Kellen Moore was on the fast track to become NFL head coach.
New Orleans Saints would not be rushed to hire its head coach.
Eventually, two timelines crossed a mutually advantageous way when the holy hired Moore two days after coordinating Philadelphia Eagles crime in their Super Bowl Lix victory over Kansas City Chiefs.
It was the right choice for the employer and the employee.
Moore, at the age of 36, is the youngest head coach in the NFL but one who has been preparing for this opportunity for a very long time. He decided he wanted to become a football coach while watching his father, Tom, coach his team at Proser (Wash.) High School.
He began to take detailed notes even before playing quarterback in his father’s team. Moore realized that he was not the most athletic quarterback, and the key to his success would be his mental skill.
His Smart’s and film study helped him become a very successful quarterback at Boise State, which led to a six -year career in the NFL, mostly as a backup.
Although his student did not lead to a remarkable NFL playing career, it accelerated his preparation to be a coach.
Moore started his coaching career as a cowboys’ quarterback coach in 2018 and next year began a four-year period as the team’s offensive coordinator, a position he had with the chargers in 2023 before joining Eagles last season.
Despite its relatively short resume, Moore has been on the radar for head coach-Needy team for a few years now.
When this employment season began, seven teams were looking for new coaches, but each one knew they would have to be patient if they wanted to hire Moore because Philadelphia continued to win.
Six of them made employees before the Eagles won the NFC championship.
The Saints took the time.
They had preliminary conversations with Moore, and he was fascinated from the beginning. Almost without exception, the former Saints players and coaches he met told him “how big the New Orleans Saints organization is.”
The Saints were one of the most successful organizations under Benzon Family Ownership, Director General Mickey Loomis and former head coach Sean Payton from 2006 to 2021. When Payton resigned after the 2021 season, the organization chose understanding continuity by marketing Dennis Allen from Defensiva.
But the team has now missed the playoffs four straight seasons, including Payton’s last.
You can never be sure what role (if any) fate plays in events, but in retrospect there are signs that this partnership was meant to be.
The Super Bowl victory took place in Caesar’s Superdome, which Moore visited twice this past season and will now be his hometown.
The saints were the most dominant team in the NFL during the first two weeks of the season, and when Eagles visited New Orleans in week 3, Moore said that he reminded that “this is a really difficult place (for opponents) to play. “
Moore’s crime produced a touchdown driving late in the fourth quarter that gave its team a victory 15-12 and triggered a seven-game losing line for New Orleans. Tailspin led owner Gayle Benson to fire Allen despite Loomis hesitating.
When it was time to conduct another coaching search, continuity would not be an asset to any candidate, not even Interim’s head coach Darren Rizzi.
There are similarities between Moore and Payton when the latter was employed as a young (42), well-regarded offensive assistant after New Orleans 3-13 season in 2005.
But Moore is not payton and should not try to be.
Still, when the holy navigates in the worst pay situation in the NFL and meets decisions on several important players past their Prime, Moore-Payton before him-give a new set of eyes to evaluate a list that needs to be rejected.
The money quote from Moore’s introductory news conference came when he said to take on two new opportunities during the previous two seasons allowed him to do something necessary for his growth – “getting out of my comfort zone.”
And it’s something that New Orleans stationary franchise needs.
