Versailles – The outcomes haven't often enough been what the New Orleans Saints have wanted this season in an outcome-based business, but Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis said he feels the Saints are capable of getting there.
"I like the direction we're going," Loomis said Wednesday, as the Saints (2-4) held their first practice at Municipal Stadium Montbauron in Versailles in preparation for Sunday's game against the Steelers (4-2) at Stade de France in Paris.
The mood surrounding the Saints lifted considerably following a 34-27 victory over the Giants that ended a three-game losing streak. Prior to that win — eight days ago — Saints owner Gayle Benson expressed her disappointment with how the season was going.
At the time the Saints were 1-4 and the last two of the three consecutive losses, all at the Caesars Superdome, had dampened notable celebrations — the 20-year anniversary of the Superdome reopening after Hurricane Katrina, and the induction of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees into the Saints Ring of Honor. Loomis said Benson wasn't alone in her frustration, and that her demand for improvement was shared throughout the building.
"I understood where she was coming from and I think every once in a while, we all need to be a little uncomfortable," Loomis said. "That's O.K."
Loomis said that the improvement in results will come as the Saints perfect their process.
"Process is probably a little more on the forefront as opposed to the outcome," he said. "We have to make sure that the processes are right and that the development is correct, and then we'll get the outcomes that we want and expect. But we're a young team, a young developing team and we have to recognize that. I recognize that. We've got a young coach, 23 games into his career, and that's where we're at."
Still, even at 2-4, Loomis said he envisions a successful path this season.
"I'm always really positive, I see a path to a high level of success every year," he said. "So you're hopeful on some fronts and look, we had a couple of games that we could have easily won. Detroit was a game we could have easily won (31-30 loss in overtime, as the Saints failed a two-point conversion on the final play), and we had an 11-point lead against Las Vegas (27-16 in the third quarter).
"We didn't get the outcomes that we were expecting or wanted, but they were there for us to take them. I think one of the things about a young team, they have to learn how to win. And we're in that process."
Loomis said he would fully complete an evaluation of head coach Kellen Moore after the season, but the team's goals remain intact and achievable.
"There's a lot of ways to measure (success) after the fact, but our goal hasn't changed," he said. "We have the same goals that we would have if we were a veteran team, the same goals that we had in 2012 with Drew Brees.
"We want to win the division, we want to make the playoffs, we want to make a run in the playoffs — so the goals aren't different. Maybe the expectations are different and the process that we use to get there is different. But I wouldn't say the measuring stick is a lot different in terms of what our goals are."
PRACTICE REPORT: Linebacker Kaden Elliss and defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd both were on the field during the portion of practice that media could view. Elliss (calf) has missed the last three games and Shepherd (illness) missed the last two. Right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), who did not finish the Giants game, did not practice. Rookie Jeremiah Wright, who completed the Giants game, worked with the starters Wednesday.
