Gayle Benson spent earlier this month drawing a clear line in the sand. She said the product on the field was unacceptable and that she was committed to making the decisions needed to fix it. Now the Saints are in the bye week, and that stance has put her in a tough spot: after a 1-1 stretch that included nearly coughing up a three-score lead and getting blanked for three quarters, it feels like some kind of move is coming.
Benson laid out where the responsibility sits inside the building: "I hear the frustration directed towards our team and our organization. It is not lost on me.
Kellen Moore and his coaches are responsible for preparing our players to perform, and Mickey Loomis and our football staff are responsible for building a roster capable of sustained success. Our players are responsible for their preparation and execution.
I am responsible for holding this organization accountable."
That kind of statement carries weight only if it leads somewhere, and the Saints’ start has made that harder to ignore. This is the second straight season New Orleans has opened 1-4, and the franchise has not endured worse back-to-back starts since 1996-1997. Whatever standards were established during the Payton years, they are out of the picture here; the gap between Benson’s words and what has happened since is already obvious.
There is one important wrinkle: Benson never put a timetable on when improvement had to show up, and both Moore and Loomis have been asking for patience. But after two ugly outings in a row, even if one ended in a win, the usual reassurances do not carry much force. Moore may insist things are "all good," but the record and the way the team has looked tell a different story.
That leaves Benson with options, and not all of them require the nuclear button. She does not have to fire Mickey Loomis, whether that is the right move or not. She could make another kind of adjustment and still signal change, including moving on from assistant GM Jeff Ireland or Vice President of Pro Personnel Michael Parenton.
Even then, those would be smaller moves than the urgency Benson seemed to project at the QB luncheon. Anything short of a larger shakeup could easily be viewed from the outside as not matching the force of her own words.
The Saints are off until November, which gives Benson time to decide whether she acts now, waits closer to midseason, or holds off until the end of the year. However this goes, the next few days may end up shaping not just the rest of this season, but what happens next offseason too.
In Other News...
Kellen Moore Knows The Saints Have A Rushing Problem To Fix Fast
The Saints left Pittsburgh with a running game that looked nothing like a reliable foundation, and head coach Kellen Moore did not try to paper over it afterward. He pointed to inconsistency, a lack of movement and the impact of injuries to Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara as reasons the ground game has fallen short, stressing that the fix has to come from a full-season evaluation rather than a quick patch.
New Orleans has been searching for answers in that phase for a while, but the latest outing made the issue impossible to ignore. Against the Steelers, the Saints had just 17 runs for 18 yards, a number that underscores how little resistance the offense is currently offering defenses on early downs and how urgent the turnaround has become. [Read more 🡒]
Saints May Have A Painful Devaughn Vele Decision Ahead
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, the Saints may be facing a tough call on Devaughn Vele. In a season that has not gone the way New Orleans hoped, the receiver has become a name to watch because of the value he can bring as a big-bodied target and the kind of market that can develop around players with his skill set.
ESPNs Ben Solak even floated a potential deal with Kansas City, and the idea underscores how real the conversation could get if the Saints decide to listen. Teams such as the 49ers could also make sense as possible suitors, which leaves New Orleans weighing whether to keep Vele in the fold or turn him into draft capital before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Head Into The Bye With NFC South Pressure Suddenly Rising
The NFC South shifted fast in Week 7, and the Saints are heading into their bye with the standings suddenly tightening around them. Tampa Bay handled Carolina 43-13 behind Baker Mayfields return and a big day from Bucky Irving, while Atlanta knocked off unbeaten San Francisco behind steady play from Michael Penix and a defense that forced key turnovers. For New Orleans, the backdrop was much less encouraging, with a loss to Pittsburgh adding to a stretch that has left the roster trying to find traction.
Now the Saints have a week to reset before the pressure ramps up again. The division picture is still very much in play, but their place in it is far less comfortable after the latest results, and the margin for error is shrinking. Kellen Moore may have some breathing room for the moment, but another stumble when the games resume would only make the questions around the season louder. [Read more 🡒]