Tag: Mickey Loomis

Saints war room taking Zoom-within-a-Zoom approach to virtual 2020 draft

NBC Sports’ Peter King reports that the New Orleans Saints will use multiple teleconferences to organize their 2020 NFL Draft war room.

[jwplayer Lp8MsrUE-ThvAeFxT]

The NFL’s decision to force teams to conduct the 2020 draft from home has raised anxiety and issues all around the league, but some of the more tech-savvy franchises have embraced the opportunity to innovate and help their personnel work more closely together.

Peter King of NBC Sports explained how the New Orleans Saints are one such outfit relying hard on teleconference technology to organize their war room ahead of this year’s draft:

Each team will have choices, but I talked to five over the weekend about the mechanics of it. The Saints, for instance, will have two videconferences working simultaneously. One will have GM Mickey Loomis, coach Sean Payton, assistant GM/college scouting director Jeff Ireland and VP/football administration Khai Hartley; the other will have those four people plus every scout.

The four-man group will be open for free discussion while the larger group will likely mostly be muted, with Loomis or Payton having the ability to unmute, say, the scouts with the most knowledge about a particular player. Say they want to pick LSU linebacker Patrick Queen in the first round; Loomis could ask the scouts who were at LSU the most in 2019 for their thoughts

This feels like the closest thing to the plan the Saints had originally crafted for this year’s virtual event. The Saints initially planned on placing that central braintrust of Payton, Loomis, Ireland, Hartley, and a few support staffers in the Dixie Brewery warehouse (property of Saints owner Gayle Benson) with their scouts and assistant coaches on deck, ready to jump in if their opinions were needed. Payton had previously said that the team intended to use a teleconference program like Zoom, Skype, or a similar service.

However, running two streams side-by-side like this seems a little superfluous. It’s possible the core Saints decision-makers want a separate channel to allow for more-confidential discussions (like debating possible trade offers), but the broader teleconference is structured like the war room would normally be conducted. Hopefully they won’t have any technical issues, or risk crossing the streams. It would be bad.

[vertical-gallery id=31731]

NFL orders teams to conduct 2020 draft from home, scuttles Saints plans

The New Orleans Saints planned to hold their 2020 NFL Draft “war room” at the Dixie Brewery, but new orders from the NFL outlawed that plan.

[jwplayer 2pib0hs0-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints thought that they had a good plan for the 2020 NFL Draft. They moved their “war room” to the Dixie Brewery in New Orleans East, a gated property secluded in an industrial park and owned by Gayle Benson (who also owns the Saints). Saints coach Sean Payton explained last week how he and several other decision-makers — including general manager Mickey Loomis and assistant G.M./college scouting director Jeff Ireland — had set up shop in a large banquet room, teleconferencing with scouts and position coaches for daily draft meetings. The plan was to remain there once the 2020 NFL Draft begins on April 23.

But they’ll have to adjust to new guidelines from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Monday told teams that they must send personnel home for the day of the draft. Staff will huddle digitally and make decisions remotely, calling in their picks much like many fantasy football drafts are held each year. That’s a notion Loomis may have scoffed at, but it’s their new reality.

Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football first confirmed that these new orders from the NFL mean the Saints will be unable to hold their draft from the Dixie Brewery as planned. So Loomis, Payton, Ireland, and their crew will have to work remotely just like every other NFL club, somewhat leveling the playing field. It’s shaping up to be one of the more-unique drafts in recent memory, and we’re still weeks away. Hopefully another video won’t get leaked of a top draft prospect smoking from a gas mask in the hours before kickoff, which was easily the strangest draft situation in recent memory.

[vertical-gallery id=31338]

Sean Payton details Saints’ plans for 2020 draft amid coronavirus crisis

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton relocated his team to the somewhat-isolated Dixie Brewing Company to prepare for the 2020 NFL Draft.

[jwplayer jNV2Zrnz-ThvAeFxT]

How are the New Orleans Saints responding to the coronavirus pandemic? Saints coach Sean Payton has experienced the infection more personally than most, having tested positive and self-isolating at home for two weeks before he received an update that he was in the clear on March 26. But the Saints organization is taking more thorough steps to protect its employees and their families, especially with the 2020 NFL Draft on the horizon.

Payton discussed the changes during a conference call with local media on Wednesday, including a move away from the team facility.

