Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

Where\'s all the opinions, come on guys you can do better than this!

Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

I have a hard time providing ONE answer. I\'m split between what I believe are two equally large and equally important problems.

1. Consistency: Our coaching staff doesn\'t seem to provide itself, players, fans, etc. with any clear, direct, or enduring strategy or direction for this team. Haslett wants to be a players\' coach one year and a hard-a$$ the next. First we\'re big, then we\'re fast... we develop this spread attack in \'02 to become conservative in \'03. You all know the story.

2. Flexibility/Creativity: Our staff seems to have a really hard time evolving or modifying its game plan when it is necessary. They never seem to be able to make adjustments in game or even in season. By the time they finally figure out what we generally all know to be the problem already, it\'s too late. That ability to change to deal with what works and what doesn\'t, how to deal with the opponent, etc. is extremely important in the NFL.


I know at first these two ideas seem contradictory. First I\'m saying that they are inconsistent, then I say that they can\'t change enough. Let me explain...

I think that the coaching staff needs to have a clear long-term direction that it is going in. This is how teams develop their \"character\" - the fiery tough defensively minded Ravens or Bucs, the explosive Rams or Colts, the underachievers who fight through all types of adversity in Tennessee or New England. That said, coaches have to be flexible in shorter bursts and adjust to win. I don\'t think that happens. I think the coaches make wholesale changes each offseason in their philosophy creating no longer term continuity, and then fail to adjust much if at all in-season. After the season fails, they come back and make wholesale changes again.

Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

Losing to many players to free agent\'s

Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

Coaching covers it....the LB problem and DB problem should\'ve been addressed and that falls entirely on the coach. The enormous talent that everyone in the NFL agrees we have has not been utilized, that falls on the coaching. A winning \"team\" attitude is non-existent, that falls on the coaching. So, in case you haven\'t figured it out, my vote goes for the coaching being the biggest problem. Does anyone disagree that if someone like Parcells or Holmgren were coaching the Saints we would be a totally different team?

Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

coaching

Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

O.k. Coaching is a deep concern for all of us. I think it started when Zook and Bunting left and then is was a snowball-effect. I wouldn\'t even call Venturi a D.C. And you can blame Haslett for not making the right coaching change which would be Venturi. He has never been a sucessful D.C. He might have been a decent positions coach one time or another in his life, but that doesn\'t make him a good defensive coordinator. I hate Venturi with a passion and McCarthy is just too predictable. I fear a clean up in the front office just because I am fearful that Benson won\'t make a very good football decision on to who will lead us in the right direction.

Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

Coordinators. Both of them. Too unimaginative. Too conservative. Too predictable. Both fail to match scheme to the talent that they have. Both fail to prepare for the inevitable injuries that occur on both sides of the ball.

A coordinator\'s job is to match a scheme that maximizes the talent that they have available and to get that talent to consistently and seamlessly execute that scheme. The Saints haven\'t done that on either side of the ball in three years and it shows in their record.

SFIAH

Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

I agree with Boogro and SFIAH, but I will say that McCarthy is worse than Venturi for this. Think of the difference in talent and experience on either side of the ball; if Venturi were average, I would say he was doing ok - if McCarthy were average, I\'d say he sucks. Man, I can predict the off-guard iso left and I can\'t even see the defensive alignment on the tv! I like what I saw yesterday night, but the execution wasn\'t there.

My vote:
(1) Offensive game plan and coordination.
(2) CBs need too much help from the Safeties and DL.
(3) WRs need some freakin\' hands. All that speed is useless if you never bring one down. The QBs were hitting these guys square in the hands for cryin\' out loud.

Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

It may seem like a dumb question, but improve how?

Let\'s run a thought experiment. Swap Brooks and Trent Green of KC with last year\'s numbers which are somewhat similar. How would that swap impact the overall record of each team? Would KC still be 13-3 or near it? Would the Saints have won 3-4 more games? Why or why not?

Football more than anything else is a team game. It takes 53 guys on all sides of the ball for a team to be successful. Brooks doesn\'t call plays. Brooks doesn\'t block most of the time. Brooks doesn\'t catch (and more importantly doesn\'t drop) the ball. I haven\'t seen yesterday\'s game (And won\'t until 12PM on Tuesday on NFL Network) but from the news
reports Brooks had 6 imcompletions and 4 of those were drops by the receivers. So how is he supposed to \"improve\" when guys are not catching the ball?

I\'m more frustrated with his injury than with anything else.

SFIAH

Need your "vote." Biggest Problem?
 

I don\'t agree with the coaching issue, the coaches can\'t catch those dropped balls, get those penalty flags thrown at them or block the opposing teams defensive line and those were the problems last night, not the coaching staff.

I would hope that the coaching staff is using the preseason to determine who deserves to start and the ones that need to be riding the pine for a while.