Tag: Jim Haslett

Mickey Loomis’ stance on coaching changes hasn’t changed in 20 years

Mickey Loomis’ old quotes from 20 years ago about a head coaching change feel awfully similar to his sentiments about Dennis Allen today:

Mickey Loomis recently clarified to all New Orleans Saints fans that they have to look beyond the results when evaluating Dennis Allen. Well, let’s apply that same premise to Loomis himself.

Loomis said, “I think good organizations do is you look beyond the results. What’s the reason for the results, and how do you fix the reasons that keep you from winning? It’s not always about the head coach. Sometimes it is, but it’s not always about that.”

Hesitancy to look at the head coach is part of Loomis’ process. He did the same thing with Jim Haslett. ESPN’s Katherine Terrell dug up some old quotes from Loomis from an interview in Jan 2004 when asked about potential coaching changes.

At the time, the Saints were .500 in a three year span. Loomis felt firing the coach was the easy route but not the right route. “The right thing to do is to stay the course,” Loomis elaborated. “Often times that is the hardest thing to do. But I think that’s what we need to do.”

Haslett may have earned the benefit of the doubt at the time. He went 10-6 and won the NFC South before struggling the next three years. Allen, on the other hand, hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt beyond simply being around for years.

Regardless, if we’re looking at the process, this type of statement from Loomis seems on brand. He believed in weathering the storm 20 years ago. Every comment about Allen suggests Loomis feels the same way in the present day.

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Saints vs. Titans series history: Who owns the all-time record?

New Orleans Saints vs. Tennessee Titans series history: Who owns the all-time record? Once-rare meetings have developed into a fun rivalry:

We used to go through entire generations of NFL players without the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans competing against each other. The two teams met once every three years until the league expanded in the early 2000’s, at which point those games were spaced out in four-year increments.

That changed radically in 2021 with the introduction of a 17-game schedule that put more AFC-NFC matchups in the rotation. The Saints and Titans have used that opportunity to forge a fun geographic rivalry. They’ve split the last four games 2-2, with the Saints losing a close one 23-21 in 2021.

The Titans own the all-time series record at 9-6-1, going back to their early franchise history when they were still known as the Houston Oilers. Preseason games aren’t often remembered but the Saints have played more of them with the Titans franchise (30) than many other teams.

It’s interesting to see a rivalry kind of organically develop here. Nashville is easier for Saints fans to visit than most NFL cities, being a seven-and-a-half hour drive from New Orleans (with some flights clocking in at just a few hours). And when they haven’t been competing on the field the two teams have been often targeting the same players in the offseason, like cornerback Caleb Farley in the 2021 NFL draft or free agent wide receiver Adam Humphries in 2019. Janoris Jenkins landed with the Titans after leaving the Saints. So did Kenny Vaccaro.

And so did their longtime nemesis Julio Jones. The Saints weren’t able to cut a trade for Malcolm Butler back in the day and he wound up signing with the Titans. Former Saints head coach Jim Haslett was on Mike Vrabel’s coaching staff for a few years before he took over the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons. You see all these connections? That’s history.

Hopefully the Saints can get a win on Sunday to tip that all-time record a little closer in their favor. It’ll take some time to even things out completely, but a victory at the Caesars Superdome this week would go a long way.

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Watch: Peyton Manning tells the story of botched fake spike vs. Saints

Peyton Manning shared the story of his botched fake spike against the Saints, when New Orleans got the last laugh:

Now this is funny. Peyton Manning has a lot of love for New Orleans — it’s the city where he was born and raised, and where he grew up watching his father play quarterback. But he probably didn’t feel anything but contempt for the Saints when they handed his Indianapolis Colts a loss on Nov. 18, 2001.

Sure, things started well enough. Manning connected with tight end Marcus Pollard on an 86-yard touchdown pass (the longest play of Pollard’s career, which he would match in 2005) on the first play from scrimmage. The Colts (coached by former Saints head coach Jim Mora Sr.) traded blows with the Saints (coached by Mora’s old defensive coordinator Jim Haslett) until the first half’s final seconds.

