Week 9 Hot Seat: Jesse Minter, Robert Saleh & Kellen Moore

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Pushing The Odds with Matt Perrault

Assessing the Futures of Jesse Minter, Robert Salah and Kellen Moore

Jesse Minter received a two when assessing his situation with the Ravens. Despite some questionable game plans and concerns that he may be overrated, he deserves some patience in his first year. He inherited a veteran-heavy defense and has not had much time to bring in his preferred players. Marlon Humphrey has also struggled significantly this season.

If the Ravens were producing these results in the second year of the experiment, the concern level would be closer to a four. For now, Minter gets somewhat of a pass because of his previous work with the Chargers and what has happened to that defense since his departure.

Robert Salah received a one despite the Titans starting 1-7 in his first year. He inherited a difficult situation, while Cam Ward has shown some progression. Ward played better against the Bengals than he had previously, but describing his performance as the best quarterback film in the NFL that week would be an exaggeration. Ward’s development should also buy Dayball more time as offensive coordinator, with the staff likely to receive a longer runway.

Kellen Moore’s situation in New Orleans is more complicated. His concern level should be a one, but Gayle’s public comments make it feel closer to a 3.5. Mickey Loomis may be pointing the finger at Moore and arguing that the head coach has failed to maximize the roster he was given.

However, the Saints have dealt with offensive line and running back injuries, an inability to run the football, and a second-year quarterback playing with a broken hand. The defense began the season well before injuries and underperformance became factors.

The Saints could improve late in the season if Travis AM returns healthy, the offense establishes a running game, and the defense returns to something resembling its earlier form. There is still plenty of talent on that side of the ball.

Those issues should not all be placed at Moore’s feet. He remains a smart head coach, but the inability to do anything beyond throwing the football has made the offense predictable. Multiple factors have contributed to the Saints’ struggles, even if Loomis may be looking to assign blame.