Two former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator candidates have already been fired by the teams that hired them this offseason not long after the Las Vegas Raiders traded away Luke Getsy.
Klint Kubiak, who the Saints ultimately chose, has to prove that he shouldn't join them. Getsy interviewed twice with New Orleans before accepting the job with the Raiders. Kubiak may have been signed by Dennis Allen, but that doesn't mean Darren Rizzi won't let him go if the team doesn't get results. Fortunately, that seems unlikely after the team revived itself with a win in Rizzi's debut as head coach last weekend.
A big reason why naming Rizzi as interim head coach made sense was that it meant little disruption to Kubiak on offense and Joe Woods, who was coordinating defense. The fact that Rizzi didn't quickly dismiss Kubiak after being appointed interim player and committed himself to his own player speaks volumes.
Still, eliminating Waldron and Getsy doesn't necessarily mean the Saints did everything right with Kubiak. He was too slow to adjust when defenses countered his game plans, and he didn't prepare rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler well for the start while suffering a series of losses when Derek Carr was injured. Of course, widespread injuries at the offensive line and skill positions played a role, but Kubiak's unit hasn't reached the same heights as it did in Weeks 1 and 2.
Hopefully he'll get back on track once Erik McCoy returns to the lineup. The Saints welcomed their starting center back to practice last week and on Monday, likely signaling his return. McCoy was crucial to Kubiak's vision for the offense – the Pro Bowler was tasked with setting the protections before the snap, not the quarterback, which took a huge load off Derek Carr's shoulders early in the season. There isn't much reason to believe Kubiak's job is in jeopardy right now, but if the Saints find themselves in a slump again after beating Atlanta, all options should be on the table. You need to know who is part of the long-term solution and who is part of the problem.
