Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

If Saints players were unsure of Coach Jim Haslett's approach to this offseason, he removed all doubt with a rousing speech at a team meeting to kick off minicamp this week.

Haslett's emotional message was clear: Buckle your chin straps. Play time is over.

If the Saints fail to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season this year, it won't be because of a lack of discipline or focus.

Haslett began the offseason with a no-nonsense, zero-tolerance approach and did not let up through a rigorous offseason program that concluded Thursday with a three-day minicamp.

It all started in the days after the disappointing 8-8 season, when he fired assistant coaches Hubbard Alexander and Sam Clancy. Shortly thereafter he removed the card tables and eliminated game-playing in the locker room.

http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index...5648149320.xml

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

Good. It better be back to business for the Saints this year or Haslett is a goner. I sure hope it works. Discipline and focus have been problems for a long time now. Let\'s get to it.

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

If the Saints are finally able to live up to expectations, the biggest contributor to that success could be Jim Haslett\'s new approach this year. I\'m talking about his \"no non-sense\" -- \"zero\" tolerance policy!!

I\'ve been a Haslett supporter from the start. I\'ve also been highly critical of him as of late. I believe discipline starts with the head coach and filters down to the rest of the team. IMHO, that\'s been lacking from Haslett the past couple of years.

No matter where Bill Parcells has gone, his teams have been disciplined. It made no difference who the QB was or what players were on the team, Parcells got them to play as a team. I don\'t think I need to elaborate too much on how Parcells was able to accomplish that. Let\'s just say he sent a message early on that he wasn\'t going to tolerate the BS!!

From where I\'m sitting, I\'m seeing a coach that is taking the bull by the horns. I see a coach that knows he has the talent to not only make the super bowl, but to WIN it!!

The moves Haslett has made in the off-season haven\'t been the singing of flashy free agents or the kind that the national media likes to report. But, the moves he has made could be the moves that gets this team over the hump.

John Pease does\'t play a down on the field, but he could be responsible for getting this talented D-line to be one of the best in the league.

Jim Haslett\'s new attitude could be responsible for getting some of the underachieving players to finally live up to expectations.

IMHO, from top to bottom, the Saints are as talented as any team in the league. And more talented than most. Sure, there\'s some weak areas. But, what teams aren\'t weak in certain areas??

Just image for a minute if all of the talent on this team played up to expectations. It\'s downright scary. Will it happen is anyone\'s guess.

One things for certain, though. Haslett is sending a message they better play up to expectations -- OR ELSE!!

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

This is good news.

This headline doesn\'t really say anything about Haslett. At best, it is Haslett deciding to re-invent himself in the Parcells mode. Haslett changes personas more often than the rest of us do socks.

I choose to be optimistic about this news and suggest that while it says nothing about Haslett, it speaks volumes about Mr Benson.

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

That would be the Parcells/Belichick mode , wouldn\'t it ???

Hasbeen the copy cat coach , Xeroxs another page from a past champion in an attempt to be a winner himself ....

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

Better to change than stick with an approach that isn\'t working - the sign of a smart guy.

Isn\'t it, as someone here likes to point out, insanity to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result? I guess Haz isn\'t insane then! Yay for us.

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

Maybe JKool, but some of us have argued that this constant change is part of why the Saints have unsuccessful over the last 3 years. I mean, c\'mon - every year Haslett has made the \"right\" change in the off-season only to make another \"right\" change the next year. That goes for personnel, scheme, attitude, everything.


Additionally, I find it absolutely hilarious that last off-season Billy was talking about how Parcells WOULDN\'T make the Cowboys better in his first year simply because of his no nonesense policies and approach to coaching. Now he\'s talking about how\'s he always been behind Haslett when at the end of last season he came out and said the Haslett was the Saints biggest problem. Now, he\'s comparing Haslett to Parcells. Billy changes opinion as much as Haslett does coaching styles. :)

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

Hilarious, WhoDat. Just like old times..... :P

I love the way you misquote me in an attempt to discredit what I say. You are the MASTER or misquotes... ;)

I never said Parcells wouldn\'t make them BETTER.