“Our meetings will take place and we’re kind of in a remote location,” Payton said. “We’re over at the Dixie Brewing Company actually, which is a brand new facility in New Orleans East and it’s really a way from any high traffic area and it’s also closed. We’re the only ones here.”

Dixie Brewing Company is another property belonging to Saints owner Gayle Benson, whose late husband Tom Benson — who Payton affectionately called “Mr. B” — purchased and renovated in recent years. Based in an industrial park far from residential and commercial districts, it’s a secluded, sanitized building in which the Saints brass can congregate. Team security staff will help turn away any uninvited visitors, but odds are slim anyone will travel so far out of their way as it is.

That’s as opposed to the more-cramped quarters in the team’s Metairie offices and training facility, or the Benson Tower in the Central Business District. Payton and the Saints considered both venues but agreed that it would be easier to follow guidelines from the Center for Disease Control at the brewery. The goal is to keep staff isolated and prevent the potential spread of infections, so its large conference room makes for an ideal location.

Payton shared an example of what draft meetings now look like. Typically these are crowded conferences in the Saints “war room” in their offices, stuffing scouts, coaches, and front office executives shoulder-to-shoulder to preview this year’s prospects. But they’re taking a different approach with everyone’s safety in mind.

“Those are kind of set up a little differently this year, with all our scouts Skyping in, teleconferencing in,” Payton continued. “Mickey (Loomis), myself, Jeff (Ireland), with the position coach, maybe a few others, are in a large meeting room spread out with a lot of monitors. Depending on who we’re reading, what player group we’re reading, different people Skyping in.”

Payton added that the Saints plan to keep everyone physically in the room at least six feet apart, checking their temperatures before entering as per CDC recommendations. While some position coaches and regional scouts may rotate in depending on each day’s topic, Payton expects the process to largely feature face-to-face conversations only between himself, the Saints general manager (Loomis), and the assistant general manager (Ireland).

These meetings will continue for almost two weeks as the Saints work to finalize their “big board” of ranked prospects and decide on a draft strategy. While the team is normally one of the NFL’s most aggressive in the draft, frequently trading up to acquire talented players like Alvin Kamara, Marcus Davenport, Erik McCoy, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Payton also suggested that a scarcity of the usual data points could lead them to a more passive approach.

“The grade and the system and the way it’s set up on the board remains the same,” Payton mused. “But you may not be able to clarify or clean up some of the question marks you normally would in each year. How do we philosophically then approach the draft this year? I think it’s a great question. You might be more conservative relative to, aversion to taking a risk if you don’t have the information that you’re looking for.”

[vertical-gallery id=31178]

Mickey Loomis as surprised as anyone that the Saints re-signed so many free agents

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was pleasantly surprised by re-signing free agents like Andrus Peat and David Onyemata.

[jwplayer QfjzedKi-ThvAeFxT]

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis spoke with John DeShazier of NewOrleansSaints.com on Friday, reviewing the opening weeks of free agency and surveying the status of the team while discussing the roster moves they have made already.

While the Saints have added a few notable veterans from other teams (including wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, safety Malcolm Jenkins, and fullback Michael Burton), they devoted most of their resources to keeping their own players after the open market wasn’t as welcoming as expected. That was an opportunity Loomis admitted he didn’t see coming.

“I would say going into this, I don’t know that I expected to be able to get David and Andrus re-signed. So I’m really happy that that happened,” Loomis said, referring to defensive tackle David Onyemata and two-time Pro Bowl left guard Andrus Peat. Onyemata inked a three-year contract extension with the Saints, while Peat’s five-year deal is structured so that the Saints can terminate it after three seasons with little financial penalty.

And while discussing Peat’s contract, Loomis took time to focus on what Peat has done for the team in the past while also laying out expectations moving forward: “One of his great attributes is his versatility. He’s been able to kick out to tackle, we’ve had to use him in that area. He’s been in the Pro Bowl a few times at guard. We’re excited to have him back, excited that it was a deal that we could manage under our cap. And he’s still a young player. There’s still room for improvement and growth on his part.”

Loomis wasn’t the only one to be surprised that both starters returned. We predicted that neither of them would re-sign with the Saints before free agency, expecting active interest from other teams to raise their asking price beyond what New Orleans could fit into the budget. That goes to show even the Saints might be surprised by what Loomis and his team, led by salary cap guru Khai Hartley, can accomplish.

