Mickey Loomis

Did you interview Brian Flores?

“Yes we did.”

How did that go?

“He was very impressive and we had a great interview. It went well.”

What do you like about Dennis Allen?

“First of all he’s a great coach, he’s been a part of our building for a long time. Obviously there was a time when he wasn’t with us. But he’s been a part of the building, a part of the culture and the success we’ve had over the years and has the experience as a head coach as well.”

Are you questions that you have received from candidates about the job significantly different than 15 or 16 years ago the last time you conducted a coaching search?

“I can’t remember 15-16 years ago (laughter), but they probably are different, but I think we are still trying to find out the same sort of things, get a feel for the same things from head coaching candidates, a lot of philosophy, vision and leadership. Specific questions might be a little different.”

What did you like about the interview with Brian Flores that really stood out?

“Just a lot of things, I don’t want to get into the specifics. But we had a good interview and he was impressive.”

Did Flores tell you about his pending lawsuit?

“He did after we finished the interview.”

In general, do you like how the league has things set up with the Rooney Rule? Would you like to see anything changed about it just how the process of getting candidates in? Is it something where tinkering could make it more effective?

“I think you always look at the process and evaluate it, look at some things that would be done differently. There were some changes this year and I’m sure the league will evaluate that and make more adjustments as we go along.”

How different is it not having Sean Payton here this week?

“It’s different. It’s been different since he informed us. It’s hard to describe without getting emotional about it.”

Can you discuss some of the criteria that you are looking for in your next head coach?

“Yes, there are some things. I don’t want to get into what those are specifically. But we have some thoughts that we share amongst ourselves.”

How do you evaluate the roster decisions coming up?

“All the roster decisions we’ve talked about. We’ve evaluated our team. We kind of have a good idea of what we have, but we need the coaching staff in place and the head coach in place in order to finish that process. I’m not going to answer any questions relative to the roster until the coaching search ends.”

How do you marry the quarterback decision with the head coaching decision. Do they go hand in hand?

“They’re pretty important. Replacing Drew Brees and Sean Payton are pretty important. It’s a question that every candidate’s going to have. That’s a collaborative decision and we have in-house candidates, those who have been with us and maybe other candidates. But we’ll just go through that process and determine who those are we’ll come up with a collective (decision).”

Can you talk about the potential head coach’s vision at the position?

“Again, I think that’s a collaborative, collective decision. That’s not just one person.”

Do you feel the cap situation is better than last year?

“We’re just in that pond where it never feels great, right? We have some challenges and we’ll manage it. I’m confident we’ll manage it. We don’t have a lot of margin for error. That’s just the way it is.”

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