A DEFINING MOMENT IN OUR SEASON...(very, very long) (1 Viewer)

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The game on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins sets itself up to be a defining moment in our season. It's not a make or break game, and I want to be very clear about that as to not have my thoughts here misconstrued. It is, however, a game that can go a long way in establishing a new order of things for the New Orleans Saints. We have been the hunter not only in the early part of this season but also throughout our existence. And to a degree, we are still the hunter as we are in a search of our first trip to the Superbowl in franchise history. But the league can be a tricky enterprise where consistent winning--even outside of the context of having a Superbowl victory--can cause other teams to become to target you as a team to beat. Given our early season dominance over teams, including those (Giants, Eagles, and Jets) that will still have an argument at the table of who will make the playoffs, makes us the haunted.

It is unfamiliar territory for our team. So much so, that there's a reasonable expectation by some individuals that we will lose this game. Surely, the Saints, who have shown in the past that they are not able to consistently sustain early season winning streaks, will not be able to keep it up this year. That is the expectation, or maybe even the hope of some persons. And the reality is that while past years have nothing to do with this year, we have to go out and prove that this team is, indeed, not our grandparents' Saints.

There's already been discussion of the fact that we have not fared well coming off big wins. We didn't do it when we were able to defeat the Cowboys in such dramatic display. The next game we lost to the Redskins whose defense, which was led by Gregg Williams, shut us down. We did not do it when we dropped a 50-burger against the Packers. The next week, we failed to run the football though the atmosphere dictated that we should have done so. The result was a close defeat to the Bucs in a game that we were fully capable of winning. There have been other such low performances coming off huge wins. And there have been low performances coming off winning streaks. Let us not forget the Rams game in 2007. We started 0-4, battled back to 4-4 with huge wins over the Seattle Seahawks on their own home field where they do not lose often and over the Jacksonville Jaguars who had a fantastic defense that season and a good team of their own. We play the Rams who were so terrible that they could only make last year's Lions or this year's Rams look better. And we lost. Or let us go back to the last time we were 5-0. We played the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road and got annihilated. We never recover, and our early dreams of a visit to the playoffs turned quickly into a nightmare of another high pick. We used that pick to take Joe Johnson.

Such has been the norm around here. We are historical losers. We win games sometimes we are not expected to win and lose games we are not expected to lose. But to everything, as the Book of Ecclesiastes eloquently notes, "there is a season." On the surface, one might argue that this is our season, and it very well could be. But I would like to think that our season started back in 2006. No, 2005. For while Hurricane Katrina decimated our great city, it did not destroy our spirits. It wiped away physical memories, but it did not prevent future memories from being fostered. In a sense, Hurricane Katrina cleansed the reality of a Saints team of old, and ushered in a Saints team of new. And in 2006, led by Sean Payton, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and a team with a desire to win, we got off to a darn good start. We surprised the world, and probably ourselves, and made it all the way to the NFC Championship. Sure, we lost and that hurt because all of us have spent our entire lives dreaming of going to big dance only to see that dream constantly deferred. I guess the glimmer of hope to some may have been the fact that we were able to come within a game of the Superbowl whereas in the past our hopes had come crashing down right around game 6. But the hope for me, and, perhaps, for many, came when we defeated the Eagles the week prior to the game against the Bears. It came through a simple statement by Sean Payton: "We're not the same old Saints!"

I believed him then, and I believe it now. That said, in the seasons following that statement, we struggled. And some of us, including myself at times, might have thought that this was not the same old Saints, but it was the same old results led by a coach who many begin to fashion as a Jim Haslett-clone. But clone he was not even if the results were not what we expected coming off such a great first year under his helm. The thing that I think was lost on us all is that the transformation from good to greatness can be difficult and challenged by certain adversity; the shift from laughing stock to elite can be even more daunting, and take time that patience does not always afford to us. We were a laughing stock, and changing the culture and developing a winner was going to take more than words. It was going to take action. It was going to take experimentation. It was going to time. For Sean Payton, directly, it took growth. And with any process of growth, come growing pains. So in 2007 and 2008, we battled injuries, underachieved, and witnessed a defense get ripped apart each week. But even inside of those tragic seasons, there were still glimmers of hope that a new day had dawn.