With the clock running out before halftime and  trailing by three points inside field goal range, Manning attempted a fake spike to fool the Saints defense and run one more play — scoring what looked to all the world like a touchdown run from 33 yards out (which would have tied the career-long scramble he logged a few weeks earlier). That’s when things got nutty. We’ll let Manning tell it in his own words.

“I did it one time, we were playing the Saints,” Manning recounted to Dan Marino, who popularized the play, blaming the ensuing chaos on an inadvertent whistle from one of the officials at the snap. “And the ref was so confused, instead of giving us a touchdown or saying the half was over, he said ‘do-over.’ You know like at recess, we were gonna have a do-over? They let us kick a field goal, and we got it, but it was influenced by you and your fake spike against the Jets.”

If you go back and check the play-by-play retelling of the game in the history books (or at Pro Football Reference), you’ll see the play recorded as simply, “Peyton Manning pass incomplete,” with no record of the officiating gaffe or Manning’s 33-yard sprint to the end zone. Talk about underselling it.

As for the rest of the game: Haslett’s defense stifled Manning’s offense in the second half, forcing two Colts punts and a field goal before legendary Saints safety Sammy Knight intercepted Manning after the two-minute warning, setting up the New Orleans offense to run out the clock in a 34-20 win. So, yeah, Manning isn’t looking back on this game fondly. But it makes for a great story.

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49ers ended the Saints’ streak of 332 games without a shutout

The 49ers ended the Saints’ streak of 332 games played without a shutout loss on Sunday. It had been the longest active streak in the NFL:

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It’s been a long, long time since the New Orleans Saints were last shut out. They put points on the board in 332 consecutive games — which had been the longest active streak in the NFL. But the San Francisco 49ers snapped that streak on Sunday, and now the Saints are left to pick up the pieces. Annoyingly, that isn’t even an NFL record. The 49ers themselves set it with 420 games played without a shutout.

So what happened in New Orleans’ last shutout? To give you some context, it happened on Jan. 6, 2002 at the end of the 2001 regular season. Jim Haslett coached the team, and Aaron Brooks was the Saints quarterback at the time, with Drew Brees closing out his rookie year with the Chargers (who played in San Diego at the time). At the time, this was a game between two rivals in the old NFC West; the NFC South would be founded a year later. Sean Payton was finishing out his second season as the New York Giants offensive coordinator and Dennis Allen was busy working the secondary at Tulsa, his first full-time coaching job. It capped a four-game losing streak that put the Saints at 7-9, eliminating them from the playoffs.

And of course it was the same 49ers team who beat them in a 38-nothing shutout at home. Terrell Owens started the game with two long touchdown catches from Jeff Garcia (of 56 and 60 yards, both in the first quarter) and things didn’t get much easier from there. The Niners racked up 407 yards of offense while limiting New Orleans to just 126 yards, intercepting Brooks four times and jarring loose four fumbles (three of them from Ricky Williams). San Francisco improved to 12-4 on the year but got knocked out of the playoffs a week later.

Things might be headed in a similar direction all these years later. The Saints are long shots of reaching the playoffs, while the 49ers look like a possible Super Bowl contender. There are still games left to play and decisions to make, but that’s where we are. History doesn’t always repeat itself  — but it often rhymes.

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Ex-Titans coach Jim Haslett to lead XFL’s Seattle franchise

Former Titans ILBs coach Jim Haslett will lead the XFL’s Seattle franchise.

Former Tennessee Titans inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett was named one of the eight head coaches for the once-again rebooted XFL league back in April, but now we know which team he will lead.

According to multiple reports, Haslett has been assigned the XFL’s Seattle franchise. Here’s a look the other seven head coaches and which teams they will reportedly lead.

