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I knew this was going to be a difficult installment to write. With all the anticipation that our 10 game winning streak brought to the Who Dat! Nation, there was no doubt in my mind that Thursday Nights’ poor display of football which led to our loss was going to have the SSF in an uproar about how our Saints are going to handle the remainder of the season. Realizing how quickly the NFC standings can change after just one slip-up helps us all to see that there is no room for error, especially since our debacle in Dallas kept us from sealing an NFC South championship last week and a guaranteed spot in the postseason.

The inevitable fallout from a loss like this one is the number of threads and comments that have a ‘sky is falling’ connotation to them. While the next 4 games are obviously critical ones if we are to maintain a Bye for the postseason, there seems to be little reason to go into a full blown panic. As some have even suggested, this could be a good wake-up call for our boys to refocus on the task at hand. So I tried to think of a personal experience that would help US to refocus on the good things that are still ahead for our Saints. Because whether you are nervous or not, don’t be fooled. The Saints are still true contenders this year… even if they didn’t look that way in last week’s loss.

If you are a lover of the natural beauty of the great outdoors, then likely you have either visited or hope to visit this nation’s oldest national park, Yellowstone. For the record, the park is located primarily in the northwest corner of the state of Wyoming and was established in 1872. Some parts of the park feature the picture-perfect scenery of mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and forests. Wildlife is also abundant, and it’s not unusual to see animals that you might otherwise only see in a zoo setting.

But there is another side to Yellowstone that is probably an even bigger draw for the 4 million who make the trek to this region each year. Most people highly anticipate viewing the liquid spectacles which are generated by the underground seismic activity going on under their feet. Yes, those amazing geysers! In many areas of the park these boiling fountains create an ‘other-worldly’ landscape that far exceeds that backyard project mishap when you forgot to call 811.

While most all of the (approximately) 500 sulfur-smelling water plumes around the park will leave you in awe, by far the most popular attraction in Yellowstone is the world famous geyser that is fittingly named Old Faithful. Reflecting back on an interesting feature of that natural attraction really helped me to find some solace after our collapse to the Cowboys by finding a connection between our disappointing loss and the anticipated eruption as I waited at the viewing area of the Old Faithful geyser.

Though this geyser has earned its name by giving the patrons a steamy & spectacular water show on an average cycle of about every 90 minutes, it still can be quite a tease to those waiting for the big water & steam show. When the water first begins to rise from the vent cone, it almost instantly gets hearts racing and cameras clicking. But within about 5-10 seconds the plume drops back down as if to be saying, “Show’s over folks!” This happened both times I watched it.

But within seconds of that lull, the real show begins as the blast of hot water and steam rises to over 100 feet in the air, often for over 3 minutes in duration! Usually to the sound of cheering you begin to realize why this natural phenomenon is so special to those who have had the opportunity to see it in person. Do you see where I’m going with this?

Reflecting on the Saints season, I find Old Faithful to be a fitting illustration of what we may see as the season continues to unfold. Sure it would have been wonderful if our initial spurt of 10 straight wins would have simply continued to shoot up to the full apogee of an 18-1 season. But it would have been hard to expect such a non-stop show of dominance by our boys. There are a lot of things that happen in the course of a typical NFL season that can make it hard for any team to be at the top of their game and win 18 games in a row. Thus, like that ‘teasing’ characteristic of the famous geyser, I feel that we still have our own version of spectacular looming just ahead! I really see this as just a brief pause before the real show begins.

And this eruption is wearing Black & Gold!

Panthers (6-6) at Browns (4-7-1) – The biggest story in this game may be the question of how hot the seat really is for head coach ‘Riverboat Ron’ Rivera. Though the latest news out of Charlotte is that some assistant coaches have been thrown under the bus as scapegoats for their dismal season, for now it seems that Ron is staying on the Panthers’ payroll. Some here may want to see him get tossed and see Carolina have to rebuild a new regime, while others may insist that keeping him as the Panthers coach will ensure the Panthers will remain a mediocre, middle-of-the-pack franchise. My way of thinking is that starting over with a new coaching staff and philosophy rarely puts a team back to the top for at least a few years. And if the Panthers can be in a rebuilding mode while Drew Brees gives us a few more chances at taking the division, I say that a few more Carolina losses might get the coaching ax to fall in Charlotte. Besides, I’m all for a few less Superman poses by TowelHead. Pull for the Brownies!

Giants (4-8) at Redskins (6-6) – If you are looking to keep your legs intact, my first suggestion would be to avoid trying out for the quarterback position with the Redskins. Yes, it’s hard to imagine how tough it is for a team (and their fans) to deal with the injury bug as seriously as they have experienced losing their first and second string QBs. While I was hoping Washington could have enough left to win the East, this is clearly not going to happen with Sanchez taking the snaps. No matter who pulls this game out, it really wouldn’t be a bad outcome for us. Either the Giants would get pushed farther back in the draft, or the Redskins would keep the pressure on the Eagles and Cowboys. For now, we should probably just pull for the Giants and put them in the middle of the drafting order. It’s highly unlikely that the Redskins will be able to make headway since they only play one more divisional game this year.

