New Orleans Saints executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis joined the Saints Hour on WWL on Tuesday, Dec. 5 and discussed the Saints game against the Detroit Lions, Tyrann Mathieu's nomination for Walter Payton Man of the Year and more in an interview with Mike Hoss, the voice of the Saints. Later, Loomis and Hoss were joined by Saints legend and Fox Sports analyst Jonathan Vilma and Saints legend Jabari Greer, who is being inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame this weekend.
Loomis started by addressing the Saints' 33-28 loss to the Lions. The Saints did not come out the gate quickly as the Lions raced to a 21-0 lead with 8:15 left in the first quarter.
"Man, that's a tough road to hoe," Loomis said. "And yet, we gave ourselves a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, so I was proud of our team for that, proud of the way we fought back and fought through adversity."
Loomis said he thought the team did a good job from the second quarter on.
"From that point on it was 28-12 in our favor, so that's a good sign against a good football team, but yet at the end of the day it's a loss."
Loomis did notice some positives, like the Saints going four for four in the red zone after that being a point of emphasis heading into the game.
"I think Dennis (Allen) said this after the game, we have to just keep chopping, keep fighting, because there are good things that can happen," he said. "We've seen flashes of it, and we just need more of it. That's the honest truth and I believe we can do that. I do, with all my heart."
Loomis mentioned several individual performances that he thought stood out. He said wide receiver Chris Olave played a good game, linebacker Nephi Sewell did a good job stepping in for linebacker Pete Werner and linebacker Zack Baun made a great play, getting past Lions tackle Penei Sewell and sacking quarterback Jared Goff
Loomis also mentioned quarterback Derek Carr.
"I thought Derek after the first couple series put together a spectacular game," he said. "I think he had (15) consecutive passes. He led us to those two scores in the third quarter to get back in the game. I thought he played really well."
Running back Alvin Kamara also stood out, scoring two rushing touchdowns, making him the Saints career leader in rushing touchdowns with 53, passing Mark Ingram's total of 52.
"It feels like every week that he plays, he adds another record to his resume," Loomis said.
The NFL recently announced Mathieu as the Saints' nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year. Mathieu, who grew up in New Orleans, attended St. Augustine High School and Louisiana State University.
"For him to be able to come back home and play for us and continue that legacy that he has in our community, just speaks volumes for him," Loomis said.
Loomis said he hopes Mathieu wins the award and that he "certainly deserves it."
The Saints have a NFC South game against the Carolina Panthers in the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Dec. 10. Loomis said the 1-11 Panthers are "desperate for a win."
"We need to be desperate for a win," he said. "We are desperate for a win and we need to give our fans a reason to cheer right from the beginning."