Houston: Wade Phillips

Dallas: Bob Stoops

San Antonio: Hines Ward

Washington, D.C.: Reggie Barlow

Las Vegas: Rod Woodson

Orlando: Terrell Buckley

St. Louis: Anthony Becht

Haslett joined the Titans as their inside linebackers coach in 2020, a position he held through the 2021 campaign.

Prior to his stint in Tennessee, Haslett served as the defensive coordinator for four NFL teams, including the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams and Washington Football Team (2010-14).

Haslett has been a head coach twice in the NFL, also, serving as the head coach of the Saints from 2000-05, where he won AP Coach of the Year in 2000, and he served as the interim head coach of the Rams in 2008.

This is the second attempted reboot of the league. The last came in 2020, but the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the league did not return in 2021. The latest relaunch is slated for 2023.

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Former Washington defensive coordinator Jim Haslett is a head coach again

Former Washington defensive coordinator Jim Haslett is named one of the XFL’s eight head coaches for the league’s relaunch in 2023.

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Former Washington defensive coordinator Jim Haslett is not fondly remembered by the team’s fans. Haslett’s defenses struggled during his five-year tenure with the Commanders under Mike Shanahan (four seasons) and Jay Gruden (one season).

After being out of the spotlight working as an NFL position coach for the most part since Washington fired him after the 2014 season, Haslett is back in the news.

XFL co-owners Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia appeared on “Get Up” on ESPN Wednesday and announced the eight head coaches for the league’s relaunch in 2023. The 66-year-old Haslett will lead one of those eight XFL franchises.

After departing Washington, Haslett spent one season at Penn State as a consultant, three seasons with the Bengals as a linebackers coach and the past two seasons with the Titans as an inside linebackers coach.

Haslett is a former NFL head coach and was named NFL coach of the year back in 2000 with the New Orleans Saints.

Here are the other XFL head coaches:

  • Wade Phillips
  • Hines Ward
  • Bob Stoops
  • Rod Woodson
  • Anthony Becht
  • Reggie Barlow
  • Terrell Buckley

Phillips is one of the best defensive coordinators of all time and has been an NFL head coach for multiple teams. Stoops is a national championship coach from Oklahoma, who was with the XFL in its previous relaunch in 2020.

Ward, Buckley, Barlow, Becht, Woodson and Haslett are all former NFL players.

Individual team assignments will be named at a later date.

Garcia and Johnson acquired the XFL in August 2020 for $15 million.

 

Wade Phillips, Jim Haslett named among 8 XFL head coach hires

Wade Phillips, Jim Haslett named among 8 XFL head coach hires:

The XFL is going to return in 2023. Their next crop of coaches will have some Buffalo Bills influence.

Amongst all the next bench bosses, the most well known is Wade Phillips.

Phillips, 74, was Buffalo’s defensive coordinator under Marv Levy. Upon Levy’s retirement, Phillips took over as head coach.

The team was competitive under Phillips, making the playoffs–An appearance which led to the infamous “Music City Miracle.” His head coach tenure in Buffalo was from 1998 to 2000.

Phillips continued coaching in the NFL, also serving as the Dallas Cowboys head coach from 2007-2010. He has not worked in the NFL since 2019 but has expressed a desire to do so.

Eventually, Phillips started to catch some notoriety on social media in recent years. His Twitter account handle is, “Son of Bum,” which is a tribute to his late father, Bum Phillips:

The other Buffalo connection is Jim Haslett.

A second-round pick of the Bills in 1979 NFL draft, Haslett was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year from his linebacker position. Haslett played with the Bills until 1985, briefly attempting a return to football after suffering an injury with the New York Jets in 1987.

Most recently, Haslett was the Tennessee Titans linebackers coach. He was also the New Orleans Saints head coach from 2000 to 2005.