Welcome to 2009. We made the necessary changes to put this team in a position to compete. And compete they have. We have won games in convincing style, and have yet to trail. We have defeated every team by at least 14 points, and have put ourselves in the early conversation of those teams capable of being a Superbowl contender. Heck, there even talk that we might go undefeated. That's a good feeling for any fan, and I am sure the team revels in the success they have had. But let us not be naive; to be certain, with success, comes the bulls-eye and it is firmly on our back. Don't believe me. Take Jason Taylor's words for it: "I am tired of hearing about the Saints!"

Yes, I know Jason. And we're tired of hearing about you and the Wildcat. But that's a different talk show. This thread is about the Saints though our game against you on Sunday has implication in this post. So we find ourselves undefeated at the moment and getting ready to face a hungry and talented Dolphins team. And the chatter has begun. Can the Saints keep it up? Will they return to being the Saints of old? Is this the game 6 of 2009 what the game 6 of 1993 was for the team? Maybe, but I DO NOT THINK IT IS SO! This year is different and this game becomes the defining moment of our season. I thought that moment had come in week 3 against Buffalo. Coming off the huge win at Philadelphia, there were many who thought that we would blow against the Bills. And we did have a bit of a 12-round boxing match against them in which the game was not really determined until the fourth quarter. Make no mistake, that game was very important in defining the character of our team. We won the game not doing the things that many have come to expect will occur when the Saints are adding a W to the record column. We ran the football, we played defense and we won the game in the trenches. It showed Payton's growth and maturity as a Head Coach. But coming off two huge victories against the Jets and Giants, we find ourselves once against at a defining moment. But whereas the game against the Bills defined our character, this game against Miami has an opportunity to define our greatness.

The Colts have become an elite team in this league but prior to the Manning years they were the team most likely to pick #1 in the NFL Draft. The Patriots have become an elite team (though some might argue the luster is fading) but prior to the Belichick and Brady years, they were the team most remembered for getting hammered in the Superbowl by Da Bears! In other words, a less-than-memorable past rife with a lack of success does not determine who a team can become. We can shift the view of the Saints not only for this year but for years to come. Unquestionably, winning the Superbowl is the best way to do so. Don't worry, that's coming! But history is but a moment in time. And it is time to start defining what the history of this period in the existence of the Saints shall be. We must march into Land Shark channeling the words of Gregg Williams, and "knock the Dolphins the **** out!" To do so, will extend our winning streak. That's a given. To do so will hush some of the naysayers. That's also a given. But to go in and win a game where we clearly the better team on paper means that this team understands how to play with greatness!

For too long, we have complained when our team has not gotten respect, and acted in fear of the consequences of visibility when our team has gotten even the slightest mention. We don't them to be ranked at the bottom of the Power Rankings but we don't want them at the top. It is in our nature given our history to believe that this team has to be the underdog in order to stay motivated. But part of that thinking is a byproduct of being on a team that has yet to taste the fruits of a championship, or, at least, years of being a consistent playoff contender. For the Colts and Patriots' fans can attest, there is another type of motivation. It is the motivation of winning even when every **** team out there wants to beat you. The Colts and Patriots were once laughing stocks. But they turned it around and eventually their fans had to accept being considered an annual Superbowl contender year in and year out. There are a lot of teams that go into games against the Colts wanting to destroy them. For the most part, those teams have walked out losers.

We play the Dolphins on Sunday. They have had TWO WEEKS to prepare for us. Nothing would taste better, or go further to define our season than to walk out of there with a victory. It would suggest to other teams, who will dig deeper within themselves than even the Dolphins will try to do on Sunday to win, that you're going to have to play your very best to even have a chance. And you had better hope that we are having an off day. Didn't it feel that way for the Patriots in 2007? Every team wanted to beat them during the season. Some came close. But every week of the regular season, they walked out with a win. You have to be in awe of the 2007 Patriots, and pause for a moment to acknowledge the greatness of a team that can have be as haunted as they were in 2007 and yet be so successful in winning.

We have a chance to become the Patriots of 2007, and go even further than they were able to do in the end. But that's talk for the end of the season. This is NOW. The Dolphins are NOW. And our moment is NOW! On Sunday, we will make a choice of who are to be. A loss won't destroy our season or hinder our chances to make a run at the Superbowl. However, a loss ostensibly won't be able to do what a win can do for us. A win can define our season in such a way as to make a statement, not just to the league, but one to be catalogued in the annals of history, that we are destined to be an elite team. That we can be #1 in the Power Rankings, the team everyone loves to hate and hate to love, and that we can consistently get the job done. This is our time, this is our season and this is when the Saints will not only silence the doubters but also demarcate themselves from the doubt of our past that has loomed over all of us for so long!

