METAIRIE, La. — Now that New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis has returned to work, the Saints need his crisis-management skills to be sharp.
The organization continues to be rife with unsettled issues, some of which have made its fan base uneasy.
So there was no time for Loomis to ease back into a routine Tuesday after serving his eight-game suspension in connection with the NFL’s bounty probe of the Saints.
His immediate tasks include clearing up the status of Sean Payton’s contract extension through 2015, which NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has so far refused to approve since the coach signed it in 2011.
Recent revelations that Payton is still not officially under contract beyond this season have only pushed anxiety-ridden Saints fans closer to panic. New Orleans has struggled while Payton has served his season-long bounty suspension, which, in the minds of many, has only strengthened the fiery and innovative coach’s value.
Loomis also will have to oversee contingency plans in the event that defensive end Will Smith and linebacker Jonathan Vilma have to serve their own bounty suspensions, which so far have been delayed by legal moves.
The GM kept a low profile on his first day back.
The Saints did not make him available to reporters and he did not immediately respond to requests for comments about his return to his Saints duties.
Assistant head coach Joe Vitt said even he did not have much time to chat with Loomis when they met Tuesday morning, but Vitt stressed that people throughout the organization were comforted by knowledge that the GM was back for the last half of what has already been an extraordinarily eventful season.
“Listen, Mickey and Sean are the leaders of this building. It’s not only great for Mickey to be back for our players and our coaching staff, but every person in our building,” Vitt said.
Vitt also sounded skeptical of the idea that Payton would leave.
“Our football team loves Sean Payton. Sean Payton loves this football team,” Vitt said. “Sean Payton loves this city. And this city loves Sean Payton. That goes a long way. That’s what I know.”
At 3-5, the Saints are playoff longshots as they head into next Sunday’s showdown in the Superdome with undefeated NFC South Division leaders Atlanta (8-0). Yet a sense of hope permeated team headquarters after a 28-13 victory over Philadelphia on Monday night that marked New Orleans’ third victory in four games.
“I love this football team. I love the resolve. I love the togetherness. I love their work habits,” Vitt said. “All that being said, we’ve got to get better this week.”
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