Saints

Offense

Only in Louisiana. The lack of cash is being blamed on the crash in tourism that took place after September 11th. As former residents of New Orleans, we can only say we’re not surprised and are worried about the Saints long-term viability in the area if they can’t refurbish the Superdome in the near future.

Nice. GM Mickey Loomis is expected to stay despite some reported differences for Haslett. Despite all the turmoil, Haslett is 43-39 in five season with the Saints, an amazing record considering his bumbling owner.

Turner has been with the Broncos since 1995. The Saints obviously want to run the ball more, and hiring Turner could lead them in that direction.

Haslett gave a great interview on the state of the team if you’re a Saints fan.

“My gut feeling is, he’ll do it,” said Mort. "... That he’ll do it if they reach out to him.” Parcells is incredibly close to Sean Payton, and may feel almost obligated to take the position if offered. In turn, Payton would be giving Parcells a chance at a long-elusive third Super Bowl ring. Parcells last won the Super Bowl in 1990. He didn’t stop coaching until 2006.

The Saints are trying to replace Sean Payton, who was suspended for a full year beginning on April 1 due to his role in the bounty scandal. Carmichael called the Saints’ offensive plays in 2011 while Payton was nursing a knee injury. Duncan wouldn’t rule out defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo getting the promotion, but Carmichael has more experience in the organization. Spags was hired in January after being fired as Rams head coach.

Commissioner Roger Goodell brought the hammer down, as expected. Perhaps just as debilitating, the Saints will lose second-round picks in each of the next two years; they won’t draft before the third round next month. GM Mickey Loomis has been suspended eight games and fined $500,000 while the franchise has been fined an additional $500,000. Assistant coach Joe Vitt is suspended six games, likely leaving DC Steve Spagnuolo as interim head coach. OC Pete Carmichael gained valuable experience calling plays during the team’s explosive late-season run, though the harsh discipline removes the Saints as favorites in the NFC South this season. Players, such as MLB Jonathan Vilma, are still facing potential discipline as well.

Specifically, the GMs believe Payton will “set up a relay system using people he trusts outside the team to then relay his thoughts to coaches.” According to Freeman, GMs who know Payton are “certain” he won’t “just sit on hands for a year,” and that he’ll try to “squirm around ban.” Payton is not allowed any contact with the Saints for the duration of his ban, but the reality is the NFL won’t be able to stop him if he’s intent on relaying messages via a third party. Freeman also reports Bill Parcells is expected to act in an “unofficial advisory role” to the Saints’ interim coaches per Payton’s request.

The team insists the allegations are false, and says ESPN refused to provide evidence to “support their allegations.” That, of course, is well within ESPN’s rights. Loomis himself professed his innocence in an email to FOX’s Jay Glazer. “This report on ESPN is absolutely false,” Loomis said. “I have a monitor in front of me in my booth that provides the league-issued stats for the game. I have a small TV with the network broadcast and I have an earpiece to listen to the (radio broadcast). ... It just didn’t happen.” If the league decides it did happen, Loomis’ eight-game ban for his role in the Saints’ bounty scandal will become significantly more severe.

“We want to see if there is any validity to the allegations and if it affects any state statutes,” were the words of State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson Tuesday. It’s believed both the state and federal statute of limitations in the case have expired, so it remains unlikely GM Mickey Loomis will face any criminal charges.