18-25 tenure), I have to consider that MAYBE our GM has got his fingerprints in another scandal....manipulating the IR. And MAYBE it does beyond that. I've accused ML of being disconnected from the pulse of the team, and refusing to acknowledge what is APPARENT to everyone else outside of Airline Drive. But WHAT IF he is acutely aware of situations inside of that team, and he was backing DA to the bitter end (still?!) because his role could be revealed, resulting in sanctions, fines, suspensions(?).... That is certainly ONE possible explanation that would make absolute sense of a non-sensical situation. Probably not the only explanation....Occam's Razor would suggest the simplest solution is the likeliest. The simplest solution is that a substandard GM (without CSP) with a career 40% winning percentage hired a substandard HC with a career 33% winning percentage, and colluded to mismanage a borderline playoff team to become one of the worst in the league.
But it would've been REALLY easy for a GM to say the coach we just fired is a good coach, has been valuable to the organization, appreciate everything that coach has done for the organization, but it was time for a change. That's what MOST GMs say about a fired coach, and it's very easy to say and no one raises an eyebrow about it. So why isn't ML doing that? He's only drawing attention to himself with his unusual stance and public chatter. Makes me wonder WHY? Is he that much of a narcissist that he truly believes he's that much smarter than anyone else in the Saints org? Or is he hiding something that he desperately does not want revealed? I'm inclined to the latter, but that's JMO.
