Who in the Local Media Do the Best Job of Covering, and Providing Analysis on, the Saints? (1 Viewer)

[HoustonSaint68]

Nobody asks the tough questions so I'd say theyre all fluff and no stuff. I don't really pay attention to any of them

I get your point of view but, imo, asking "tough questions" is overrated.

Asking tough questions rarely elicits worthwhile information -- invariably, the most it generates is entertainment in the form of the coach getting P'Oed off and making a fool of himself.

I'll always prefer the reporter with good sources, solid stories and enough command of the English language to signal between the lines what his sources won't go on the record about. I need a reporter to give me information that I don't have, not be an advocate to vicariously channel my dissatisfaction with the direction of the team.

 

[Saintcd]

Nobody asks the tough questions so I'd say theyre all fluff and no stuff. I don't really pay attention to any of them

This. If you’re not ready to ask difficult questions, you’re a performer and not a reporter or analyst. When keeping in good faith with the saints staff for your livelihood, you cannot be objective or investigative in reporting the truth. You have to toe the company line and be a cheerleader for the team.

 

[El Caliente]

When someone says my opinions about a particular writer or commentator are the product of bias, rather than fundamental disagreement, I take issue. Please debate my opinions and avoid speculating on motivations for those opinions. And I am not interested in quoting or citing every article that Nick Underhill has written or every podcast he has participated in that may prove my points--especially since the articles and podcasts are on a subscriber-only website.

I remember listening the other day to a podcast with Underhill and Triplett where Underhill was decidedly more supportive of the Saints obtaining Carr. Yes, Underhill articulated caveats with obtaining Carr, but he clearly favored the Saints obtaining Carr, even at the cost of a high draft pick, more than Triplett.

Do you know of another reporter who has been more supportive of the current regime than Underhill? I do not.

He has favored from the beginning the idea of continuity for the Saints organization going forward. He favored Dennis Allen being named head coach. I do not remember him being critical of the Saints' efforts to sign Deshaun Watson. He was supportive of the Saints trade with Philadelphia in early April 2022, which was almost universally denounced by the national media. He gave glowing reports of the team during training camp (he was not the only one). I do not remember remember him being unabashedly critical of Mickey Loomis. He has not expressed the concern that others have expressed regarding the coaching-staff losses we have experienced in recent weeks. And yes, with caveats, he seems to favor the Saints trading for Derek Carr much more than most.

I don't know Nick Underhill, and the reason I first subscribed to his website was the hope to meet him at the social events for those who signed up at a certain level. And I we welcome the chance to personally visit with him--this is not personal. I just believe that Nick is overly supportive, and fundamentally wrong in his view, of current team management, which I think is at best misguided and more harshly incompetent. And yes, that includes Mickey Loomis as general manager and Dennis Allen as head coach.

Any the motivation for my opinions is that I attended the first game in Tulane Stadium in 1967, that I had youth season tickets for several years thereafter, that I had season tickets from 1986 through 1997 and from 2002 through 2022. I proudly gave up my season tickets when Mike Ditka was hired and bought them again after Haslett's first season. I am admittedly often wrong, but I was right about Ditka, and I fear I am right about Loomis without Payton and Dennis Allen.

Very much this.

I had a bit of a back and forth a few days back with Jeff Duncan. He stated that Sean was burnt out, and didn't quit. I agreed, and said that Sean was burnt out, but he interpreted it to me saying that Sean quit, and he came back with its normal for coaches to quit, and invoked the name of Jim Mora to validate that point.

That carpet bagger, I was making my bones as a Saints fan when he was going out with cheerleaders. Jim Mora quitting is nothing like Sean Payton getting burnt out. Mora was going to get sheet canned at the end of his final season, so he played the birch card, trashed his coaches and players, and drunkenly stumbled out of stage left. Jim quit because he knew Benson was going to put his head on a mantel over his fire place 8-10 weeks later.

Sean wasn't Jim Mora. Whether or not he was burnt out or he quit, Sean's final years were the exact opposite Jim Mora's, and that's why I will respect Sean's time here more than Mora (even if he did net us our 1st winning season...sheesh, what a low bar).

