But now Haslett is clearly the problem. He wanted a faster team so he added more speed at the skill positions. He wanted fewer headaches so he eventually rid the roster of players like Ricky Williams and Kyle Turley. This is the type of team he coveted and he still can't win. It's a situation that baffles many scouts around the league because I've had several tell me how much talent resides on the Saints roster.

So what's the issue? It might be trust. The Panthers are rebounding from a 1-7 start because they believe in each other and their coach, John Fox. I don't know how much the Saints have believed in Haslett since his first year. In fact, I once arrived in New Orleans early in the 2002 season to do a story on Horn, who had made two Pro Bowls and become one of the league's more colorful personalities. Haslett didn't want the story written, but that wasn't the sad part. He decided the piece wouldn't be done without ever consulting Horn. Horn was ticked. Horn's agent was ticked. And Haslett made sure Horn didn't do the story in the end, presumably through some kind of threat.

I remember wondering if such behavior would eventually haunt Haslett. I could see how little faith he had in one of his star players and on Sunday, I saw how little faith they had in his leadership. When that type of problem becomes so obvious, it's time to make a change. Haslett knows it's coming, as do his players and his assistants. Now it's a matter of Benson having the nerve to do something atypical, to dump a coach before the season ends. Given how feeble the Saints look these days, don't be surprised if he does.