Saints Mailbag (May 26): Hope Springs Eternal For Who Dats and Their Record Predictions

The old cliché of “Hope Springs Eternal” is common for football fans this time of year, although New Orleans motto of “The City that Care Forgot” seems to have been more prevalent the past few years.

Indeed, it has been quite some time since Saints fans have been this optimistic about their favorite team. Of course, finding a quarterback will solve a lot of woes, but so does a new coach with some new-found offensive weapons to surround Tyler Shough.

We have been a little lax in opening the mailbag as of late, so as the New Orleans Saints open OTAs on Wednesday (May 27), let’s let you in on some of the comments and questions I have been taking in.

If you have a something to say, email to me at jim@jimderry.com or join the live Dattitude Podcast with Jim Derry each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11 a.m. CT. Selected responses will be highlighted here.

There were two more wins they could have had last year – they left (Spencer) Rattler in a little too long (at quarterback). I get it; they had to see what he could do. I believe they are a lot better than last year – the floor is seven wins, and the ceiling is 10.

From: Danny Ray Pons on Facebook

Last year was one big experiment, and the best the team could hope for was to hit rock bottom so they could begin their ascent back up. I believe they accomplished that goal and winning four out of their last five went a long way to putting some salve on old wounds.

They don’t need to win 10 to keep the optimism riding high, but finishing any worse than 7-10 wouldn’t necessarily instill faith, either.

I think Kellen Moore has too much promise, as does the rest of his coaching staff to think the floor is any worse than last year’s 6-11. That being said, 10 is an optimistic ceiling, considering there still are some big holes to fill.

Last year the Cardinals and 49ers (missing half their starters) – both home games should have been wins. Even Seattle was missing their top two corners when we played them. … I feel 100% better about this team going into this season and believe we can win one of the first two games (at Detroit and at Baltimore).

From: Brandon Craft on YouTube

The Saints were underdogs in both games. They were a full touchdown underdog to San Francisco, which is what they currently are to both Detroit and Baltimore. That being said, they most certainly are better off this year. No question.

OTAs begin this week for the New Orleans #Saints. Here are some storylines to look for ... and a few that might get overblown. https://t.co/B0knvw0zIe
— Jim Derry (@JimDerryJr) May 24, 2026

Whether Alvin Kamara comes back depends on whether he’s taking a paycut. Travis Etienne will get probably 80% of the carries, so is it worth bringing Kamara back for 10-15% of the carries.

From: @dough3859 on YouTube

Etienne likely will get closer to 50% to 60% of the carries, but I get what you’re saying. In my opinion, it’s not about the money – a team still in rebuilding mode going through a youth movement would be better served to give Kamara’s carries to someone who could possibly be the RB2 for this team the next three to four years.

Kellen (Moore) is building his team, not Sean Payton’s team. … Kellen has his own plan not Sean Payton’s and definitely not Dennis Allen’s plans. … And those plans for Alvin Kamara might not fit in. That was part of Sean Payton’s team, as much as I love Kamara.

From: Karl Liggins on Facebook

Couldn’t agree more. Sometimes it’s tough for fans to let go of the past – especially players who have given them such great memories. But holding onto a 31-year-old running back in obvious decline is probably not a good idea.

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