[vertical-gallery id=30933]

Saints GM Mickey Loomis advocates for delayed NFL draft start date

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis called for a delayed start to the 2020 NFL Draft in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

[jwplayer CcMnGV6Q-ThvAeFxT]

The NFL turned down a recommendation from team general managers to delay the start of the 2020 NFL Draft in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus, which disappointed many executives around the league. New Orleans Saints executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis was one of the loudest voices in favor of pushing back the draft’s start date (the three-day event is currently scheduled to begin April 23), and he made an appearance on The Peter King Podcast to share his perspective on the issue.

“This is not a fantasy draft that you can conduct with a list of things on a piece of paper,” Loomis told King, referring to a complicated process in which team personnel hold conference in “war rooms” on the day of the draft to remotely phone in their decisions.

Teams typically send scouts and coaches on cross-country road trips visiting college campuses, where they can personally record the same drill times and athletic measurements that schools send them later. NFL franchises are also normally allowed to fly in as many as thirty prospects to tour their facilities and go through private workouts and interviews, but those meetings have been conducted through teleconference due to league-mandated travel restrictions.

Missing out on all of those data points and in-person conversations doesn’t sit well with Loomis, who would prefer to follow the usual process as closely as possible: “There’s a lot of work that goes into it to prepare and there’s a lot of work that is done during the draft. Listen, it’ll be very, very difficult to conduct that and do it in a way that you’re doing justice to the process.”

There may be some wisdom in pushing the draft’s start date back a little; Loomis also noted the importance of adjusting the NFL offseason to the still-developing national situation.

“First of all we need to make sure we’re not tone-deaf to what’s going on in the world. The entire world has been basically put on pause – and rightfully so,” Loomis continued. “We’re adapting to this new normal, and we just hope the new normal doesn’t last very long.”

Now, Loomis is absolutely right that the typical, preferred processes are not being followed and can not be followed in these troubling times. And it will certainly be more difficult to conduct business as usual if teams must continue working remotely, unable to gather in their offices.

But how much are they really missing out on? Scouting reports were finished and filed months ago. A hundred or so prospects put up practice tape during the weeks leading up to the Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl, and other college all-star games, working in tandem with NFL coaches. Dozens of prospects already interviewed with each team at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Oh, and there’s also years of game tape available to study again.

It shouldn’t take another handshake and sit-down conversation in a conference room to further convince teams to draft a player, or a full-room debate among coaches and front office brass on the night of the draft. Technological limitations could come into play — John Elway’s infamous struggles with a fax machine during free agency are well-documented — but the NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry. They’ve got more than a month to figure out how to use Google Sheets and Zoom or Skype.

But maybe Loomis will get his wish. If the coronavirus situation continues to deteriorate, the NFL very well might double back and postpone its draft. Right now, though, the structure of the event and the technology available just makes a delay seem unnecessary.

[vertical-gallery id=30751]

Saints were working remotely before Sean Payton’s coronavirus diagnosis

The New Orleans Saints coaching staff and football operations department have been working remotely since Sean Payton’s coronavirus test.

[jwplayer gHPcry7n-ThvAeFxT]

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton received a positive test for the coronavirus on Thursday, having gotten tested after noticing symptoms earlier this week before entering a self-quarantine. While the initial concern is, of course, Payton’s personal health — he says that he is feeling better, but will continue to stay at home to avoid infecting others — there is also an understandable anxiety among fans that the coronavirus could spread among team personnel.

Fortunately, the Saints have already taken precautions to prevent this. Coaches have been working remotely ever since Payton felt ill, per The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan, though a few assistants have made quick errands into their offices. The football operations department (headed by general manager Mickey Loomis) met together on the eve of free agency but have also scattered to the winds.

And it hasn’t really impeded business for the Saints. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported that free agent negotiations have been held over conference calls and video calls, creating an opportunity for all parties to see and hear each other remotely.

So while it isn’t business as usual, the Saints have remained as competitive as ever in retaining their own free agents and scouring the market for upgrades. Here’s a quick refresher on their salary cap situation.

[vertical-gallery id=30509]

Saints execs talk draft pick strategy: ‘there’s nothing to say that five (picks) can’t be six’

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton discussed the depth at wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft and acknowledged a trade down is possible.

[jwplayer Kd6xg1Gy-ThvAeFxT]

What are the New Orleans Saints going to do in the 2020 NFL Draft? While it’s too early to say which positions (much less specific prospects) they’ll be targeting, Saints coach Sean Payton offered his take on the areas he’s been most impressed with so far during an interview with NewOrleansSaints.com’s John DeShazier.

