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Hard to blame the man, who’s entering his 12th year with the Black and Gold. It was there for the taking.

Meantime, Loomis, Coach Sean Payton and the Saints’ entire football operations staff have begun the arduous task of preparing for an offseason of uncertainty because of the ongoing labor strife. Their in-house personnel evaluation is underway and the coaching staff will dive head first into the college evaluation next week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile.

On Thursday, Loomis took time out from his schedule to huddle with Saints beat writer Brian Allee-Walsh of NewOrleans.Com and discuss a myriad of subjects past, present and future, including the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his life/career and the final days of their Super Bowl reign.

“Let me say this,’’ Loomis said. “I’m a much better general manager for having gone through (Hurricane Katrina) than I would have ever been otherwise. Look, I wouldn’t trade our Super Bowl win for that win against Atlanta (when the Superdome re-opened Sept. 25, 2006). People say I’m crazy when I say that but I wouldn’t trade that moment. The only one I can equate it to is when your child is born and you’re there to witness it. That’s the closest.

“But I wouldn’t trade the Katrina experience for anything. Listen, Katrina was an awful thing for all of us who went through it -- you, me, everyone in the city. But that’s an experience that shapes your life. And I wouldn’t trade it. I wouldn’t wish it on somebody else. I’m glad I went through it and not somebody else, let me put it that way. I’m not trying to belittle how it affected other people because it affected a lot of people really negatively. I’m a fortunate person in the way it affected me. But one of the great things about our city and the people here is I think the majority of them have been able to take that experience and turn it into something positive for themselves, whether it’s inside of them or otherwise.’’

Here is the rest of the interview:

NewOrleans.Com: Now 12 days removed, what is the taste that is left behind from that shocking 41-36 loss to the Seattle Seahawks?

Q&A: Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis on offseason

Crusader

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