When the Saints clinched a fourth consecutive playoff miss earlier this month, it was already clear that major changes were needed.
Then came a shutout loss to the Packers on national television, an ugly result, but one against a playoff team in a difficult environment. The same can't be said for the Raiders, a team that ruined its own chances for the No. 1 overall pick with a 25-10 victory in the Caesars Superdome that was as dominating as it was baffling.
It raised a lot of questions the Saints will need to answer, but one major thing became clear, as the Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert broke down in his postgame rant.
"I think I’m being honest with this, when people say 'Oh, we just need to tweak this, tweak that.' ... Yea, tweak nothing," Hebert said. "We need an overhaul, a rebuild, however you want to describe it."
Listen to Bobby Hebert's full postgame rant in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The loss guarantees that the Saints will have its worst record since 2005, the final year of the Jim Haslett era. It's been a season that's featured a 7-game losing streak and a coaching change. For some time there was a reasonable argument to be made that interim coach Darren Rizzi should be in serious consideration to keep the job after wins over the Falcons, Browns and Giants as well as close losses to the Rams and Commanders that came down to the final possession.
Lately, not so much. Any interim energy bump seems to have waned with the Saints limping to the finish line with the owners of a banged up offense that's managed 10 points over its last two games and a defense that ranks at or near the bottom of the NFL in most meaningful categories.
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“I look at the vision that Mickey Loomis and the organization can have for the Saints going forward and where are we at," Hebert continued. "You can say oh, well you've got to trust the process, but I think the process is an extreme makeover is needed. Listen, sometimes everyone has to check their ego at the door. What does it take to truly win? Why do you think 6, 7, 8 coaches get fired every year? Because pro football, everybody wants to win but not everybody is going to win. So, you know, oh, we’re gonna have a rebuilding program, no, you get your ass fired and they get a new man in town and new things come about."
The Saints close out their season with a road trip to face the Bucs in Week 18, a game that could determine the NFC South champion between Tampa Bay and the Atlanta Falcons.