The New Orleans Saints find themselves in unfamiliar territory – mired in the franchise’s longest losing streak in nearly two decades. Following Sunday’s 26-8 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Saints have now dropped six straight games, a dubious stretch not seen in the Big Easy since the ill-fated 2005 season played away from the Superdome in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
As the defeats pile up, frustration is mounting among a proud fanbase accustomed to perennial success. The hashtag #firedennisallen trended on social media after the latest loss, with many supporters calling for the ouster of the second-year head coach. Fans exited the Superdome in droves during a Week 7 defeat to the Denver Broncos.
But inside the Saints locker room, players and coaches insist the mood remains upbeat and determined, even as the losses mount. Veteran leaders like Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis say the team is sticking together and working to find solutions amid the adversity.
This is a tough ass business that we’re in. When you lose games like that, it’s hard. A lot of guys, it hits everybody pretty hard.
– Saints head coach Dennis Allen
Allen, who endured a 0-10 start as head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2014 before being fired, is leaning on the leadership council to gauge the pulse of the locker room. He recently held a dinner meeting with the team captains, including Jordan, Davis, Derek Carr, and others, to assess the state of the squad.
“All those guys were upbeat and encouraged,” Allen said of the meeting. “I don’t have challenges with where we’re at in terms of our team, our locker room. I don’t like the record and I think we need to play better, but any of those other things I don’t have a lot of concerns about.”
Searching for Answers
As the losses have piled up, the Saints have been searching for the root causes behind their sudden decline. An offense that ranked 3rd in the NFL in total yards over the first two weeks has plummeted to 29th during the six-game skid, coinciding with injuries to Carr and other key starters.
The defense has experienced a similar drop-off, falling from 7th in yards allowed to dead last in the league during the losing streak. Penalties, missed assignments, and a lack of big plays have all contributed to the slide.
I don’t think we’re a team that’s very committed to detail right now, execution. I don’t think we have pride in those things, the details or the execution.
– Saints running back Alvin Kamara
According to one team source, Allen and the coaching staff have been emphasizing a “back to basics” approach in practice, drilling the fundamentals and hammering home attention to detail. But the message has yet to yield results on the field, leading to tough questions about leadership, effort, and accountability.
“It comes down to every personal man’s integrity, what you’re doing when no one’s watching, the individual choices you’re making when you don’t have to be on,” tight end Foster Moreau said following the Chargers loss. “Are the decisions we’re making ones that benefit the team or take away from it?”
Keeping the Faith
Despite the trying circumstances, Saints players say they are determined to stick together and dig their way out of the hole they’ve created. Having leaders like Carr, who endured a similar 0-10 start with the Raiders as a rookie, has helped keep the locker room engaged.
- Derek Carr started 0-10 as a Raiders rookie in 2014
- Demario Davis was on 2014 Jets team that lost 8 straight
- Cameron Jordan is longest-tenured Saint, drafted in 2011
“We’re also in a good place mentally. Our locker room, the mentality, the way guys are flying around at practice,” Carr said. “I’ve been around it, man, where it goes the other way and practice just feels dull, feels dead. You try and motivate a guy, he won’t do it. That was not the case with our team today.”
The Saints will try to finally snap their skid this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. A return to the win column against their NFC South rival could help calm the external noise and restore some confidence heading into the season’s second half.
But regardless of Sunday’s result, Allen believes his team will continue to stick together and fight through the adversity. In a league defined by parity, fortunes can change quickly – a fact the Saints know all too well after their precipitous fall from contender to cellar dweller.
Nothing to be said. New territory to be in.
– Cameron Jordan on six-game losing streak
The path back to respectability won’t be easy. But in the City that Care Forgot, hope, like the jazz music echoing through the French Quarter, plays on. The Saints may be down, but inside the locker room walls, they are determined not to let their disappointing season become a lost cause.
According to one team source, Allen and the coaching staff have been emphasizing a “back to basics” approach in practice, drilling the fundamentals and hammering home attention to detail. But the message has yet to yield results on the field, leading to tough questions about leadership, effort, and accountability.
“It comes down to every personal man’s integrity, what you’re doing when no one’s watching, the individual choices you’re making when you don’t have to be on,” tight end Foster Moreau said following the Chargers loss. “Are the decisions we’re making ones that benefit the team or take away from it?”
Keeping the Faith
Despite the trying circumstances, Saints players say they are determined to stick together and dig their way out of the hole they’ve created. Having leaders like Carr, who endured a similar 0-10 start with the Raiders as a rookie, has helped keep the locker room engaged.
- Derek Carr started 0-10 as a Raiders rookie in 2014
- Demario Davis was on 2014 Jets team that lost 8 straight
- Cameron Jordan is longest-tenured Saint, drafted in 2011
“We’re also in a good place mentally. Our locker room, the mentality, the way guys are flying around at practice,” Carr said. “I’ve been around it, man, where it goes the other way and practice just feels dull, feels dead. You try and motivate a guy, he won’t do it. That was not the case with our team today.”
The Saints will try to finally snap their skid this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. A return to the win column against their NFC South rival could help calm the external noise and restore some confidence heading into the season’s second half.
But regardless of Sunday’s result, Allen believes his team will continue to stick together and fight through the adversity. In a league defined by parity, fortunes can change quickly – a fact the Saints know all too well after their precipitous fall from contender to cellar dweller.
Nothing to be said. New territory to be in.
– Cameron Jordan on six-game losing streak
The path back to respectability won’t be easy. But in the City that Care Forgot, hope, like the jazz music echoing through the French Quarter, plays on. The Saints may be down, but inside the locker room walls, they are determined not to let their disappointing season become a lost cause.