“After doing the front-board meeting, certainly it’s a deep draft at receiver,” Payton said, referencing a conference with college scouting director Jeff Ireland and his staff. “We think at defensive back as well, and defensive line. Any time I say that, there’s certainly a lot of talent at the other positions. But if you said what stood out in our meetings in the last month, it would have been those positions.”

While receiver is easily the pick for New Orleans’ biggest roster need — Michael Thomas, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, was targeted 129 more times than the next-best wideout — Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was quick to emphasize that the team isn’t zeroing in on the options at the top of the draft.

“There’s players every year at every position and I think when you look at it, it’s like, ‘OK, how deep does it go?'” Loomis explained. “Are you getting into the middle rounds where you can feel really good about getting a guy that can be a significant contributor, not just early but down the road? My sense of it is, so far, it’s pretty deep.”

While every team and evaluator will have their own opinions on the depth of this year’s draft class at wide receiver, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. offered a bold take, speculating that as many as 25 to 30 wideouts could be selected in the first three rounds. If that’s the case, the Saints would be wise to consider trading down.

The problem with that is their draft trade history; Loomis laughed at the notion that the Saints never trade down in last year’s pre-draft press conference, admitting, “There’s a notion because there’s history . . . We’d be open to trading back if the timing is right and if the value is right.”

An aggressive approach has been the preference in the modern era of New Orleans football. The Saints have traded up in every draft Payton has overseen except for his first year on the job, back in 2006 (the Saints also stood pat in the 2012 draft, when Payton was suspended). They’ve traded down just twice in the last 14 years, in 2006 and 2007 — when Payton was building his roster from the ground up, looking to acquire veterans and extra draft capital.

Still, trading down isn’t a maneuver Payton is ready to rule out altogether: “And there’s nothing to say that five (picks) can’t be six as you get closer, relative to where you’re picking and whether you want to make any trades. But last year, we were all real pleased with what we were able to do with some of the ammo we had a year ago, and really bring in a number of players that helped us”

Working with just five picks again in 2020 (the Saints were shorthanded last year after previously trading for Marcus Davenport and Teddy Bridgewater), Payton was encouraged by his team’s ability to supplement a draft class that was short on numbers with high-impact undrafted rookies like Deonte Harris and Shy Tuttle, adding, “We felt like we had a real good draft without maybe the full allotment of picks. This year, I think we’ll have plenty of those opportunities again.”

[lawrence-related id=28276]

[vertical-gallery id=29112]

Saints hope to re-sign Drew Brees before free agency, less clear on Taysom Hill

While Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was happy to prioritize a contract extension for Drew Brees, he was mum on a deal for Taysom Hill

[jwplayer Kd6xg1Gy-ThvAeFxT]

Unlike many shot-callers around the league, New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis did not schedule any formal media availability during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. Still, Loomis did share some quotes with New Orleans media in a brief question-and-answer session Thursday afternoon, and the conversation predictably focused on a complicated contract situation with Drew Brees.

“We certainly want to have that done before the league year begins,” Loomis said to NewOrleansSaints.com’s John DeShazier. “Whether that’s first or not (in priority of other free agents), I don’t think that matters. But we definitely have a goal of having that done before the league year begins.”

It makes sense that re-upping Brees would be at the top of Loomis’ list, even if he played it cool regarding the overall landscape of Saints free agency. Brees will no doubt have one of the largest salary cap hits on the team, effectively serving as the first domino to fall in a series of moves. It’s going to be difficult for the Saints to budget for other free agents if they don’t know what they’ll be committing financially to Brees.

Loomis and the Saints must make difficult decisions on many Saints players, including each of their quarterbacks. Like Brees, Teddy Bridgewater will be an unrestricted free agent on March 18, while Taysom Hill carries restricted free agent status. While Saints coach Sean Payton has suggested re-signing Hill to a long-term deal could be a possibility before that March 18 deadline, Loomis declined the opportunity to share his take on it.

“I don’t want to talk about that in the media before we have a chance to talk about that with him and his people. But, look, I know Taysom has had a good experience in New Orleans and we’ve had a good experience with him. Obviously I think we’d like to continue that, and he’s stated he’d like it to continue,” Loomis told Nola.com’s Luke Johnson.

