tweeky

There are several problems with the Saints. To isolate one player or coach as the main problem is shortsighted. I've heard various opinions about whats wrong from you guys and agree with almost all. Here's a brief list of what I think are our problems are...

GM/Front Office: Player turnover too high. Need more player stability. BUILD, DON'T REBUILD. Overpaid for some players.

Head Coach: December collapses, team plays too lifeless and lethargic, weak X&O during games.

OC: Bad and predictable play calling, too many pre-snap penalties, team looks confused, wastes timeouts.

DC: Smart QB's destroy us. Struggle with scat-backs, draws and screens. Shemes are too conservative.

QB: Inconsistent. Awesome and Awful often in same game.

DL: YOUNG, Good Ends but weak vs run . Wears down in 4th. A solid IDT would fix this unit.

LB: Too passive. Not enough smart smashmouth play. Fast but not instinctive, still young. One solid smart LB could fix this unit.

CB: No shut down guy, need quality #1, aging fast. Revamping a must. Multiple players needed here.

FS: Poor tackling, weak depth, looks like a promising rookie but he's actually a vet.

CONDITIONING: We wear down on both sides of the ball in the 4th.

BillyC

Tweeky, I agree that there are multiple problem on this team. I don\'t know if you were listing the problems in order of importance or not, but I think you have these in order of importance, whether it was intentional or not.

GM/Front Office: Someone can point to other areas, but this is where it all starts. These are where the decisions start and end and they above ANYONE else must be held accountable for winning and losing.

Head Coach: This person is a direct reflection on the GM. It\'s his man and what transpires on the field makes the GM what he is. Whether that is good or bad. Beyond that the coach must do whatever it takes to win. If he can\'t do that over a given period of time, then something must change. There\'s always reasons why it isn\'t getting done, but the point is -- It isn\'t getting done.

OC/DC: These two people are a reflection of the head coach. They more or less make the head coach what he is. Whether that is good or bad. If they aren\'t getting the job done it is the responsibility of the head coach to either correct those problems or replace those guys.

QB-- The most important player on the field. Must be consistant and not hurt his team. He also needs to make plays when the game is on the line. If the play is erratic, then that\'s pretty much how your team\'s results will be. It is his resonsibility to lead the team once it is on the field.

Beyond that, I don\'t know and could go on for days. The real question is when is it enough time to go a different direction in those areas. I don\'t have a defenitive answer, but I think it\'s pretty clear some changes need to be made. Several different scenarios could probably be successful. I hope they choose one of them.










[Edited on 9/12/2003 by BillyC]