 

[truerjulie]

When someone says my opinions about a particular writer or commentator are the product of bias, rather than fundamental disagreement, I take issue. Please debate my opinions and avoid speculating on motivations for those opinions. And I am not interested in quoting or citing every article that Nick Underhill has written or every podcast he has participated in that may prove my points--especially since the articles and podcasts are on a subscriber-only website.

I remember listening the other day to a podcast with Underhill and Triplett where Underhill was decidedly more supportive of the Saints obtaining Carr. Yes, Underhill articulated caveats with obtaining Carr, but he clearly favored the Saints obtaining Carr, even at the cost of a high draft pick, more than Triplett.

Do you know of another reporter who has been more supportive of the current regime than Underhill? I do not.

He has favored from the beginning the idea of continuity for the Saints organization going forward. He favored Dennis Allen being named head coach. I do not remember him being critical of the Saints' efforts to sign Deshaun Watson. He was supportive of the Saints trade with Philadelphia in early April 2022, which was almost universally denounced by the national media. He gave glowing reports of the team during training camp (he was not the only one). I do not remember remember him being unabashedly critical of Mickey Loomis. He has not expressed the concern that others have expressed regarding the coaching-staff losses we have experienced in recent weeks. And yes, with caveats, he seems to favor the Saints trading for Derek Carr much more than most.

I don't know Nick Underhill, and the reason I first subscribed to his website was the hope to meet him at the social events for those who signed up at a certain level. And I we welcome the chance to personally visit with him--this is not personal. I just believe that Nick is overly supportive, and fundamentally wrong in his view, of current team management, which I think is at best misguided and more harshly incompetent. And yes, that includes Mickey Loomis as general manager and Dennis Allen as head coach.

Any the motivation for my opinions is that I attended the first game in Tulane Stadium in 1967, that I had youth season tickets for several years thereafter, that I had season tickets from 1986 through 1997 and from 2002 through 2022. I proudly gave up my season tickets when Mike Ditka was hired and bought them again after Haslett's first season. I am admittedly often wrong, but I was right about Ditka, and I fear I am right about Loomis without Payton and Dennis Allen.

This reminds me of a friend I don't watch Saints games with anymore. We're both so passionate about the team, but his instinct is to get angry every time a play goes poorly. He just gets progressively more P'Oed off as the game goes on, whether we're winning or not. Because all he sees is the missed opportunities, the mistakes, the flaws. I understand it on some level, but it drives me crazy. Let's maybe wait until the 2nd quarter before we start yelling at the TV? Sure, it looked like the DB got beat, but maybe the safety actually blew the coverage? I try not to imagine the worst until it actually happens. My friend sees it coming and reacts loudly. We're both gonna be miserable when we lose – he just gets a head start on the misery.

I say that to say this: what you think of any media person comes down to your personality as a fan. If you're angry, outraged, frustrated and furious about the last few seasons, recent management decisions, etc., then it makes sense you're looking for someone who sees the same mess you do. But not everyone feels as strongly as you do, or shares your conviction about what the problems are and what should be done. (This board is obviously a highly selective sampling of the overall fandom). It's a difference of temperament, but I prefer Nick/Trip because they tend to be more thoughtful and deliberate before arriving at a judgment. I was super disappointed this season, and I'm still depressed about it, but I'm not mad at DA or the Saints organization. (Pursuing Deshaun Watson, on the other hand, is a black mark I will NEVER forget or forgive.) But given the limits of what we (as outsiders) and they (as media) can really know, I'd rather reporters withhold judgment than get it wrong. I don't think that approach makes them "overly supportive," but I can see why it might seem that way to someone with a different outlook and a lot of passion for the team. There's room for different kinds of beat reporters; I hope you find one that's a better fit for you.

 

[TenTwo]

Saints Happy Hour with Andrew Juge and Ralph Malbrough (and Dave and Kevin)

Locked on Saints with Ross Jackson

 

[Andrus]

We all tend to gravitate towards writers, journalists and podcasts that express views that closely reflect our own, and tend to find fault with those that do not. Then again, some of the media personalities are simply anywhere from meh to terrible.

I agree that I don't have time to sit through long podcasts. I usually tune out after 10 minutes or so. I wish some of them would condense their podcasts to eliminate any unnecessary chatter. Get to the point.