Now, what I really said about Parcells and the Cowboys is that coaching alone wasn\'t going to make the Cowboys a great team.


And it didn\'t. Now, they did surprise me and exceeded my expectations for them. There was no way in hell I thought they would make the playoffs. But, I don\'t think too many folks thought they would. Except you of course, right? You predicted they would go to the playoffs, right? If not, then what was your predition? Ahhhh.......that\'s what I thought..LMAO...

What did your experts in Vegas predict on the Cowboys, WhoDat?? Ahhhhhh........that\'s what I thought.

Also, I have always supported Haz. But, after last season I wanted him gone. I\'m still not so sure that wasn\'t the right thing to do. But, I\'m hoping he\'s learned from his mistakes and he has my support 100% this season. If the Saints don\'t make the playoffs, then I think it was a mistake bringing Haz back. And I don\'t care what excuses there are. It\'s playoffs or bust for Haz in my mind.














[Edited on 19/6/2004 by GumboBC]

[Edited on 19/6/2004 by GumboBC]

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

WhoDat,

I remember your argument, and I remember thinking it was not a bad argument. However, when our coach, regardless of how random it may be, stumbles on to something good, we should be happy about that (I\'m not sure that he does have the \"stumble\" approach, but I don\'t think I can make a decent argument that it isn\'t that at this time).

It is not clear that Haz\'s \"stumble onto the right approach\" has ever caused him to regress - he didn\'t go from \"get fast\" to \"get fat\", but he has gone from \"get fat\" to \"get fast\". Now we should not be singing the \"Haz is a genius song\" because he stumbles into good things, but we should not be uset about it either. I guess I would agree with your assessment more if I could see that these changes have made our team go from good to bad, rather than bad to bad or bad to better.

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

It is a good thing when Parcels takes the approach .

Here is why : When Parcels says this is how you get to the Super Bowl , you stand at attention ask for another day of sweat and blood and only hope he will extend his hand your way so you can take a look at the collection of Super Bowl rings on his fingers .

When Haslett wakes up one morning and decides to take a different approach in an attempt to emulate Parcels , chances are you will roll your eyes and wonder when the medication kicks in for his multiple pesonality syndrome .....

The last thing you want from the supreme leader of the team as you pour pints of blood and sweat onto the practice field , is to get the feeling that he is clueless and this is just another moment in his hit or miss scenario ...... ;)

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

08 --

Did you see Larry Brown and the Detriot Pistons take down Phil Jackson and the Lakers?

Or, did you see Phil Mikelson win his first major at the Masters?

IMO, you shouldn\'t be so quick to write folks off. ;)

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

It must be my newly invented no-nonsense, zero-tolerance approach ...... :P

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

Completely agreed Gator; my hyphen covered up too much there. ;)

Making the \"right choice\" is a bit of an ambiguity too, I think:
(1) There is \"the right choice\" all things considered. This occurs when you can look back and still think it was the right choice. This is what Haz does not have.
(2) There is \"the right choice\" which is time dependent. This occurs when everyone agrees that given the information you had at the time you made the right choice, but something unforseen (unforseeable?) or with a low probability occurs and that makes you look bad once you get some perspective. It is not clear whether or not Haz is doing this.

Further, it is of interest how the \"right choice\" gets tied to evidence of being \"smart\" - in the first case above, it is pretty clear. Thus, I think you were right to nitpick this one: I don\'t have an answer to this last question just yet. :)

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

First things first - JKool, I agree that no matter how a coach arrives at a certain decision, if it is the right one than it is a good thing. That\'s why my first post said - good thing.

Billy, billy, billy. You do not learn.

