We Aren't Blowing It Up, So What Now? (5 Viewers)

[St. Widge]

This keeps getting repeated and it’s simply not true. The team can totally sign players by borrowing from the future but they’re intentionally dialing it back for future strategic purposes. We have never been a huge free agency spending team other than once every blue moon to sign a guy like Carr. We bargain shop; it’s our style.

It’s like people have begged for the team to get the cap “problems” in order, and now that they’re trying to dial it back some to align themselves better for their next run, those same fans are now weaponizing that fact and blaming it for not signing players they want or not being able to blow the team up the way they want it to be. You can’t have it both ways.

You can’t say “Oh we need to fix this” then when the team works to improve it say “See, the ‘borrowing from the future’ style is why we now can’t do anything. I hate this!”

Yep. Good to great teams aren't built in free agency. They are built in the draft.

 

[dtc]

We didn’t look like a lame .500 team when healthy. We just need to fortify things better, and maybe add a playmaker or two.

This “You must be an absolute 14-3 level juggernaut or it’s a waste and you need to blow it all up” fan culture needs to end.

As demonstrated early on before the injuries, you’re a lot closer to being dominant by being average and waiting for a chemistry/great draft/lucky free agent breakthrough than you are by completely blowing things up.

Excellent post.

An average team is only a couple picks and improvements away from good and one more surprise and you can be great. An average team is only one or two injuries away from weakness and coaching can only go so far to compensate.

The line between good and great and good and terrible is pretty damn thin.

Before injuries we were good. After we are horrible and much of that is due to the sheer volume of injuries. Missing Davis for a game coupled with Werner was bad. The DL has really been underperforming, but if the O can't do anything then you're bad. Maybe with the injury report getting better we go back to average. Maybe we get back to good, but blaming the freaking coaches for missing 8 starters on offense is misguided.

Still, whatever happened to this D is confusing. It could be as simple as the O can't keep them off the field, but it's astounding.

 

[Saint Greg]

I don't really consider anyone picked from the 5th or 6th round on to be a "bust" in the sense of it was a major error to pick the guy. The draft at that point is a total crap shoot and it often comes down to scheme fit and intangibles to determine if those guys make it. Even more so than in earlier rounds. Teams that are good at drafting are lucky to hit on 1 out of 3 5th to 7th round picks. But hitting on those guys is how a mediocre draft turns into a good or great one.

Good. Just consider those whatever you want. My list still stands. We haven't invested enough in our defensive line and it shows.

 

[St. Widge]

Good. Just consider those whatever you want. My list still stands. We haven't invested enough in our defensive line and it shows.

We have invested a lot in the DL but missed on most of them. That's the issue not the lack of investment. It's one of the few places where we have spent any significant money in free agency (Young, Saunders, Shepherd) and have spent 9 picks on the DL since 2017. 4 of those picks were 1st round picks and 1 was a second round pick.

 

[Saint Greg]

We have invested a lot in the DL but missed on most of them. That's the issue not the lack of investment. It's one of the few places where we have spent any significant money in free agency (Young, Saunders, Shepherd) and have spent 9 picks on the DL since 2017. 4 of those picks were 1st round picks and 1 was a second round pick.

Going back to 2017 is too far. Only 4 of 23 picks from 2017-2020 are still on this roster so those drafts have minimal impact on this team. You want to go back to 2021 fine. We've spent four picks on the DL on players that are still on their rookie deal. In the same time Philly (who whipped our butts with their DL) has spent 9 picks on their DL.

But yes our drafting has been poor overall since 2018 and really bad on the DL. I'm all for shaking up the scouting department. The Saints clearly recognize the problem. I think that's why we keep adding former GMs to our scouting department. Hopefully it makes a difference in the future.

 

[Artifactual]

We have invested a lot in the DL but missed on most of them. That's the issue not the lack of investment. It's one of the few places where we have spent any significant money in free agency (Young, Saunders, Shepherd) and have spent 9 picks on the DL since 2017. 4 of those picks were 1st round picks and 1 was a second round pick.

