Haz's future. watcha think...
 

Here's my opinion on Haz's reign...
He inherited a 3-13 team, not much talent, and a big salary cap figure.
His worst mistake was going 10-6 and a playoff victory in his 1st year with a rag-tag bunch of scrappy mid-tier players.

In 2000 (10-6) he OVERACHIEVED big time.
In 2001 (7-9) we finished about right for a team 2 years removed from 3-13.
In 2002 (9-7) we took another step in the right direction with a 2 game improvement.
In 2003 (8-8) we slightly underachieved, although we had massive injuries.

I personally think he underachieved only one year since he's been here and it happened to coincide with an inordinate amount of injuries. I find it humorous that so many think this team underachieved for 3 straight years. Its amazing how a great season can spoil you.

I give him a B- right now. But 2004 will decide his future. The talent, depth, and continuity is there so the only way this team fails this year will be because of poor coaching.

I pose an intriguing question to you though...If Deuce AND Aaron were to go down early, and we fight to a 9-7 record but no playoffs, Do you still replace him?

Haz's future. watcha think...
 

If we lost Brooks and Deuce early and we still go 9-7 with the replacements we have for them, I say he stays. I can\'t even think of a coach that could pull us through that scenario.

Haz's future. watcha think...
 

Frankly, I don\'t even think it was Haslett who took this team to the playoffs in 2000. Randy Mueller did. He\'s the one who brought in Joe Horn, Norman Hand, and Jeff Blake (we wouldn\'t have been where we were without him).

Now that he\'s gone, Haslett and Loomis have to make the decisions together, and I\'ve never believed that Haslett has made great selections in the free agent market or in the draft...

As for the injury to Brooks and McAllister:
If a new player can step up and become a star (like Brooks in 2000), it\'ll prove that the staff can still develop players who are quickly written off as career backups. If that were the case, I\'d extend Haslett\'s contract for maybe another year...

Haz's future. watcha think...
 

You may be right, but it\'s not like Saints fans aer the only ones who feel this way about Haslett. I haven\'t seen a single story from any media source that says Haslett is safe this year even if the Saints miss the playoffs. The guy has had ample time, gotten everything he wanted from players to facilities to coaches, he has the most talented team in the division and one of the most talented in the league. He\'s failed to adequately address glaring needs year in and year out. There are no more excuses!

You act like injuries are the only thing that hurts this team. I will tell you right now that coaching has hurt this team more over the last 3 years than anything else. I don\'t care if the entire team is lost in the bermuda triangle and Haslett has to play 11 on himself. Playoffs AND a good showing in the playoffs, or he\'s done.

Haz's future. watcha think...
 

Danno, I totally agree with you about Haz\'s first year. That team caught fire and was guided by intensity and good fortune more than anything else. Great point. I\'ve never really thought about how that year might have actually been a negative for the coach. Interesting take.

I must take exception, however, to your presentation of the following years as acceptable progressions. The final records bother me less than how we arrived at the final records. We started off hot and stumbled through December. Haz\'s role in those two, consecutive collapses cannot be discounted.

I\'m willing to throw the beginning of last season out. I do think injuries can derail a team\'s season, especially early. What makes me most optimistic about this year is that we finished strong last season. I still think that our fighting back from 1-4 last year is our best omen for 04.

All that being said, I honestly hope Haz takes us to the second round of the playoffs this year. I\'d like nothing better than to keep him under those circumstances.

No playoffs, however, or a sloppy first-round exit should spell the beginning of the Romeo era in NO.

.02