Saints owner Gayle Benson calls 1-4 start not acceptable at Quarterback Club
Speaking to the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club on Tuesday, Oct. 13, Benson said the 1-4 start falls short of what fans deserve and put responsibility on the coaches, the football staff, the players and herself.
NEW ORLEANS: Saints owner Gayle Benson told the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club on Tuesday, Oct. 13, that the team's 1-4 start is not acceptable, in a rare public criticism of the franchise she owns.
Reading a prepared statement, Benson said, "We are one-and-four and that is not acceptable to me," according to Saints Wire. She said fans are right to expect more than the team has delivered, and that their frustration is not lost on her.
The remarks came two days after a 23-13 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Saints' third consecutive loss at home. Benson said she would not make excuses and would not accept this level of performance as the standard, and that she is committed to making the decisions necessary to improve the team.
She divided responsibility across the organization. Head coach Kellen Moore and his coaches are responsible for preparing the players to perform, and general manager Mickey Loomis and the football staff are responsible for building a roster capable of sustained success, she said. The players are responsible for their preparation and execution, and Benson placed responsibility for holding the organization accountable on herself.
Benson spoke as she turned to the team's sixtieth season, recalling Steve Gleason's blocked punt, Sean Payton lifting the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XLIV, and the records Drew Brees set. She called the loss to Atlanta in this year's anniversary game truly disappointing. That game, against the Falcons, marked 20 years since the team's return to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.
Brees was honored again on Sunday, when the Saints inducted him into their Ring of Honor at halftime of the Vikings game, months after his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Benson said the best way to honor that legacy is to uphold those standards today, in the wording reported by Saints Wire and the Daily Caller.
"Words will not restore our fans' confidence," Benson said. She said the team's performance must do that, and that while the first five games cannot be changed, the Saints are responsible for what they do next.
New Orleans is in its second season under Moore. Reports by the New York Post and the Daily Caller put Moore's record since taking over at 7-15, and both noted the Saints have missed the postseason in recent seasons, a run the Post put at five straight years.
The response Benson demanded gets its first test on the road. The Saints play at the New York Giants on Oct. 18, before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris on Oct. 25.
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