METAIRIE, La. — Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has shown no interest in resigning and lacks confidence in his ability to find the right coach to hasten the end of New Orleans’ four-year playoff drought.
“You can’t ignore the results. But sometimes you have to look beyond the results and understand the reasons behind the symptoms,” Loomis said during a media briefing at Saints headquarters Monday. “Some are under our control. Some are not.”
Thanks to quarterback Derek Carr, versatile tight end Taysom Hill, top receiver Chris Olave, top running back Alvin Kamara, center Eric McCoy and The Saints finished the season with a 5-12 record amid serious injuries to notable starters such as starting cornerback Paulson Adebo. It’s their worst record since going 3-13 in 2005, when the team was forced to leave New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina, which flooded much of the city and damaged the Superdome.
“We have to do the best we can on the things we control. We have to understand the things that don’t exist,” Loomis said. “I know no one wants to hear this, but the injuries this year were a big thing — a really big thing that kept us from winning games.”
Loomis has largely declined to discuss specific coaching candidates, but one of them would certainly include Mike McCarthy, who won’t be coaching the Dallas Cowboys next season and who coached the Saints during Loomis’ early years as general manager. The team’s offensive coordinator.
The Saints also held preliminary video conference interviews with Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi, 3-5 after firing third-year coach Dennis Allen on Nov. 4, is expected to be interviewed as Washington directs offense Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator will also be interviewed. Coordinator Karen Moore.
While Loomis dodged most questions about the coaching candidates, he did address the performance of Reeds, who was 3-1 when Carr was on the field and when the quarterback suffered a broken left hand. While missing the final four weeks of the season, his record was 0-4.
Kamara has missed the last three games and McCoy has missed the last two games after missing eight games earlier in the season.
Loomis said Reeds “did a really good job in some very difficult circumstances.”
Those who think New Orleans will struggle to overcome the departures of former coach Sean Payton and the franchise’s all-time leading passer, Drew Brees (who led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title during the 2009 season) have already Proven correct.
Brees retired after the 2020 season and Payton left after 2021 before returning to coach the Denver Broncos in 2023 (the team made the playoffs this season for the first time since 2015).
The Saints are now looking for a new head coach just three years after hiring Payton’s replacement. But it doesn’t sound like they’ll be in the market for a new general manager anytime soon.
“I’m passionate about the game. I’m passionate about the Saints and everything about it,” Loomis, 68, said. “I feel like I’ve got it all.
“If I feel like my acuity, my ability to think, my ability to do the things that are necessary in this job are diminishing, I’d be the first one to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute,'” Loomis said. “So, No, (retirement) wasn’t a word that crossed my mind. “Getting back into the playoffs and winning games — that’s what I was thinking about.”
Loomis said New Orleans’ next coach doesn’t necessarily have a history with the Saints, but he certainly doesn’t view past ties to the club as a liability.
He noted that Denver’s Payton and former Saints assistant Dan Campbell in Detroit presided over two of the “most successful turnarounds in recent years.”
“Both employees have strong ties to New Orleans,” Loomis said. “So, I’m not sure what the criticism will be.”
Loomis said little about the team’s future, saying he had not yet completed a full review of each player’s performance.
He added that the new coach will have a say in who remains — including the quarterbacks.
But when asked about Carr, who is 5-5 as a starter this season, Loomis had only good things to say.
“I have full confidence in Derrick,” Loomis said, noting that Carr’s quarterback rating (101.0), interception percentage (1.8) and yards per attempt (7.7) will all be in or near the top 10 in the NFL. Played with.
“When you don’t have two top receivers, you don’t have that special weapon in Taysom Hill, we don’t have the middle of the offensive line and we have a rookie left tackle, it’s hard for a team to Some tough situations for the quarterback to deal with,” Loomis said. “So, I think he did a lot of really good things.”