Reportedly the XFL has not yet announced if the league will operate in individual locations–teams representing one city each–or if all will play from a centralized location. The XFL previously returned in 2020 and worked from different markets, but things were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other head coaching hires made by the XFL thus far include:

  • Bob Stoops
  • Terrell Buckley
  • Hines Ward
  • Rod Woodson
  • Reggie Barlow
  • Anthony Becht

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XFL names 8 head coaches for third run

The XFL announced its head coaches for the 2023 season and there are some big names

The XFL announced its eight head coaches on Wednesday as league leaders Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson ramp up for the third incarnation of the league, which will kick off in 2023.

The XFL III will have some big names as coaches: Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, Wade Phillips, Bob Stoops, and Terrell Buckley are among the eight.

The other four are Reggie Barlow, Hines Ward, Jim Haslett and Anthony Becht.

Vince McMahon twice attempted to start and succeed with the XFL. The firsr run was scuttled after a year and the second was ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then completely disbanded.

Former Saints coaches Jim Haslett, Wade Phillips now leading XFL teams

The XFL announced its eight head coaches for the 2023 season, including former Saints coaches Jim Haslett and Wade Phillips:

This is cool: the XFL announced their eight head coaches for the 2023 season on Wednesday, including two coaches with New Orleans Saints ties. Jim Haslett worked as Saints head coach from 2000 to 2005, and he’s joined on the XFL’s roster by Wade Phillips, New Orleans’ defensive coordinator from 1981 to 1985 and whose Saints run ended as interim head coach. We don’t yet know whether the XFL is returning to the same cities as last time, or which teams each coach will be running.

The other six XFL head coaches include Bob Stoops, Terrell Buckley, Hines Ward, Rod Woodson, Reggie Barlow, and Anthony Becht. Of that group, only Stoops returns from the XFL’s first relaunch back in 2020. The start-up spring league did well with national broadcasts on FOX and some crossover appeal through sideline reporting from Saints star Cameron Jordan, but the COVID-19 pandemic put an early stop to it. The XFL has since changed ownership and is now being managed by an investment group headlined by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia.

As for Haslett: he guided the Saints to the franchise’s first playoff victory in his first year on the job, going 45-51 as head coach before his dismissal after the 2005 season – which the Saints played entirely on the road in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Over the years Haslett has worked as a defensive coordinator and position coach in the NFL, most recently joining the Tennessee Titans as inside linebackers coach in 2020.

Phillips first arrived in New Orleans as defensive coordinator for his father, former Saints head coach Bud Phillips. He went on to work as a defensive coordinator for seven different NFL teams with stops as a head coach for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys, with interim looks on the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans. He’s accomplished an 82-64 record in the regular season but just 1-5 in the playoffs. We’ll see where Phillips and Haslett end up coaching and how often they’ll be running up against each other once the XFL shares more details.

Former Titans coach Jim Haslett named 1 of 8 XFL head coaches

Haslett is one of eight head coaches set to lead teams when the league relaunches again in 2023.

Just months after he and the Tennessee Titans parted ways in January, it has been revealed that Jim Haslett will be the head coach of one of the XFL’s franchises.

The announcement was made on ESPN, with more information available on the league’s official website.

Haslett will be one of eight head coaches in the relaunched league, a list that also includes Wade Phillips, Bob Stoops, Terrell Buckley, Hines Ward, Rod Woodson, Reggie Barlow, and Anthony Becht.

Haslet spent the past two seasons as Tennessee’s inside linebackers coach. Before that, Haslett was a four-time defensive coordinator in the NFL and served as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2000-05.

The XFL had some momentum when it originally re-launched in 2020, but the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not return in 2021.

In 2020, Dany Garcia, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital purchased the league for $15 million and are planning yet another relaunch in 2023.

“We’re going to take the best of this sport and amplify it ten times so that this is an experience that is immersive,” said Garcia, via Boardroom. “I think any brand that seeks to be in massive partnership with fans, athletes, and media partners needs to live in these principles.”

At this moment, it isn’t clear which teams Haslett and the other seven head coaches will lead.

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