While the circumstances and contexts are totally different in re-signing Brees versus Hill, it’s interesting that Loomis feels no such compulsion to speak about Brees’ situation only behind closed doors. That might suggest a little more reluctance on his part to inking Hill to a multi-year extension, which adds another level of intrigue to what already looks like a busy Saints offseason. Or maybe we’re looking too deeply into what reads like a quick aside, and Loomis really hasn’t broached the topic with the agents representing one of his most-fascinating players.

[lawrence-related id=15811]

Mickey Loomis likes his receivers, doesn’t see big need with Michael Thomas on hand

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis likes his receiving corps ahead of the draft, at least as long as Michael Thomas is around.

[jwplayer DSh2y3LE-ThvAeFxT]

What is the biggest draft need for the New Orleans Saints? Objectively speaking, probably wide receiver. Michael Thomas led the group with 149 receptions; Ted Ginn Jr. placed second-best, with just 30 catches. After those two, second-year pro Tre’Quan Smith was the only receiver to catch at least 18 passes. Thomas put the team on his back and made NFL history, but he can’t be expected to do it his entire career. The Saints must get him some help.

But for now, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is focused on talking up the players still in the room: behind Thomas, that means names such as Smith, Keith Kirkwood, and Deonte Harris. Backups like Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Emmanuel Butler, Krishawn Hogan, Tim White, and Maurice Harris are also around. Ginn and slot specialist Austin Carr are each pending free agents.

“I like the group of receivers that we have,” Loomis said after Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, Ala. However, much as he may like those prospects, Thomas was the only one he could specifically point to as a reason for optimism. “Obviously, Mike is an elite receiver, maybe the best in the league. Certainly, production was the best in the league and we’re excited about him, continue to be excited about him. But we’ve got a lot of guys that we like in the room.”

In other words: the Saints aren’t going to move heaven and earth to bolster the receiving corps as long as Thomas has two good hands. His NFL-best performance explains some of their confidence in his abilities, but the best Saints teams have had a bevy of weapons to work with. They can’t count on schemed touches for Taysom Hill and occasional targets to Jared Cook and Alvin Kamara to be good enough forever.

It’s likely Loomis’s attitude will change in the months ahead, as the NFL’s calendar shifts to free agency and then the hectic weeks before the 2020 NFL Draft. He admitted that he and Saints coach Sean Payton were getting their first brush with the upcoming draft class at the Senior Bowl, and that the team hasn’t really hammered out a list of offseason priorities just yet. Hopefully scouting director Jeff Ireland and his staff will find the players who can help the Saints get over last year’s postseason stall-out.

[lawrence-related id=26676]

[vertical-gallery id=27352]

Saints GM Mickey Loomis shares his view on Drew Brees’ future with the team

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis shared his take on Drew Brees’ future, explaining that the Saints won’t push him away.

[jwplayer DSh2y3LE-ThvAeFxT]

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has a big decision ahead of him: whether it’s time to bow out, and retire from the NFL on his own terms. His contract expires in March, and he’ll have the option to re-sign with New Orleans, consider new offers, or simply enter retirement.

Brees, 41, leaving the game wouldn’t really be a huge shock — he’s played professionally for 19 seasons, having devoted his life to football. He’s got a wife and four children who would love to spend more time with him. And he won’t be lacking for new career paths once he’s thrown his last pass. He’s recently managed his contract with the Saints on a year-to-year basis, taking time to decompress and deliberate after each season.

But Saints general manager Mickey Loomis wants it known that he and his team will welcome Brees back as long as he wants to play in New Orleans.

“Yeah,” Loomis replied when asked if the Saints wanted another year with the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback. “I don’t think it’s any different than it’s been for the last few years. I don’t view it any different than I did a year ago or the year before that or the year before that, regardless of whether he has a contract or not. He’s a good player. He’s been a good player. He continues to be a good player.”

Still, Loomis acknowledged that the Saints must consider more factors than Brees’ personal success and the records he’s broken. He also pointed out that it’s important not to get bogged down in a string of recent, disappointing playoffs exits: “I think that any team who makes the playoffs is a success. That’s a successful season. Yet, we all have goals and aspirations more than just making the playoffs. And you really do if you’ve made the playoffs a number of years.”

The Saints have won 26 of their last 32 regular season games, posting back-to-back 13-win seasons for the first time in franchise history. And they’ve largely done that with Brees commanding the offense. Unless Brees decides to retire this offseason or seriously regresses next year, it’s tough to imagine anyone else starting at quarterback in the foreseeable future.

[lawrence-related id=26668]

[vertical-gallery id=27352]