No one thought Kellen Moore was going to go directly from his one year as Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator to making the New Orleans Saints less of a joke than they’ve been in recent years.
But to look even worse, somehow? That wasn’t in the plans, either.
The Athletic’s Mike Jones (who?) called out Moore for what proved to be a completely awful debut as the new head coach of the Saints in a 23-20 Week 1 loss to the equally moribund Arizona Cardinals.
Jones did point out the Saints … seemed to try hard?
Talk about damning with faint praise.
” … Moore’s players displayed some fight,” Jones wrote on September 10. “Quarterback Spencer Rattler had some bright spots and kept slinging despite some tough situations. But poor clock management, a few questionable decisions and sloppy play ultimately overshadowed Moore’s head coaching debut. Moore, a sharp offensive mind as a coordinator, showed his inexperience at times. He went in at halftime with all three timeouts in his back pocket and later explained he was trying his best to save his timeouts. Saving them for what, though?”
Saints Job Seemed Radioactive In Offseason
There’s probably a reason the Saints job was the first head coaching spot to open and the last to close.
New Orleans fired Dennis Allen after a 2-7 start in 2024 — they ultimately finished 5-12 — then the Saints were the last of 6 head coaching vacancies filled when Moore was hired just days after he helped lead the Eagles to a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9 in New Orleans.
That reason? Anyone considering the Saints job also had to consider its fraught leadership situation with owner Gayle Benson and general manager Mickey Loomis — a duo that has seemingly run the franchise into the ground since the late Tom Benson’s death in 2018.
That starts with the losses of Payton and future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees in consecutive years — Brees in 2021 and Payton in 2022 — and continues with some questionable draft decisions, including taking offensive tackles in the first round each of the last 2 years.
In 2024, the Saints selected offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga at No. 14 overall — ahead of NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse at No. 19 to the Los Angeles Rams and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist and Pro Bowl wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 23 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Saints haven’t made the playoffs since 2020, when they went 12-4 in Payton’s next-to-last season.
From Record Setting College QB to NFL Head Coach
Most football fans first met Moore for the first time as the starting quarterback for Boise State, where he went 49-3 from 2008 to 2011, including an undefeated, 14-0 record in 2009, and walked away with the FBS record for wins.
Moore spent 6 seasons as a backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys before going directly into coaching, eventually becoming an offensive coordinator for the Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers before his breakthrough season with the Eagles led to a Super Bowl win following last season.
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