Kellen Moore and Saints players prepare for the Giants amid criticism from owner Gayle Benson

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — New Orleans Saints second-year coach Kellen Moore and his team now find themselves answering questions about unusually critical comments made by the NFL club’s owner.

When Wednesday’s practice ended, it took a while before Moore was even got a chance to start discussing this Sunday’s opponent, the New York Giants.

Instead, he was peppered with questions about whether he believes he’s been put on notice by Saints owner Gayle Benson, who said during an earlier public appearance that she will “not accept this level of performance.”

The Saints (1-4) are coming off three straight losses at home — including a 45-24 loss to rival Atlanta in prime time, during which they trailed by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter.

“Mrs. B’s great,” Moore said in his typically calm, even-keeled tone. “We all want better results, and that’s how this business is.

“We’re all shooting for the same goals and aspirations,” Moore continued. “It’s about getting there together, collectively. And so that’s the focus of our group.”

Benson, a New Orleans native and proud Catholic, routinely accepts public speaking engagements. Rarely, however, does she criticize the performance of the team she inherited from her late husband, Tom, in March 2018.

“Kellen Moore and his coaches are responsible for preparing our players to perform,” Benson said at a Tuesday gathering of the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club. “(General manager) Mickey Loomis and our football staff are responsible for building a roster capable of sustained success. The players are responsible for their preparation and execution. I am responsible for holding this organization accountable.

“Words will not restore our fans’ confidence,” she added. “Our performance must do that.”

The Saints made the playoffs in each of Gayle Benson’s first three seasons as owner, but now will need a considerable turnaround to avoid missing the postseason for a sixth straight year.

Saints center Erik McCoy, a 2017 second-round draft choice by New Orleans, said Benson’s critical public comments this week were “not typical of her — and this kind of shows the sense of urgency we have to get better.”

“Obviously, you want to have a sense of urgency every game,” McCoy continued. “But when you’re 1-4, it’s like, ‘All right, we can’t take too many more losses if we want to do something this year.’”

McCoy said New Orleans’s slow start to the season has been particularly frustrating in light of the improvement that players anticipated during Moore’s second season and with Tyler Shough firmly established as their starting quarterback.

“Year 2 in the system. Obviously, we have a really good quarterback,” McCoy said. “We have to be better. … Too many penalties, too many turnovers, too many” missed assignments.

Shough said he and left guard David Edwards, acquired last March as a free-agent from Buffalo, addressed the offense before Wednesday’s practice “to make sure we were dialed in.”

Shough, who was intercepted twice in a 23-13 loss to Minnesota on Sunday, said he spoke to teammates about having “too many mental errors all over the position groups, including myself. So, I think the biggest thing was owning that.”

As for Benson’s comments, Shough said she “wasn’t saying anything that wasn’t already known,” and “did a really good job of highlighting” the organization’s expectations.

Moore, hired in February 2025 after serving as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion Eagles, said he has not met with Benson or spoken with Loomis specifically about Benson’s comments.

“The most important thing is, you know, you got to focus on the task,” Moore said. “You got to focus on what’s important.”

What was important to Benson was ensuring fans knew she “very loudly” hears their dissatisfaction.

“I understand your disappointment,” Benson said. “Your support deserves a response you can see on the field. We cannot change the results of our first five games. We are responsible for what we do next.”

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