I BELIEVE!
 
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Nice read.

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Then

predator-440x335.jpg

Now
 
Okay, I am having problems getting the text in the right font as to be easily visible and readable using both the grey and black skin.
 
The game on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins sets itself up to be a defining moment in our season. It's not a make or break game, and I want to be very clear about that as to not have my thoughts here misconstrued. It is, however, a game that can go a long way in establishing a new order of things for the New Orleans Saints. We have been the hunter not only in the early part of this season but also throughout our existence. And to a degree, we are still the hunter as we are in a search of our first trip to the Superbowl in franchise history. But the league can be a tricky enterprise where consistent winning--even outside of the context of having a Superbowl victory--can cause other teams to become to target you as a team to beat. Given our early season dominance over teams, including those (Giants, Eagles, and Jets) that will still have an argument at the table of who will make the playoffs, makes us the haunted.
<O:p
It is unfamiliar territory for our team. So much so, that there's a reasonable expectation by some individuals that we will lose this game. Surely, the Saints, who have shown in the past that they are not able to consistently sustain early season winning streaks, will not be able to keep it up this year. That is the expectation, or maybe even the hope of some persons. And the reality is that while past years have nothing to do with this year, we have to go out and prove that this team is, indeed, not our grandparents' Saints.

There's already been discussion of the fact that we have not fared well coming off big wins. We didn't do it when we were able to defeat the Cowboys in such dramatic display. The next game we lost to the Redskins whose defense, which was led by Gregg Williams, shut us down. We did not do it when we dropped a 50-burger against the Packers. The next week, we failed to run the football though the atmosphere dictated that we should have done so. The result was a close defeat to the Bucs in a game that we were fully capable of winning. There have been other such low performances coming off huge wins. And there have been low performances coming off winning streaks. Let us not forget the Rams game in 2007. We started 0-4, battled back to 4-4 with huge wins over the Seattle Seahawks on their own home field where they do not lose often and over the Jacksonville Jaguars who had a fantastic defense that season and a good team of their own. We play the Rams who were so terrible that they could only make last year's Lions or this year's Rams look better. And we lost. Or let us go back to the last time we were 5-0. We played the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road and got annihilated. We never recover, and our early dreams of a visit to the playoffs turned quickly into a nightmare of another high pick. We used that pick to take Joe Johnson.

Such has been the norm around here. We are historical losers. We win games sometimes we are not expected to win and lose games we are not expected to lose. But to everything, as the Book of Ecclesiastes eloquently notes, "there is a season." On the surface, one might argue that this is our season, and it very well could be. But I would like to think that our season started back in 2006. No, 2005. For while Hurricane Katrina decimated our great city, it did not destroy our spirits. It wiped away physical memories, but it did not prevent future memories from being fostered. In a sense, Hurricane Katrina cleansed the reality of a Saints team of old, and ushered in a Saints team of new. And in 2006, led by Sean Payton, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and a team with a desire to win, we got off to a darn good start. We surprised the world, and probably ourselves, and made it all the way to the NFC Championship. Sure, we lost and that hurt because all of us have spent our entire lives dreaming of going to big dance only to see that dream constantly deferred. I guess the glimmer of hope to some may have been the fact that we were able to come within a game of the Superbowl whereas in the past our hopes had come crashing down right around game 6. But the hope for me, and, perhaps, for many, came when we defeated the Eagles the week prior to the game against the Bears. It came through a simple statement by Sean Payton: "We're not the same old Saints!"

I believed him then, and I believe it now. That said, in the seasons following that statement, we struggled. And some of us, including myself at times, might have thought that this was not the same old Saints, but it was the same old results led by a coach who many begin to fashion as a Jim Haslett-clone. But clone he was not even if the results were not what we expected coming off such a great first year under his helm. The thing that I think was lost on us all is that the transformation from good to greatness can be difficult and challenged by certain adversity; the shift from laughing stock to elite can be even more daunting, and take time that patience does not always afford to us. We were a laughing stock, and changing the culture and developing a winner was going to take more than words. It was going to take action. It was going to take experimentation. It was going to time. For Sean Payton, directly, it took growth. And with any process of growth, come growing pains. So in 2007 and 2008, we battled injuries, underachieved, and witnessed a defense get ripped apart each week. But even inside of those tragic seasons, there were still glimmers of hope that a new day had dawn.

