Haslett To Keep Job
 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/column...len&id=1962433

How did this happen?

Jim Haslett=Next Wayne Fontes

Haslett, 49, has a 43-39 record (including playoff games) in five seasons with the Saints, the second-best mark in franchise history

Thats part of it.
Injuries is another.

Im not a big fan of his, but by Saints standards, he's done a good job.
Winning on the road against the hottest team in the second half of the NFL season didnt hurt either. In a watered down NFC, Saints make the playoffs next year.

The coach who got in the playoffs, over N.O. is a complete idiot. That will probably be more evident after today.

The NFC is only currently watered down. Next year could be a different story.

he kept his job
1) because the Saints only lost a playoff spot by a hair, strangely enough to a team the Saints had already beaten(thanks a lot three way tiebreakers!)
2) because Benson(the owner) is too worried about paying another coach that he fired

Despite being one of the best NFC teams down the stretch(funny how so many NFL experts loved to talk about how the Saints often colapse towards the end, but didn't say a peep about a nice 4 game win streak to end the season), the Saints continue to underachieve in terms of wins and losses. Until Haslett can fire up his players on a consistent basis, and until he get someone who can coordinate the D worth a damn, the Saints will never live up to their potential.

He's not only being retained, he's getting a contract extension. Basically the fans in New Orleans are content with mediocrity -- because mediocre is better than horrible, which the Saints were for the first 20 years of their existence. Those scars run deep, I guess.

The general rule down here has always been that Saints coaches get ticker tape parades for going 8-8.

But they will eventually get tired of it, see Mora, Jim.

Actually, I think many of the fans in this city are quite unhappy that Haslett was retained. I think he will eventually be a good coach somewhere, but I'm highly suspicious of his ability to lead the Saints.

Dola -

Saints fans are showing their displeasure with Haslett and the team by not buying tickets. They had been selling out the Superdome the past few years, but attendance has steadily declined this year.

Mora only left after the team slipped badly and became horrible -- Mora was mediocre for many years before that and nobody had much of a problem with it.

EaglesFan27, dunno if you've swung by SaintsReport.com but it seems to be the Saint message board of record; the vast majority of posters there think Haslett earned another year with the winning streak at the end of the season (although most of 'em are shocked and dismayed about the extension). Insane. He should've been gone after 2002.

No, I haven't read that board lately. I was mostly going by reaction on Jerry V's show (which is annoying but I still listen on my drive home from work), my coworkers, newspaper comments, and the downward trend of ticket sales.

I can sort of see where he might have earned a chance to finish out this contract with his late season performance, but the extension is insane. There is no way that he should have gotten that IMHO (and the opinion of most Saints' fans I know here in the city.)

i think many Saints fans who say he earned it don't support Haslett as much as realize that in Benson's eyes Haz has earned it. When I look at saintsreport and other Saints boards I see more Saints fans that are pissed about the extention than support it.

The team did seem to come together somewhat at the end of the season, but I would only feel somewhat optomistic about the future if Venturi was demoted to coaching DBs and we hired a decent DC.