Windy City Gridiron
The Chicago Bears have won three straight, and perhaps they have turned the corner and are starting to become the team that Ben Johnson envisioned when he took the job.
They are certainly a work in progress, but their next opponent, the New Orleans Saints, is struggling right now, sitting with just a 1-5 record. Can the Bears improve to 4-2? We sat down with Nic Jennings from Canal Street Chronicles (SB Nation’s Saints site) to get a perspective on where the Saints are at this point in the season.
1. What have your thoughts been on first-year head coach Kellen Moore so far this season? I questioned the hire in the moment, so I’m curious if he looks the part so far.
Kellen Moore instantly won over the fanbase this offseason by providing an immediate—and desperately needed—culture shift. By emphasizing recovery and efficient time management, Moore earned high praise from his players. It’s clearly paid off, as New Orleans has dealt with far fewer injuries than in years past—especially soft tissue issues—and even came out of last week’s game against the Patriots without a single injury.
During training camp, Juwan Johnson said the vibes were as high as they’d been since the Saints opened the 2021 season 5-2 before Jameis Winston’s torn ACL. Johnson, Erik McCoy, and Kendre Miller all noted they felt better than ever so deep into the offseason, while veteran Davon Godchaux labeled it the best training camp he’s ever been part of.
Through six weeks, the Saints may sit at 1-5, but they’ve been competitive in five of those games aside from the Seahawks disaster. Sure, Kellen Moore still has some things to clean up—like settling for too many field goals and improving his red zone play-calling—but he’s done a great job keeping this team both competitive and united. The team hasn’t lost morale—and they definitely don’t quit.
Chase Young summed it up best when asked about Moore earlier this season:
“We love Coach Moore—just what he’s doing right now, what he’s providing to us… He’s won it; he’s bringing all that. He knows how to win, and he’s doing things with us to be in that position also. Can’t say enough about Coach Moore.”
It’s safe to say Kellen Moore has quickly won over both the team and Who Dat Nation.
2. I want to ask about Mickey Loomis. I have felt the last few seasons that the Saints really needed to blow up the roster and start over, but Loomis seems to keep kicking salary down the road and clinging to a team that has been getting worse and really couldn’t compete. Do you feel that’s the case, or is Loomis handling the roster properly?
I think the entire fanbase is a bit fed up with how Mickey Loomis has handled things post–Brees and Payton. That said, I’ve never been on the side of blowing everything up and starting over, because I still think the Saints have pieces worth building around—they just...
