Jim Henderson, is a "stand-up" guy!
Written at 6:38 PM CDT on Monday, October 24, 2005
Jim Henderson / WWL-TV Sports Director
If this were last year or the year before that or the year before that and the Saints were coming off a loss as disheartening as Sunday's to fall to 2-5, today's discussion would focus on the merits of firing the coaching staff. Those were the good old days by comparison.These days are much worse, focusing as they do not on the direction of the season but the direction of the entire franchise.There was no shortage of possible scenarios in the Saints locker room Sunday, only a shortage of smiles. I can't recall seeing any among the grim-faced coaches and staff. "We're coming back to New Orleans. We're staying in San Antonio. We'll be playing in Baton Rouge. We'll be playing next season in San Antonio and then relocating to Los Angeles."I heard all of those but none offered with assurance.And that, coupled with the Saints recent play, has made for an absolutely dreadful situation. Do I sell my house back in New Orleans? Do I keep it and miss out on a seller's market only to find out we'll never be back? Do I buy in San Antonio with no assurance we're staying or staying for long? Maybe I'll just get out of football and get a job back home in New Orleans. But what would that job be? What jobs are there? What jobs will there be? Wouldn't anything be better than this? Do I bring my family to San antonio or go back to them in New Orleans? What about the kids? Where will they go to school? If it seems likely that those life-altering decisions left in limbo are making it difficult to give your job your complete attention, of course they are.This unsettled environment contributes to bad football which contributes to the unsettled environment. The organization from top to bottom is worn out, road weary, and depressed. That makes winning harder. And when winning eludes you for another Sunday, it magnifies the cares and concerns for another long week.Meanwhile the fans you had to leave behind become less concerned and care less about your return, asking themselves how much I should invest psychologically and monetarily in this. And so the cycle revolves again with every morose Monday. And the good people who are being consumed by it begin to care less what the direction of this franchise is and more that they know that at least there is a direction.In the meantime they are powerless to change the direction of their lives which seem to have no direction at all.
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