Falcons (4-8) at Packers (4-7-1) – The Falcons have officially fallen to the lowest depths of the South division and the handful of their fans that remain are calling for Dan Quinn’s head. Though Arthur Blank has given DQ his seal of approval, it may be tough to keep him around. In order to get butts in the seats, they may have to resort to giving away free Chik-Fil-A sandwiches just to keep the fans interested in attending these sob fests. The fact is that both of these teams are in turmoil right now and the only question with picking this game may be where each will pick in the draft. There are 10 other teams with 4 wins or less in the league, so I still don’t see the Falcons getting a really high draft pick especially since they will still be playing the Cardinals at home next week. And the Packers will beat both the Jets and Lions down the stretch. Give this one to the Packers and let us enjoy another week of watching Atlanta burn.

Broncos (6-6) at 49ers (2-10) – The 49ers season is proof that losing your signal caller early in the season really does remove any legitimate chance you have of being a contender. It’s pretty obvious at this stage of the season that the only thing separating where the first pick in the draft will end up is the Oakland Bay. Jon Gruden is fighting hard to get Oakland that top pick, and I am inclined to give it to him just to keep the league’s newest star in the AFC. So let’s pull for San Francisco to win this ‘shoot yourself in the foot’ game of the week.

Eagles (6-6) at Cowboys (7-5) – Like it or not, this will be a big game in deciding the champion of the NFC East. It’s starting to look like the defending SuperBowl champs are finding a bit of a stride now that they are getting some injured players back and have won a couple of games in a row. A win for the Eagles here would split the matchups with Dallas and could give them the momentum they need to provide some help for the Saints by taking down the Rams the following week. And besides, do you really want to see the Cowboys make it back to the playoffs? I didn’t think so. Pull for the Eagles in this one!

Lions (4-8) at Cardinals (3-9) – Some may have been surprised by the Arizona victory at Lambeau Field this past Sunday, but perhaps this was Mr. State Farm’s way of ‘insuring’ himself that he wouldn’t have to deal with Coach McCarthy in the future. I suppose that the Packers organization will simply ask Rodgers who he wants as the new head coach, and it will be a done deal. But last week’s win was more about the Pitiful Packers than an improved Cardinals team. Thus I’m all for giving the Cardinals fans something to cheer about at home in their University of Phoenix Stadium. Did you know that the shape of that stadium was designed to emulate a coiled snake? Well something even slyer than that would be for the Cardinals to pull off a two game winning streak, while at the same time putting them in that group of 4-win teams. That should give the fans something to smile about this week, and frown about come draft day. So let’s pull for Arizona.

Rams (11-1) at Bears (8-4) – In the words of Fred G. Sanford, “This is the BIG one!” Yes, we know that there is little chance that the Rams will falter down the stretch with their remaining cupcake schedule. Too bad that their weak division practically guaranteed them a division championship this year. But we can only hope that there will be a bit less urgency in their game now that they have the West wrapped up. But they know that the #1 Seed is still the top prize that they will be shooting for as they waltz through their remaining games. Trubisky will likely be back under center for Chicago and should give the Bears a fighting chance, and hopefully the weather in Chicago will also favor the team from The Windy City. Pull hawd for Da Bears in order to give the Saints a realistic shot at HFA throughout the playoffs. It would be great to stay home for every game we’ll have in the playoffs. Home Sweet Dome!

Vikings (6-5-1) at Seahawks (7-5) – Don’t look now but it seems that Seattle has taken a step forward in the race for the playoffs. While the SeaHens can only get into the playoffs as a wildcard team, they are certainly well on their way to making that happen. I don’t know about you but I see Wilson and his boys as a much bigger threat to winning a few playoff games than what I see out of Cousins and his crew. Seattle is always tough to beat at home so the Vikings will have their hands full trying to pull out a win this Monday Night. But Seattle has both the 49ers and the Cardinals ahead of them, thus it would be best to see them take the loss now. So pull for the Vikings because I just don’t see Minnesota catching the Bears. And at best they might be a wildcard team that could give us a shot to avenge last year’s ‘miracle’ loss, and do so in our place. Now wouldn’t that be sweet!

Saints (10-2) at Buccaneers (5-7) – I can’t figure out why, but this game still scares the daylights out of me. I watched Winston make too many big throws and Evans make too many big catches in their win over the Panthers on Sunday. While it’s easy to assume that the Saints will be highly motivated with some payback in mind, the Bucs literally have nothing to lose when it comes to this game. The Saints will obviously have to execute much better than what we saw in Dallas and we will have to put some pressure on Jameis to have him put a few passes up for grabs. If we can play defense as we have been doing of late we can surely bring home the ‘W’. And I'd rather earn one than eat one!