Mickey Loomis was the one dialing the phone 16 years ago when the Saints were on the hunt for a head coach, and it didn't always go so well.
That's far from the case this time around, with one of the NFL's most stable franchises of the past decade now on the hunt for a new leader following Sean Payton's abrupt retirement this week.
"There were just so many other unique things about that 16 years ago that made that opening at that time so unique and such a challenge. Obviously it’s different now," Loomis said Friday morning. "We’re not coming off anything like [Katrina]. We’re coming off a long run of success. ... It’s just completely different really in a lot of ways other than we’re looking for a head coach.”
The Saints GM still hasn't spoken to Payton's retirement, but he said he'd address the departure of the coach and friend when he speaks at the Senior Bowl next week.
And while the Saints are already deep into the process of identifying that leader, Loomis insisted there was no rush. Finding the right coach was more important than getting that process done quickly.
There's no denying the Saints are getting into the coaching carousel later than others, with nine other teams facing coaching changes and multiple hires already made. But the Saints are in a different situation, Loomis said, because those other teams are trying to replace coaches they fired for a myriad of reasons -- and none good.
"I’m not really concerned with that. I think our circumstances are different," Loomis said. "Those eight teams where they let go of a head coach, I think their situation is different than ours when you have a coach retire and a lot of really good things in place already.”
The Saints have already identified a handful of candidates within the building, including Dennis Allen and familiar names in current Lions DC Aaron Glenn, Bucs OC Byron Leftwich, and fired Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. There's no drop-dead date to have a hire done by, Loomis said. Team owner Gayle Benson and president Dennis Lauscha will be involved in the search, along with others.
But whomever the hire is, Loomis was clear about one thing: This won't be a rebuild. The team has some questions to answer, including at quarterback, but the team is confident it can do that without tearing anything down.
"We don’t see it as a wholesale culture change or anything like that. We’ve got a lot of good things here," Loomis said. "It doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved or built upon, but as Sean said in his press conference, he’s leaving with the franchise in a much better place than when he got here.”
