A six-game losing streak will fray the nerves in any locker room, and the Saints are no exception.
It's a locker room that features veteran players who have never been a part of such a streak with the Saints, but it's those same veterans that the team is relying on to keep the train on the tracks. The team captains and Dennis Allen met for a monthly dinner this week, and that's the message that was conveyed.
"Their feedback was positive," Allen said. "I felt like the locker room is in a good place from a mental standpoint and ... I've been a part of some teams that have had struggles and some things where things begin to fracture and that's not the case here."
It's the same message we've heard from a pair of captains in Derek Carr and Cam Jordan. The message is still landing, even if the results aren't there and as losses mount.
There has been some talk of a player-only meeting. It's not a step that's been taken yet, but it could be on the docket soon.
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"I think everybody understands exactly where we are. I feel like when people aren’t bought is when you have, like, a team meeting," Jordan said. "I feel like this is something that you feel in the morning meetings. It’s something you feel in the locker room. It’s something you feel at practice, how everyone wants to win and talks about winning and still talks about winning, so there’s not a dire need of like, oh, he’s not bought in. It’s a dire need of it’s time to prove that we are a winning organization.”
The team sees the writing on the wall and understands that until the results change, the questions will persist:
- Is the team bought in?
- Is there still support for the head coach?
- Do players approve of the direction the team is going?
At the end of the day, those questions are only lip service to the reality of what has to happen. As Allen put it this week, the best answer is to win your games, something the Saints haven't done since September. The frustration is palpable around the city and within the team, but there's only one way to change that emotion for the better. A win over the 1-7 Panthers won't erase all that ails a team that continues to be beset with injuries at key positions, but it will end the losing streak. One step at a time.
"The captains have had a talk just between ourselves. We’ve had talks with our position groups," Jordan said. "Talking is talking, until we’re walking, it’s gonna be hard for people to be like, oh, they’re bought in. I’m bought in. There’s blood to be bled and I’m always gonna bleed black and gold.”