Aaron Kromer
Replacing a legend is never easy. But when you consider that Aaron Kromer was basically a substitute teacher in New Orleans for a team that was devastated by bounty penalties and has the perhaps the worst defense in the NFL, you can see why he had his work cut out for him as interim head coach.
However, ever since Sean Payton and Drew Brees joined the New Orleans Saints, expectations have always been high in the Big Easy. So despite finishing on a two-game winning streak, I think it's safe to say that most Saints' fans weren't happy with how New Orleans played under interim head coach Aaron Kromer.
One of the unfair complaints against Kromer is that he was too calm on the sidelines. But if Kromer is naturally calm, then acting like a wild man on the sidelines would have made him seem phony to the Saints' players. Still, impressions mean a lot when you're a public figure. Remember Aaron Brooks laughing after interceptions?
Many Saints' fans also thought that Aaron Kromer was too positive after losses. After one loss, Kromer guaranteed that New Orleans would finish with a winning record. Some fans were taken aback with the implication that a winning season was a satisfactory goal. I couldn't believe he thought the Saints' defense was good enough to earn a winning season.
But I used the substitute teacher analogy earlier to show how difficult of a spot Aaron Kromer was in as the Saints' interim head coach. Knowing that Joe Vitt and then Sean Payton would eventually be taking over head coaching duties, Kromer had to maintain the status quo in New Orleans and not make any radical personnel moves.
The only complaint I have over Kromer's handling of the offense as Saints' head coach was his insistence on playing Mark Ingram over Chris Ivory. But how do we know that Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton weren't sending coded messages to Aaron Kromer to make New Orleans' first round pick earn his pay? Perhaps the decision was Pete Carmichael's and not Kromer's.
In short, I'm not happy that the Saints are 2-4, but I refuse to put the blame on interim head coach Aaron Kromer. He had nothing to do with New Orleans' terrible personnel decisions on defense and he had nothing to do with the bounty penalties. Now Kromer can get back to doing his most important job: keeping Drew Brees upright.
Patrick Michael lives in New Orleans and has always been a big fan of the New Orleans Saints. Patrick's favorite Saints season was 2009 when New Orleans won Super Bowl 44. Follow Patrick Michael on Twitter at patmichael84.
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