re: The Good Ole Boy Network is Killing this Team

Vitt has been here much longer than he's been anywhere else.
That says something when you consider how shitty our LB's have been.

The aura around Payton and Loomis has really worn off. I defended Loomis for a long time because even though common knowledge said Saints were in "salary cap hell," he always found a way to sign free agents and stay under. Now, I'm on a completely different end of the spectrum.

Since I've had more time to look objectively at his work post-2009 it's been really shocking. The drafting is the biggest and most obvious failure and that falls on him and Payton, but outside of that he hasn't ever taken a balanced approach to free agency and extending his own players. For example, look at the biggest additions from FA class of 2012...

Curtis Lofton - 5 yrs/$27.5 mil
Ben Grubbs - 5 yrs/$36 mil
Brodrick Bunkley - 5 yrs/$25 mil
David Hawthorne - 5 yrs/$19 mil

What's amazing is these guys are taking up just about $17 million in cap space THIS YEAR. Three aren't on the team any longer and Hawthorne has only been starting because of Ellerbe's injury. It's one thing to fail in a draft class where you miss one a handful of cheap, mostly unknown players, but it's an entirely different thing to fail in a free agent class where the players are proven commodities that you're investing over $100 million in over the next five years.

Then let's look at his recent player contract extensions...

Jimmy Graham - 4 yrs/$40 mil ($20.9 mil guaranteed)
Junior Galette - 4 yrs/$41.5 mil ($23 mil guaranteed)
Zach Streif - 5 yrs/$20 mil (age 31 at signing)

Jimmy and Junior have already been discussed at length. I have nothing to add there. It's clear why they were bad deals. Strief on the other hand is a little different. He is/was (you decide) a good player, but you don't commit $20 million over five years to a guy who is already 31, especially when the next year you draft his replacement in the first round. It's almost as foolish as dumping a bunch of money into your already stable and inexpensive running back corps! Oh wait...

It's pretty clear that Benson has lost his marbles because if he knew what the hell was going on, he would have fired Mickey Loomis by now.

I think you left out the worst position coach - OL.

I mean, is it really all Mickeys fault? Seems hes been able to move pieces around to make it all work. But how much play does he have in scouting and talent evaluation?

I'm sure Mickey wasn't in the draft room telling Sean "You've got to draft Peat here." I don't buy into the whole Draft Day Kevin Costner role of the GM. Maybe I'm way off, but given the insane amount of busts we've had, Sean and Mickeys relationship doesn't seem strained.

It really says a lot that we've had this revolving door defensive coordinators yet the same shitty position coaches are still in place..

Vince Lombardi could be our coach wouldn't make a diffence. When you have shitty players you get shitty results. SEan Paytom, Mickey Loomis, doesn't matter who is building our roster, they need to be relieved of their duties. Bad drafts, bad free agent signings, bad resignings of players already on our roster just leads to a roster with a big shortage of talent.

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I'm pretty sure coaches can help with talent evaluation and development

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talent evaluation is the problem, but you can't develop clam chowder into steak.

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but you can't develop clam chowder into steak.

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This would assume Vitt has had zero input on selecting his LB'ers and it would also assume that in 9 damn years not one single LB'er could he improve on once he was here.
There is one common denominator as to our lb'er corp this last decade and its Joe Vitt!

I agree. Morstead, although a little off this year, has transcended the incompetence that is McMahon as did Sproles, but the rest is a shite show. Murphy is a bright spot!

Vitt has done absolutely nothing except watch Vilma and Fujita along with a serviceable Shanley wreck shop while he squinted behind those thick glasses and upturned fart smell face.

Johnson is another asshat, more inclined to shovel donuts in his mouth than teach technique and get production out of his talent.

Ryan has his issues but he is calling a defense hobbled by injuries and total moron position coaches.