From Your Greatest Hits File:

\"Bill Parcells is the new coach in Dallas this year and I don\'t hear everyone saying the Cowboys are the favorite this year because of the new system Parcells brought in or because he is a master motivator. Parcells will never win anything until he gets talent on offense, defense, and special teams.\"

Sure sounds to me like you\'re saying Parcells won\'t make the team better, only new talent will. But go ahead and show the world how I\'m twisting and spinning YOUR EXACT WORDS once again.

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

I\'ll be glad to show you how the only way you can prove your point is to twist and spin things I\'ve said..... ;)

Do you see anywhere that I said the Cowboys wouldn\'t be better? I said I didn\'t hear anyone saying the Cowboys are the favorite for 2003. And I didn\'t. You certainly didn\'t predict the Cowboys to have a good year, WhoDat. Since you like digging old posts up so much maybe you can find one on your prediction of the Cowboys?? That\'s what I thought... :P

Second, I stand by my statement that the Cowboys will never win anything until they get more talent. They certainly didn\'t win anything last year. Not one playoff game did they win. And I believe the Saints beat \'em last year too. Evidently Parcells agrees with me that they needed more talent to win since they signed a lot of new talent in the off season. If Parcells didn\'t think that he would have just stood pat with the players he had.

Now, the Cowboys did surprise me by winning more games than I ever thought they would but I\'m certainly not alone in feeling that way. I know you had it all figured out that the Cowboys would make the playoffs but I\'m CLEARLY not as smart as you, WhoDat..... :P :P

Do you have any other mode besides the \"spin\" cycle? :o :P

[Edited on 21/6/2004 by GumboBC]

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

Was so happy that he finally won one. But, it did not last, as he once again finished 2nd at the Open. But they\'re not really supposed to win back to back majors, are they? I would think two in a single year would be hard enough, no? Don\'t know as much about golf as I do football.
And Brown has won the big game before, on the college level. And if you compare the teams that he\'s coached in the pro\'s, this is far and away the most talented group he\'s ever had.

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

Seems I have already heard this one .

2001 season end . Thibodeaux training facility is blamed for the heat along with the over working of the players early , which leads to the first season collapse .

http://espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp0...n/1591135.html

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

08 -

Take a sip of the tang. Lay out in the sunshine. I know if I stick around this place long enough, I\'m going to hear you say something positive about this team.

Of course, I\'ve been saying that for over a year and I\'m still waiting??

What do you think of the Saintsations? You do like chiks, right? LMAO>> :P

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

Just for you Billy..... ;)

http://www.blackandgold.net/site/mod...ead&tid=39#pid

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

It\'s a valid point though and one some people here choose to ignore. Every year it is something and every year we hear how THIS plan really will work.

First it was we need to get bigger on D. That tanked and made us worse. Then it was we had locker room cancers and we\'re young, we\'ll be fine. Then it was too much off-season conditioning, yet our players were out of shape and fizzled late in games and late in the season. So what now? Indoor facilities, a defensive revamping, new field turf. Same result. So now it\'s don\'t change anything except get tougher.

My opinion - the only reason it will work will be because of talent. I maintain that Haslett seldom does much to make this team better, yet he has done a number of things to make it worse. Further, to me, the same mistakes continue to be made year in and year out.

Maybe this will be the year that they put it all together. I sure hope so. However, I continue to dread the possibility of them sliding into the playoffs at 9-7 or 10-6 only to get blown out of the water in round one and having to endure Haslett and .500 seasons for another 3 years.

Haz Takes Tougher Approach
 

Haslett coaching career

1991-92 Sacramento Surge (WLAF) Def. Coordinator
1993-94 Los Angeles Raiders Linebackers
1995-96 New Orleans Saints LB (1995), DC (1996)
1997-99 Pittsburgh Steelers Def. Coordinator
2000- New Orleans Saints Head Coach

With all the defensive knowledge , especially at linebacker . The defense is the weaker side of the ball and the linebacker position is always in question .......

Kinda makes you wonder ........ ;)