One day after New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson shared her pointed remarks about the state of the team, both head coach Kellen Moore and quarterback Tyler Shough were asked to comment on her statements.
Both acknowledged seeing the comments and their impact as the team looks to get back on track next this Sunday at the New York Giants.
“(Mrs. Benson’s) great,” Moore said. “She, like all of us, we all want better results and that’s how this business is. We’ve got great guys in this building that are doing everything they can to find the formula.
“All we can control is moving forward as far as playing better, coaching better, giving ourselves the opportunities moving forward,” Moore said. “I think our guys have the right mindset. It’s the NFL, there’s ups and there’s downs and it’s about navigating those and getting better moving forward.”
Moore stayed on point in his response, focusing on moving forward and the team’s efforts in improving in the meanwhile.
When asked about whether or not the owner’s statements change anything about the work going into that next game or the sense of urgency against the Giants, he delivered a slightly surprising answer.
“No, we’ve just got to take advantage of these opportunities moving forward,” he said. “Certainly with this Giants game moving forward. We’ve got to focus on that and get better each day.”
The surprise comes mainly from the expectation of impact that comes from the owner publicly being critical of the team’s play and results thus far.
“That is not acceptable to me and it falls short of what our fans truly deserve,” Benson said. “I hear the frustration directed towards our team and our organization. It is not lost on me. Our fans invest their time and their hearts in the Saints. They are right to expect more than we have delivered.”
The logic here suggests that if a team’s approach and process has led to results that the owner calls “not acceptable” a change and sense of urgency would follow, rather than sticking to what caused the skepticism.
However, Shough added perspective on why the team isn’t quick to completely abandon what it’s been doing to start the season.
“It doesn’t affect our daily process and we can’t let it,” he said. “Because we win a game and you’re the greatest people ever, you lose some games and it’s the worst thing ever. We’re going to have a really good chance to go on a run here, and I think it starts with controlling what we can and all of a sudden the narrative changes.”
Shough also said that he wasn’t surprised by Benson’s comments because of the high standard of success that the organization has strived to achieve.
“Yeah, obviously (we) saw that,” he said. “And more than anything it’s fully expected. We want to have that expectation for us and an organization. It starts with her, her leadership and who she is and she wants greatness for all of the Gulf Coast and the Saints.
“We’re doing everything we can, but at the same time, it doesn’t necessarily change because we’ve got to improve all around,” he said. “I’m glad that it’s coming from the top in that perspective, but at the same time there’s a lot of really good football ahead of us.”
Similarly, Moore kept the focus on the team’s orientation toward its goals of improvement.
“It’s where we’re at,” he said. “We’re 1-4 and we missed a few opportunities right there. Again, we all want the same thing. We’re all shooting for that, we’ve all got the same objectives and we’ve just got to get better moving forward.”
Looking ahead is objectively the right thing to do for any team in this situation, but making changes to the approach and increasing pressure in the meanwhile is likely to happen behind the scenes even if not addressed publicly.
Despite Moore saying that Benson’s stance won’t create a big impact on the team’s routine, he did acknowledge a change in the team’s practice process being a part of his method in trying to turn around a disappointing start to the season.
“I think that’s just anytime the results aren’t coming on Sunday, you’re going to look at your process from Monday through Saturday and how can we improve and get better,” he said. “Obviously there’s a Sunday performance aspect of this thing, but we’re all shooting for the same thing. And so we’re looking at every margin, every opportunity to get better. Naturally as a coach, you’re always going to look at what Monday through Saturday looks like and how can I improve.”
In turn, it does sound like there’s a look into the team’s preparation, which has been a big topic of conversation so far this year.
Moore said that the team was “unprepared” following the Week 4 Domecoming Anniversary loss to the Atlanta Falcons, indicated the Minnesota Vikings “played better” and “coached better” than them and Benson specifically mentioned that Moore “is responsible for preparing our players to perform.”
The notion of preparation, or some variation thereof, has been a point of emphasis this season. Therefore, changing the team’s approach each week would logically be the next step.
Whether or not that improvement has been made will quickly become obvious on Sunday. The Saints travel to take on a Giants team that will also be well-coached and sound for the matchup.
If New Orleans can rise to the occasion, and secure its second win of the season before heading to Paris for the first-ever game played in France, the temperature around the club will likely decrease.
But if the team comes out flat with another slow start that leads to a decisive loss, the heat only rise.
