saintfan

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

WhoDat

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.

GumboBC

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!!

BrooksMustGo

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.

saintz08

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 ....

JKool

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.

WhoDat

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.

\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. That’s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans Saints’ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse


\"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

GumboBC

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]

JKool

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.

"... I was beating them with my eyes the whole game..." - Aaron Brooks

saintz08

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 ......

\"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn\'t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed.\" - George S. Patton
On another note, I\'ll take a bite of that crow 08. - Saintfan
Brooks is a moron!! - Halo