Wow! That's telling. Two 1sts for Davenport who is no longer here. Not finding a way to keep Hendrickson leaves only Granderson with any real get off. Extending Cam with him having hit a wall hurts now and in the future. Payton Turner has talent but can't stay healthy. Foskey appears to be a wasted 2nd Round pick. Bresee flashes but isn't good enough against the run. Sheppard and Saunders aren't good at either the run or pass, especially considering they are starters. Letting Roach walk was a mistake. Young looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane most of the time.

This isn't just bad luck. It's a lot of poor talent evaluations and poor coaching of subpar talent. The Saints Dline could use a solid NT and a decent pass rusher at DE.

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

To have a first-rate franchise with championship aspirations, you need three things: a top quarterback, a top general manager, and a top coach. We currently have none of the three.

 

[St. Widge]

Wow! That's telling. Two 1sts for Davenport who is no longer here. Not finding a way to keep Hendrickson leaves only Granderson with any real get off. Extending Cam with him having hit a wall hurts now and in the future. Payton Turner has talent but can't stay healthy. Foskey appears to be a wasted 2nd Round pick. Bresee flashes but isn't good enough against the run. Sheppard and Saunders aren't good at either the run or pass, especially considering they are starters. Letting Roach walk was a mistake. Young looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane most of the time.

This isn't just bad luck. It's a lot of poor talent evaluations and poor coaching of subpar talent. The Saints Dline could use a solid NT and a decent pass rusher at DE.

The worst part is that they didn't really try to keep Hendrickson. They thought he was just an effort guy and wasn't very good. It just seems to be more evidence of the problem with failing to properly evaluate DL talent.

 

[No2DC]

To have a first-rate franchise with championship aspirations, you need three things: a top quarterback, a top general manager, and a top coach. We currently have none of the three.

This

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

This

So Loomis is no longer a top GM?

 

[sfidc3]

To have a first-rate franchise with championship aspirations, you need three things: a top quarterback, a top general manager, and a top coach. We currently have none of the three.

Yup, I just don't get how DA has any support left....at all.....I guess these folks are fine with mediocrity or worse.....I sincerely don't get the "it could be worse" arguments....when you miss the playoffs and are 8-9 or 7-10 and fail to be able to beat quality teams or win close games? Purgatory, I'm not fine with that, we know what a quality HC looks like, DA ain't it..... I'd rather suffer through a truly bad season with a young, up and coming coach and some good draft position.....

 

[Judge_Smails]

So Loomis is no longer a top GM?

Considering he hasn’t produced a playoff team since 2020, how could he be considered a top GM?

Is there a metric more important than being a consistent playoff team?

 

[No2DC]

So Loomis is no longer a top GM?

When he hired Payton and when we won a ring. How can you be a top GM when your team hasn't been to playoffs since Drew retired? You're talking legacy not our current status. Factually, Loomis was never a player guy he was the money guy that got lucky when he hired Payton. Even if you say Ireland was a good hire, Ireland was a Parcells guy, Lucky Loo just brought back the guy the old man fired.

 

[SAINTIN NEBR]

losing Hendrickson to the Bungles was a huge mistake.

Agreed…losing Roach was a lowkey huge loss. He was a more than capable big body we sorely lack currently.

 

[lilvipa221]

This keeps getting repeated and it’s simply not true. The team can totally sign players by borrowing from the future but they’re intentionally dialing it back for future strategic purposes. We have never been a huge free agency spending team other than once every blue moon to sign a guy like Carr. We bargain shop; it’s our style.

It’s like people have begged for the team to get the cap “problems” in order, and now that they’re trying to dial it back some to align themselves better for their next run, those same fans are now weaponizing that fact and blaming it for not signing players they want or not being able to blow the team up the way they want it to be. You can’t have it both ways.

You can’t say “Oh we need to fix this” then when the team works to improve it say “See, the ‘borrowing from the future’ style is why we now can’t do anything. I hate this!”

No I dont believe the team has dialed it back at all. If anything the cap issues have accelerated the last couple years. Thats my issue. The team made a point to go all in again but do not have the ability to continue going all in. Thats the disconnect. The team went all in then people want to start crying injuries when a few people go down. (The last two games offensively have been too much to overcome) but the first 5 games the team was healthy enough to win without excuses.

My issue is that the team signed Carr as an all in move with money we didnt have then now we are stuck because we are limited in how we can improve all the while the team is taking the slowest route to getting into better cap shape they could take.

They are just winging it and will lose the fan base.