A nuclear bomb was dropped on Steve Spagnuolo and the Saints' coaching staff late last night while most of us were sleeping. Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune, citing an anonymous player of the Saints, gave the player's opinion that Spagnuolo should be fired immediately. What bothers me the most about these quotes is, well, pretty much all of it. Where to even start? Everyone hates him, he's not open to suggestion, he rules with an iron thumb, he's a poor communicator and he struggles mightily with in game adjustments. If any of that is even half true, he should indeed be fired immediately.
Of course, this is one player's word and he won't even reveal his name and stand behind his comments. It could be a prominent player on the team that is entrenched in the lineup, or a disgruntled player on his way out. If I had to guess, it's mostly likely the latter… and if that's the case you have to wonder if his comments are motivated purely by some sort of revenge, or if there's significant genuine sincerity to them. If the locker room does feel anything close to what is suggested, though, it's a really bad sign.
Even if you're not interested in hearsay or the word of one anonymous player, dealing in fact is enough to state a pretty significant case against Spagnuolo returning. If there was ever a justification for firing a coach after one season, this would pretty much be it. The Saints were the first team in NFL history to yield over 7,000 yards from scrimmage in one season. That's right, the worst ever. The Saints finished 32nd overall, 32nd against the run, and 31st against the pass. The fan base has generally leaned towards blaming the talent, or lack thereof, but this latest news could maybe shift that. I know it's made me question everything all over again, and when you consider that the defense didn't really improve as they saved their absolute worst performance for week 17 – maybe Spagnuolo should be sent packing. After all, the Saints were bad last year under Gregg Williams, but they weren't the worst ever. The talent this year was similar, if not better with Bunkley and Lofton.
Do you think Spagnuolo should be fired? Does this latest article change things for you?
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