TheOak

I did not see this covered in any thread with the exception of a comment by Papz about the issues being systemic and he was spot on. The cause of our problems are not due to football system but specifically management system and something drastic will have to happen to change it.

The most detrimental issue to any organization, even more than incompetence, is owner apathy because even the incompetent risks randomly getting something right.

When Tom bought the franchise I will assume he was at least a fan of football and the Saints like we are. Gayle can not be bothered. Everything you need to hear is within the 6:44 and 7:22 minute mark of this video. https://www.youtube.com/live/sTK2JkK...yLWE69dw2ZImNs

- Gayle has zero organizational presence or activity. If she took part she wouldn't be reading from a script. At the 6:39 mark, Loomis says she "trusted them".

- While Gayle defers to Loomis, Loomis defers to 4 other people (President and three future GMs) in the organization. At this point #1 and #2 have assumed zero accountability. 'They did it'.

What was troublesome for me when it first aired, and still is, is that the process to find a HC wasn't created until after Sean left.

Questions unanswered:
How was Sean Payton found and why was that process not repeated?
Was all of that supposed work required to find a head coach from within? Seems excessive.

This is what makes the problem systemic and very difficult to correct. Our problem is not that Dennis Allen is a bad Head Coach, our problem is that the system that chose him is dysfunctional. The selection of Dennis Allen is just a symptom of a broken system.

A bad system produced a bad coach who chose a questionable QB.

Unless the organization hires an outside consulting firm to find the next HC the problem will continue. For that to happen Loomis would have to admit to screwing up in the first place, executives do not like to do that. Gayle would have to admit that leaving it to Loomis was a bad choice, apathetic owners seldom put forth that much effort.


A $4BN organization without any succession plan for key personnel just shouldn't happen in this day and age. Loomis is Peter Principled out and he can not draft or freeagent his way out of this.

SmashMouth

We have known this... for quite some time. Therein lies the telltale of what probably actually occurred. They thought SP was coming back after a year hiatus. Hence then the secrecy of DA's contract... which is now no longer an SAP Top Secret bit of information. While they did bring in Pederson, Bienemy, it was all a dog a pony show to satisfy the NFL rules.

It's beyond time for upper management, including Mrs. B to step in. It probably won't happen until fans quit showing up at games.

neugey

Another dysfunctional part of the culture is the difference in the way the Saints and Pelicans are run. The Saints are the teacher's pet of sorts because they won a championship and have been around longer. The Pels are scrutinized more because they're newer, haven't put it together and haven't really won. There just doesn't seem to be much objectivity with management.

K Major

ML is what 68, 69 years old now?

At some point, the top brass around the Saints org (Dennis Lausha) will convince G Benson that change is needed and necessary. On this current path, Loomis will (or least he should) recognize that the team assembled is going no place & fast.

Possibly an attractive "exit" for Mickey will be offered?

And to your point on Gayle, she doesn't know a whole lot about football. Meaning, has she even checked the "pulse" of this 4B biz she owns?

Entirely too much trust in the Mickster Loomis, & we're moving in the wrong direction.

"We're a violent team & a tough team. We find ways to put ourselves in position to win. We just have to WIN". Alvin Kamara

SmashMouth

Is Khai on the short list to take over for Loomis?

Rugby Saint II

I have mixed feelings about management. Loomis took us from bottom feeders to a perennial winner. Loomis was the person who convinced TB to invest in the team and build a winner. Then we won a Superbowl under the coach and QB he chose.

He introduced Khai Harley's accounting principles and changed the way contracts are written in the NFL. Some people don't like living off the credit card but the NFL is moving in that direction now. The Saints have to do a better job of managing bloated contracts. The Saints are trying to squeeze another dollar from one player to spend somewhere else.

There has to be a middle ground where we don't mortgage the future on hoping just a few players will be playing play well for decades. But it would take years to change the way handle our accounting system.

The problem I have is paying players to play for another team when we eventually cut them. Dead money is killer!

Maybe we need a consultant from the outside to bring us some fresh views and help Loomis find the next direction to go. The answer is not in house.

TheOak

ML is 67yo and GB is 76yo.

My take on both Gayle Benson and the prospect of an 'end around the CEO with the board'.

Gayle Benson has zero heirs and more money than she can spend for a few life times. Smash said it would take empty seats to get her attention, I am not so sure empty seats would have any effect on her financially. She has openly stated that after (after means she gives two ****s about the Franchise value) she passes, the team will be sold under the requirement that it is to be kept in New Orleans.

I am sure I will take a ton of backlash for this statement but the team would have probably been better off being left to Benson's children, moved to San Antonio where at least greed would drive engagement from the owners. For the past couple of years the team feels like a neglected horse left to starve by an owner that inherited it but doesn't like horses.

Dennis Lausha or anyone within the Saints organization... What you propose only ends one of two ways. The person that tries and succeeds looks like a brilliant shark, the one who fails ends their career with the Saints and possibly many other places because they went behind Loomis's back and fatally miscalculated the relationship between Loomis and Gayle. You'd be trying to convince a widow that her husband of 14 years was wrong which is not impossible but not as easy as getting someone to believe that something isn't working.

In that video, when Gayle says that she trusts Mikey, what she is saying is that Tom trusted Mickey and she was told by Tom to do the same... just as she was told to keep the team in New Orleans..

TheOak

Interestingly enough, Sean wanted to come back but it was the organizational decision to go with Dennis Allen that kept Sean away. Sean coming back would have left Dennis either out of a job or drowning in the humility of a demotion so Sean went somewhere else.

Seems like Loomis sh** two beds with one decision.

jnormand

I know SP seemed to have lost his fire a bit the last couple season of him coaching the Saints. But one can only imagine what he could do with the talent on this team.

This team blows.

saintsfan1976

Drew Brees - gather some investors and rescue this franchise