Welcome to 2009. We made the necessary changes to put this team in a position to compete. And compete they have. We have won games in convincing style, and have yet to trail. We have defeated every team by at least 14 points, and have put ourselves in the early conversation of those teams capable of being a Superbowl contender. Heck, there even talk that we might go undefeated. That's a good feeling for any fan, and I am sure the team revels in the success they have had. But let us not be naive; to be certain, with success, comes the bulls-eye and it is firmly on our back. Don't believe me. Take Jason Taylor's words for it: "I am tired of hearing about the Saints!"

Yes, I know Jason. And we're tired of hearing about you and the Wildcat. But that's a different talk show. This thread is about the Saints though our game against you on Sunday has implication in this post. So we find ourselves undefeated at the moment and getting ready to face a hungry and talented Dolphins team. And the chatter has begun. Can the Saints keep it up? Will they return to being the Saints of old? Is this the game 6 of 2009 what the game 6 of 1993 was for the team? Maybe, but I DO NOT THINK IT IS SO! This year is different and this game becomes the defining moment of our season. I thought that moment had come in week 3 against Buffalo. Coming off the huge win at Philadelphia, there were many who thought that we would blow against the Bills. And we did have a bit of a 12-round boxing match against them in which the game was not really determined until the fourth quarter. Make no mistake, that game was very important in defining the character of our team. We won the game not doing the things that many have come to expect will occur when the Saints are adding a W to the record column. We ran the football, we played defense and we won the game in the trenches. It showed Payton's growth and maturity as a Head Coach. But coming off two huge victories against the Jets and Giants, we find ourselves once against at a defining moment. But whereas the game against the Bills defined our character, this game against Miami has an opportunity to define our greatness.

The Colts have become an elite team in this league but prior to the Manning years they were the team most likely to pick #1 in the NFL Draft. The Patriots have become an elite team (though some might argue the luster is fading) but prior to the Belichick and Brady years, they were the team most remembered for getting hammered in the Superbowl by Da Bears! In other words, a less-than-memorable past rife with a lack of success does not determine who a team can become. We can shift the view of the Saints not only for this year but for years to come. Unquestionably, winning the Superbowl is the best way to do so. Don't worry, that's coming! But history is but a moment in time. And it is time to start defining what the history of this period in the existence of the Saints shall be. We must march into Land Shark channeling the words of Gregg Williams, and "knock the Dolphins the **** out!" To do so, will extend our winning streak. That's a given. To do so will hush some of the naysayers. That's also a given. But to go in and win a game where we clearly the better team on paper means that this team understands how to play with greatness!

For too long, we have complained when our team has not gotten respect, and acted in fear of the consequences of visibility when our team has gotten even the slightest mention. We don't them to be ranked at the bottom of the Power Rankings but we don't want them at the top. It is in our nature given our history to believe that this team has to be the underdog in order to stay motivated. But part of that thinking is a byproduct of being on a team that has yet to taste the fruits of a championship, or, at least, years of being a consistent playoff contender. For the Colts and Patriots' fans can attest, there is another type of motivation. It is the motivation of winning even when every **** team out there wants to beat you. The Colts and Patriots were once laughing stocks. But they turned it around and eventually their fans had to accept being considered an annual Superbowl contender year in and year out. There are a lot of teams that go into games against the Colts wanting to destroy them. For the most part, those teams have walked out losers.

We play the Dolphins on Sunday. They have had TWO WEEKS to prepare for us. Nothing would taste better, or go further to define our season than to walk out of there with a victory. It would suggest to other teams, who will dig deeper within themselves than even the Dolphins will try to do on Sunday to win, that you're going to have to play your very best to even have a chance. And you had better hope that we are having an off day. Didn't it feel that way for the Patriots in 2007? Every team wanted to beat them during the season. Some came close. But every week of the regular season, they walked out with a win. You have to be in awe of the 2007 Patriots, and pause for a moment to acknowledge the greatness of a team that can have be as haunted as they were in 2007 and yet be so successful in winning.

We have a chance to become the Patriots of 2007, and go even further than they were able to do in the end. But that's talk for the end of the season. This is NOW. The Dolphins are NOW. And our moment is NOW! On Sunday, we will make a choice of who are to be. A loss won't destroy our season or hinder our chances to make a run at the Superbowl. However, a loss ostensibly won't be able to do what a win can do for us. A win can define our season in such a way as to make a statement, not just to the league, but one to be catalogued in the annals of history, that we are destined to be an elite team. That we can be #1 in the Power Rankings, the team everyone loves to hate and hate to love, and that we can consistently get the job done. This is our time, this is our season and this is when the Saints will not only silence the doubters but also demarcate themselves from the doubt of our past that has loomed over all of us for so long!

