Chink in armor finally revealed
 

It took a while but it is becoming apparent where the chink in the armor is for this organization. Too much loyalty to certain players and coaches.

Whether that is over paying aging vets, mediocre players or position players that could be easily replaced it is apparent to me that too much loyalty is what has brought this ship aground. It seems to have also effected our draft strategy. We don't draft for immediate impact. We seem to mainly draft projects thinking we already have this years answer on the roster. And some of those projects never contribute or take years to show some sign of promise (Cadet, Toon, SJB to name just a few).

I think a similar argument could be made for the coaching staff. Position coaches have been kept in place that are not getting results year after year.

The article below is just one example I read this morning that made me think of this. Brees can't come out say in this article that Colston should move on. But when I read it, it became pretty obvious this is yet another example of a story from the wrong angle. The angle should be that now that a key contributor is no longer with the team lets hear about the good old war stories. Instead we get that he should be back and is expected to be.

Saints' Drew Brees expects Marques Colston to stay - NFC South Blog - ESPN

We gotta get this thing fixed and it isn't just players. It is players, coaches, front office, draft strategy, scouting department all seesm to have lost their edge.

Re: Chink in armor finally revealed
 

Brees doesn't have a decision on who stays and goes. All the article implies is a teammate being loyal to another. However, I agree with what you are saying completely but this article doesn't reference that much.

We do need to move on from some of the coaches but remember what happened when we moved on from all the vets, there is an intangible aspect that some players have and you cant measure that in their stats.

Re: Chink in armor finally revealed
 

Oh please they get rid of who isn't doing their job faster than you can shake a stick at... how many DC we have had?

The problem is they let to many OL players go thinking they can find someone to fill the whole... they end up getting rid of the back bone of the team to pay the high visible players big bucks.

I think we should learn from this and not give players like Bree's and Jimmy those big contracts and give it to the players that protects and give them time to make the plays. I don't think we need a 'francise QB' any longer in this league as long as you have serviceable one and a solid core around them.

Re: Chink in armor finally revealed
 

Sustaining success is difficult in today's NFL- especially in light of the salary cap.

I think due to being the one who brought the Saints not only a SB victory, but a series of dominant years, Payton was given a high level of leeway with the players he wanted and with his staff. Like many coaches, he has guys he feels comfortable working with.

After this season, that rope might be a little shorter and the heat a little hotter. How much goodwill does he have left? Can he endure another season like this one? My guess is that there will be a good deal of shake-up on the coaching staff and if another year happens like this one, the Sean Payton era could be over.

Re: Chink in armor finally revealed
 

They made some tough cuts this offseason. They let Bush go and Fujita. I don't think they have that much loyalty as far as players are concerned. Coaches may be a different story

Re: Chink in armor finally revealed
 

i think people are over reacting...
A few different plays in would have made the differnce in some of those losses.
Atlanta...
Cleaveland...
Detriot...
San Fran...

Reload for next year

Re: Chink in armor finally revealed
 

Not enough depth.

Re: Chink in armor finally revealed
 

We need upgrades at LB and CB #2 spot for sure.

Re: Chink in armor finally revealed
 

It's not a statistical thing you can point to (unless you spent tons and tons of time breaking it all down on film looking for it, time which I don't have), but I think we have all seen a dramatic increase this year in the category of

"Stuff That Used To Work For The Saints, But Don't Work The Way It Used To."

So many times, we see things that used to be MONEY for the Saints, just ain't getting it done anymore...Whether it's Colston dropping the ball, Juneyah's disappearing pass rush, the blown screen pass that Brees has to throw away in the dirt, or the 4th and goal fullback play to Lorig (which let's face it, different uses of the fullback inside the 10 used to be one of Payton's money plays), there are loads of things happening in these games, that USED TO WORK for Payton and the Saints, and for a variety of reasons (age, time, other teams figuring them out), they just don't get it done anymore.

Part of it is that, Payton has been slow to adjust. Because let's face it -- if you have something that works, it is VERY difficult to change and evolve, to anticipate the changes before they hit you. If you are highly successful, there's no reason to change anything, until it stops working. The old saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it", has applied to Payton's offense for years, and to his other decision-making as well. And it has caught up to him very quickly and abruptly, perhaps in part by his year away from the NFL (the effect of which we cannot really calculate in a tangible way).

Re: Chink in armor finally revealed
 

I hear all that. However there is a systemic problem with the Saints in the 4th Quarter; offense or defense.