Halo

'SOMETHING'S MISSING'
t living up to his or owner Tom Benson's expectations, and everyone in the organization, including himself, is responsible

Tuesday, October 12, 2004
By Jeff Duncan
Staff writer
A day after watching the Saints drop a second consecutive game to a winless opponent, General Manager Mickey Loomis said in an exclusive interview with The Times-Picayune on Monday that the team has not performed up to his or owner Tom Benson's expectations and that everyone in the organization is accountable.

And Loomis said while he still believes in the coaching staff and players, he's not afraid to make changes if the season doesn't turn around.

"Ultimately, we all are judged by wins and losses," Loomis said. "If we can't work it out, then changes have to be made. And I'm not afraid to make them. That's my job, to bring the right players into our program and the right coaches to coach them."

Loomis said he has discussed these issues with Saints coach Jim Haslett. Since guiding the Saints to the NFC West Division title and first playoff win in club history in 2000, Haslett has a 26-27 record.

After losing the season opener to Seattle, the Saints bounced back with consecutive victories over San Francisco and St. Louis. But the team turned in two mistake-filled performances in losing to Arizona and Tampa Bay, teams that were a combined 0-7 when the Saints played them.

"I believed and I still believe that we have a good football team," Loomis said. "But something is missing. It's a bottom-line business. And the bottom line is wins and losses."

Before the 2003 season, in which the Saints finished 8-8, Loomis said he believed the team's window of opportunity to be a contender was just starting to open. Before this season, he said expectations for a playoff run were realistic. The Saints are one of nine NFL teams that have failed to make the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.

Loomis said he believes the coaching staff and players are working as hard as they can to correct the problems that have held them back in recent games. But he said, after four-plus seasons of the Haslett era, it's time for results.

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[Edited on 10/13/2004 by Halo]

spkb25

i read that good article n i like the hint towards firing him if need be. he didnt say that outright but said something to the effect of making changes if they keep loosing. bring on the losses im for them. maybe we can get excited about a new coaching staff and next year