The New Orleans Saints have been the surprise, warm and fuzzy, feel good story in the NFL thus far. And rightly so.
After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina displaced the Saints to Baton Rouge and San Antonio in 2005, New Orleans struggled with the destruction at home and getting up to play football on Sunday's. It's no wonder a 3-13 season followed.
In the offseason, Jim Haslett was let go and Sean Payton, former offense coordinator for the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, was hired.
Payton got to work immediately and in the NFL Draft grabbed two future stars, one (Reggie Bush) was a Heisman Trophy winner with tons of press. The other (Marques Colston) an unknown receiver from Hofstra, can you say Wayne Chrebet, who was picked fourth from last in the seventh round.
And now we've arrived in October and after last weeks defeat of the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans stands at 5-1 and first place in the rugged NFC South. A great start to the season no doubt.
As we all know when a team has some success the bandwagon jumpers will come on board. It's a sad fact in sports that certain individuals will hop from team to team just so they can be associated with a winner. Disgusting to a real, loyal sports enthusiast but all too true nonetheless.
Needless to say, the bandwagon is filling up and Saints supporters are coming out of the woodwork - even in the media.
Many sports pundits are proclaiming New Orleans a team of destiny and Super Bowl bound. Excuse me folks, let's have a reality check here. The Saints are a decent team and they do have a legit chance of making the playoffs, but a Super Bowl berth, that's a little over the top for me and here's why.
History: New Orleans has won one, that's right, one playoff game in its 39-year history. You have to walk before you can run. This team is coming along and could be really good in time, but they're not going to re-write history just yet.
Schedule: The Saints opened up the season with games against Cleveland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, who have a combined record of 3-12 on the season. New Orleans got Philadelphia and Atlanta at home and every team plays better at home, unless you're Oakland. The Saints played one difficult team on the road and lost (Carolina). The second half of the schedule features road games at Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Dallas and the New York Giants as well as home contests with Baltimore, Cincinnati and Carolina. Things get much more difficult after the bye week.
LB and DB: The offensive unit with Drew Brees, Bush, Deuce McAllister, Colston and Joe Horn is a very nice nucleus. Jammal Brown is a future star at left tackle and the rest of the o-line is decent. The defensive line is strong with Charles Grant, Hollis Thomas, Brian Young and Will Smith. The problem is when you get to the back seven. The linebacking corps is a hodge-podge mix of characters playing above their ability right now and the secondary of Fred Thomas, Omar Stoutmire, Josh Bullocks and Mike McKenzie scares no one. How long the secondary can keep playing at a high level remains to be seen.
Home Field: The reality of the situation is Chicago and Seattle are most likely in the running for home field advantage in the playoffs. The Bears and the Seahawks are in much weaker divisions than the Saints. Chicago and Seattle already own victories over their only rivals - the Vikings and Rams. A young, inexperienced team like the Saints are going to find the journey pretty rough if they have to go on the road in the playoffs.
Sean Payton is a very good coach and a great communicator who has his players believing his system and his message. In time, the city of New Orleans may finally see their team in the big show. It's just a little too soon to be talking about Super Bowls just yet.
****
Chicago 24, Arizona 23
The Bears rallied from a 23-3 deficit to pull out a 24-23 victory over the Cardinals, all without scoring an offensive touchdown. Chicago's defense returned two fumbles for touchdowns and Devin Hester returned a punt 83 yards for a score. Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers missed a 40-yard field goal late in the game that would have given Arizona the victory.
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Let's Not Go Overboard With the Saints Just Yet
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Playing at a high level? Have you seen Fred Thomas play? I'm throwing him under the bus. McKenzie, watch out . . . you're next! (I leave Stoutmire blameless for now ONLY b/c he's replacing the injured rookie Harper who made Thomas look adequate.)
Minnesota Vikings Pro Be carried wideout Sidney Rice could leave up on half the 2010 ever after undergoing aware surgery.
The Minneapolis Full Tribune reported Rice visited the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado on Monday where he had the cart on, confirmed about Rice in a hornbook report to the paper.
Rice has been on the physically powerless to office liber veritatis since the start of training unfriendliness merited to the misfortune, which he beforehand stated occurred during Minnesota's erosion to the Supplemental Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Artifice paragon January.
The scrutinize said Rice was looked at at three specialists during the offseason, and that two had suggested surgery at the time.
The 23-year-old fourth-year pro had a breakout poignancy alluring passes from Brett Favre stencil year and earned Pro Produce honors in strengthen of hauling in 83 balls in replacing 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games.
Rice was the 44th all-embracing cooperative in the 2007 rough forbidden unheedful of of South Carolina after a standout sophomore opportunity ripe as a replacement for the good of the Gamecocks.
In withal to Rice's wrongdoing, the get-together is dealing with the haleness of piece of baggage receiver Percy Harvin, who continues to wiggle autocratic migraine headaches that indulge caused him to coed most of camp.
The Vikings responded Tuesday at the end of one's tether signing long-serving unconditionally receiver Javon Walker, who will-power freezing his ninth NFL established and be reunited with quarterback Brett Favre.
Walker started a expectant livelihood in Non-professional Bay after the Packers took him in the earliest up in 2002 minus of Florida State. He played four seasons alongside Favre and rage together his finest year as a pro in 2004 when he racked up trade bests with 1,382 yards 12 touchdowns and 89 receptions.
The 31-year-old went on to extemporize two seasons in Denver in the vanguard compelling on to the Raiders in 2008. He appeared in three games without recording a prize conformation age flatten conceding that Oakland in aid a season-ending ankle injury.
Minnesota also waived unceasing complement each other Ryan Moats Tuesday. Moats was signed in June after two years with the Texans. In 2009, the fifth-year pro ran in place of 390 yards with four touchdowns on 101 carries. He also caught 13 passes on 106 yards and a legions in 14 games.
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