I BELIEVE!


FIXED! :scratch:

:gosaints:
 
I think that this team deserves success after having paid their dues the last few seasons. SP and Loomis had a vision for this team, and this 2009 squad is the result of everyone at the Airline facility pulling in the same direction: scouts, coaches, players, and everybody else.

Good post, Sixty. I could actually read the red color fairly well.
 
Okay, guys, I think I have worked out some of the issues with the font. This should work well for both skins now.
 
tl;dr -- Colts and Patriots prove that it is possible for a formerly losing franchise to change its ways. SAINTS team learns to wear the mantle of expectations and upcoming matchup gives opportunity to demonstrate newfound winning ways.
 
Well written with some good thoughts. However, I think we are giving this game too much value. If we make another statement by beating the Dolphins and turnaround and lose to the Falcons the following week, any talk of greatness will go out the window again. I say one week at a time and lets see where we are at the end of the season. That said, I still believe we have something special going here and I don't ever remember having a Saints team that looks this well rounded and ready to do something really special. The rest of the league seems to be taking notice as well.
 
Your font wasn't so great, but your avatar ...

I remember that Pittsburgh game in 1993. It was a disaster that foretold more disasters to come. That was the season that all Saints fans were "sick" (to quote Coach Mora).

It's going to be a war on Sunday. We either win or lose the game in the trenches. Defense must tackle well, be aggressive, but patient! They're going to get some yards and first downs, just don't permit the big play! Don't worry about time of possession. The only thing that counts is the score. Our offense doesn't need any advice as long as #9 is in there. Special teams coverage must improve. Let's all have fish and chips on Sunday around 6:30 p.m. Maybe the Cowboys help us out, too. Jerry, get your guys ready to play.
 
Well written with some good thoughts. However, I think we are giving this game too much value. If we make another statement by beating the Dolphins and turnaround and lose to the Falcons the following week, any talk of greatness will go out the window again. I say one week at a time and lets see where we are at the end of the season. That said, I still believe we have something special going here and I don't ever remember having a Saints team that looks this well rounded and ready to do something really special. The rest of the league seems to be taking notice as well.

I disagree. First, the Falcons are a much better team than the Dolphins. They are also a division rival. While I want nothing more for us to destroy them, a loss to a division rival might not have elicit the same 'same old Saints' rhetoric that a loss to the Dolphins would. Lose to the Dolphins, and people will say, "ah ha, we knew it." Lose to the Falcons--depending on the nature of the loss--and the conversation might be a little different. Also, you must keep in mind that it is FAR EASIER TO EXPECT this team to be up for the game against the Falcons. Again, they are a division rival and beating them, and the other teams in the division, is the best way to insure that we are playing in January. But with the Dolphins, this could be one of the classic trap games that you do not get so up for because you are coming off a huge win against the Giants and looking ahead to the Falcons' game. On paper, we are better than the Dolphins. But the Dolphins only have to be better than us on Sunday, not in reality. So we have to get up for this game. This season, we have gone out and played each game the same way. I expect that we will beat the Dolphins by trying to put them away fast. At the same time, the Dolphins desperately want this game because we are now the hunted. We must go out and turn their desperation for a win against the now 'mighty Saints' into both disappointment and defeat.

Second, I acknowledged that losing would not destroy the possibility of what this season could still become for this team. The difference here is that for the first five weeks, we were not the chased, we were the chaser. In the eyes of most NFL analysts and fans across the country, there was a greater sense of doubt as to whether or not we were the top team in the NFL (right now). Now, in most rankings, we are listed as #1. We are, for all intents and purposes, in the position teams like the Giants, Colts and Patriots have been in for a while. Those teams have proven that they can win even when they know that they are going into games where the opposing team will play harder just to prove that they "belong." The fact as you said that the rest of the league is taking notice only buttresses the point here, which is that now this team is EXPECTED to win. Outside of those remaining vestiges doubters (i.e. Herm Edwards) or haters (i.e. Phil Simms), most people now expect us to beat the teams we're clearly suppose to beat. In the past, we have not done so. Now with the target of being called a Superbowl contender--and in some circles the team most likely to represent the NFC in the Superbowl--we have to now find ways to win despite the perceived greatness that is being attached to us. That's the only way to make perception reality!
 

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