Scrolling through Twitter, I ran across a post that mentioned the NFL coaches on the hot seat. It’s a bit of a wild premise since the NFL season is only five games in, but if you think about it, that’s at least a quarter of the season, so I guess at this juncture, it’s appropriate to talk about those teams and coaches who are having a bit of a rocky start.
On the list, of course, would be the Dolphins, Browns, Ravens, Bengals, and the Saints, all of whom have had less-than-stellar starts. The only established coach among those teams who wouldn’t need to worry at all is the one coaching in Baltimore. For everyone else, if they did get a pink slip, it wouldn’t send shockwaves through the NFL universe.
But there was a surprising response from Saints fans who saw their first-year head coach on the list. They were offended and instantly defensive. To be fair, after suffering through one of the worst starts in franchise history at 0–4, the team finally got its first win over a hot Giants team featuring their new rookie duo sensation, Jaxson Dart and Cam Skateboo.
The two are not quite Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, but if Temu had a version of that combo, it would be Dart and Skateboo. Even though that win against the Super Bowl Champion Eagles was impressive. The Saints handed them a loss after they surprisingly upset the Chargers the week prior to playing the Saints in the Dome.
The win for the Saints seemed to be the payoff to a plan that Kellen Moore had been implementing for weeks. In those earlier weeks, the Saints outplayed expectations against the Cardinals, Bills, and 49ers. The one omission would be Moore’s return to Seattle, which was by far their worst outing. In every other game, the scrappy Saints were just a play away from winning or at least making things interesting.
While Saints fans were not entirely happy, they seemed at least invested in the fate of the team because of how they’ve played this season. So, a win this past Sunday felt both rewarding and well-deserved for everyone involved. The Saints’ defense forcing five turnovers on five straight drives was impressive, to say the least.
However, the reality of the situation is that it’s only one win, and the Saints, in Kellen Moore’s first season, are 1–4. NFL fans know that in today’s league, that’s enough to put a coach on the hot seat. Generally, after that type of start, fans wouldn’t be too upset if the head coach and team parted ways.
However, in New Orleans, it seems that the city is embracing Kellen Moore. And in New Orleans, there’s a big difference between being embraced and being rejected. Look no further than how the city rejected Dennis Allen and Derek Carr. That pair fared far better than Kellen Moore in their first five games, but it didn’t matter to the city. Constantly, fans called for their jobs, booed Carr loudly, and would have been thrilled to see the Saints symbol on that “Hot Seat” graphic. But with Moore, it’s different.
Is it the fact that, even during the losing streak, his players sang his praises to local and national media? If you ask Demario Davis about Moore, you’re bound to hear an incredible amount of praise for the youngest head coach in the league.
Is it the fact that he’s kept the lines of communication open with the city and addressed them publicly? At Saints training camp this year, Moore took to the microphone and spoke directly to those attending camp, thanking them for their support and dedication in the summer heat.
Is it that fans can see the team making steady progress toward building a winning culture? Or is it simply the timing, with the “hot seat” graphic being produced right after a big win?
I’m not certain.
However, this is clear, the city has not rejected Kellen Moore yet, and at least some of the Who Dat Nation are starting to embrace him. In New Orleans, once you’re embraced, it’s not easy to be rejected.
Now, to be clear, they’ll still make fun of you if needed, see Zion Williamson’s Mardi Gras float. However, like Drew said, if you embrace the city, it will embrace you too.
Examples: Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill no one in the city believes those guys will lead us to a title, but they’ll forever be loved in New Orleans. Heck, even when Jameis couldn’t get into the Super Bowl, he got the “hook up” from his New Orleans fam and found a way in. He left the team years ago, but he’s still embraced.
Sean Payton is another figure who will forever be embraced.
So while Kellen Moore’s status is still up for debate, at least he can know, for now, he’s not on the city’s hot seat just yet. To be honest, his boss is Mickey Loomis, who the city is currently rejecting , and as long as that’s the case, Moore could have a very long leash. After all, Loomis places high value on stability.
