Everyone knows the New Orleans Saints haven’t met expectations. Their five-year playoff drought risks going to six years if head coach Kellen Moore can’t turn their 2-4 record around, but longtime general manager Mickey Loomis is doing what he can to lower the temperature on that conversation. Even though it’s a dialogue opened by Saints owner Gayle Benson. Loomis spoke with the media at Versailles, ahead of their game in Paris with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
His message tried to thread the needle between managing the expectations of a rebuilding team and a need to compete in the fast-paced NFL.
“We’re a young team — young developing team and we have to recognize that,” Loomis said Wednesday, via the Associated Press. “I recognize that. We’ve got
a young coach, 22 games into his career, and that’s where we’re at.”
It’s true that Moore, 38, is one of the youngest and least-experienced head coaches in the league. But it’s not like the players on the roster are all made up of fresh-faced draft picks and 22-year old rookies. Spotrac has the Saints tied with the Carolina Panthers (who lead the division after winning it last year under first-time head coach Dave Canales) for tenth-oldest out of the NFL’s 32 teams (26.8).
Some of that average is inflated by older guys who returned on reduced roles out of loyalty to the team, like Alvin Kamara (31) and Cameron Jordan (37). But the Saints are leaning on veterans on the wrong side of 30 at some key positions, especially on defense. Graybeards like Davon Godchaux (31) and Nathan Shepherd (33) have regularly gotten rest days and more snaps over younger teammates with higher ceilings. Justin Reid (29) and Kaden Elliss (31) bring that average up, too.
That’s why it’s so frustrating watching the Saints blow a big lead against the Las Vegas Raiders, and nearly do it again in the New York Giants game. It isn’t inexperience and immaturity causing them to make mistakes. It’s an undisciplined brand of football. That goes back to coaching and preparation during the week. We haven’t seen this team take initiative by scoring early and often, and when they have taken a lead they don’t know how to hold onto it. That’s on Moore and his staff. And it’s something Benson has noticed in directing public comments towards Moore and Loomis both.
“I understood where she’s coming from and I think every once in a while we all need to be a little uncomfortable — that’s okay,” Loomis said. He pointed to the Giants game as a “growth opportunity,” having gone up 24 points before prematurely pulling starters to let New York back into it: “Hopefully we learn that when we get in that situation, you can't take your foot off the gas.”
Loomis also mentioned that “This is an outcome-based sport, and it’s not good enough yet.” Every team that has a longer playoff drought than them (and many that have reached the postseason sooner than New Orleans) has made changes in leadership. If Moore can’t produce, and soon, the Saints will have to consider finding someone who can.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints GM Mickey Loomis preaches patience for NFL’s 10th-oldest roster
