Q: why does the media (whether locally or nationally) always give Rick Venturi a free pass when ridiculing the Saints? It's obvious that he doesn't have great players but as a coach, we should be able to stop the opponent some of the time.

A: It's a fact back then and it is today. It is a major part of this game today not just to be talented, but to fully understand what you have to do and be mentally disciplined enough to carry out those assignments. You have to know about the intelligence factor before you bring players into the fold, either via the draft or free agency. You can coach some players until they are blue in the face, but if you have players undisciplined and mentally not able to comprehend what is being presented to you on a weekly basis, then you see what you see from week to week from this team.

You have a valid point on Rick, but he has been a gentleman to the guys in the media and he has also pointed out in detail the minuses on this team. I don't think he has gotten a free pass, but he also hasn't picked his players, nor is he blessed with the proper talent across the board. He hasn't been blessed with great talent for sure, but it is obvious this team just has not responded to his method of coaching and more importantly his play-calling assignments. Not being in the huddle I can't account for if the system is too complicated or they just haven't been coached well enough to execute out their gameplan.