Time for my CRAZY homer, rose-colored, optimistic post (1 Viewer)

ndcc

Saints' fan 4ever
Gold VIP Contributor
Joined
Jun 4, 2005
Messages
20,475
Reaction score
32,683
Location
Sad to leave NOLA to AZ; going into ministry
Offline
If you're not optimistic at all... don't waste your time opening this thread.

I don't give a rat's arse who red thumbs this one. I only ask that if you bothered to open it, that you at least read it through before giving your verdict.

We came out flat today. I think there were two big factors that played into that:

a. the distraction about Cooks not getting his touches, and
b. the Saints believing the hype about how they torched the vaunted Rams' defense.

We flat got our arse kicked, and it was in all phases of the game.

Soooooooooo.... why the optimism?

A few reasons:

a. the Falcons lost today, and with just ONE MORE Falcons' loss, we control our destiny. That's because we also play the Buccaneers twice. The Bucs are flying high, and they won an emotional game today at San Diego. I suspect that they'll be looking PAST the Saints to their game the following week vs. the Cowboys. Saints over the Bucs in an UPSET SPECIAL in week 14. Jeff Fisher just received a contract extension with the Rams, and even though they are out of the playoff race, they always play well in the "spoiler" role. Rams find a way to beat the Falcons in Week 14 (Saints record: 6-7).

b. Three of our next four games are on the road. The team will have minimal distractions, and the Saints seem to respond better as an underdog on the road. With a win at Tampa, the team goes on the road again (in Week 15) vs. the underachieving Cardinals. I like their chances in that one (Saints record: 7-7.)

c. Week 16 has the Buccaneers facing the Saints in the Superdome on Christmas Eve. Coming off two gutsy wins on the road will have the Saints' mojo back enough for them to emerge victorious and sweep the (Saints record: 8-7).

d. Week 17 is the showdown in Atlanta "winner-take-all." If that's what it comes down to, I say the team finds a way to get it done!

For those who don't know what it's like to have an underdog defy all odds... take a look at highlights from "Miracle on Ice" where the USA hockey team beat the heavily favored Russian (USSR) team in the 1980 Olympics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM7HCm8yGNk&t=1516s

Full disclosure: I'm not smoking anything! :smoke: :ezbill:

:gosaints:
 
I'm with you. Saints win out, Falcons lose last 2 (to Carolina and Saints in the finale). Saints are NFC South champs.
 
Wait for it.....wait for it.....wait for it..... the "realists" will be along shortly to rain on this parade.

391558rhcmx3u0my.gif
 
Man I love it. So many years we were mathematically eliminated way earlier in the campaign. People tend to forget the leaner years. We got a shot. It's a small one.

But it ain't "there's always next year" yet!!!
 
I'm with you. I got in the car after leaving the Dome, and Bobby Hebert was saying the same thing. We have a shot at this and this team is talented enough to do it. Will it happen? Probably not. Is it worth at least pulling for the team and enjoying whatever wins we get? Of course!
 
I totally missed the game today. Didn't think we'd lose today like we did but I am in it until we are totally eliminated. Mentally checking out and giving up when the situation looks bleak is boring anyway. Let's win out and show the rest of the league what we really can do in the playoffs. Who Dat!
 
The worse thing about it is if we would have taken care of business today, we would already be in control of our destiny instead of waiting to see if a couple of horrible teams and the panthers who are getting smoked tonight can give the falcons another loss. KC did it for us today. But, I never give up until it's over.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've been saying it since preseason ended

Our train is on schedule. Thanks to the changes we made in our scouting department, we've amassed some real talent. I think we have some really good coaches on staff.

That narrative that Payton is losing touch or whatever, it's silly to me. The future for this team is very, very bright. Unless we make some monumentally stupid moves going forward, we could have set ourselves up to have a team that contends for years to come. But we have to be smart and careful going forward.

Our team is still missing those one or two dynamic players on defense. The guys that you can point to that teams must contend with every play. I love me some Cam Jordan, but he's almost on that level I'm talking about. Sheldon Rankins could become that guy. He's had an impact right away and defensive lineman usually take a year or two to really establish himself, so his start is very promising. But Aaron Donald needs Robert Quinn. So who will pair up with Rankins?

A healthy Kikaha? A high 2016 pick? A free agent? A trade? Would much rather it be Kikaha or a new rookie. Another signing that doesn't quite work out would be a rough pill to swallow and likely spell the end of the Payton era.

I know some can't wait to see Payton leave, but that isn't a move you do until it's beyond a reasonable doubt that it's over. Because that is a strong, strong boot to fill. I'm not even sure the guy to take Payton's place is coaching in the NFL at this moment yet.
 
a. the distraction about Cooks not getting his touches, and
b. the Saints believing the hype about how they torched the vaunted Rams' defense.

We flat got our arse kicked, and it was in all phases of the game.

I'll have what you're having. :hihi: But, I don't buy the 2 excuses. I think Brees was pressing on Cooks, but not because of anything Cooks said, but because he knew Cooks didn't get any targets last week. Had Cooks not said anything, I still think Brees targets Cooks because he wants to keep him involved in the game plan. I thought Cooks played well enough, and he wasn't why we lost the game.

I don't think the Saints thought anything about the Rams offensively. I do think they my have ate the cheese something in thinking they were ahead of where they needed to be. Detroit is a good team and they probably played their best game of the season today. Certainly their defense did.

Sometimes teams have bad games. Most good teams have 'em. Getting behind 0-3 to start the season reduces the margin of error drastically and it's tough to get on long win streaks. We're nowhere near consistent enough for that to happen.

Wait for it.....wait for it.....wait for it..... the "realists" will be along shortly to rain on this parade.

391558rhcmx3u0my.gif

Eh, I'm no Debbie Downer or "realist", but there's certainly room to disagree with the OP without necessarily "raining on his parade".
 
I've been saying it since preseason ended

Our train is on schedule. Thanks to the changes we made in our scouting department, we've amassed some real talent. I think we have some really good coaches on staff.

That narrative that Payton is losing touch or whatever, it's silly to me. The future for this team is very, very bright. Unless we make some monumentally stupid moves going forward, we could have set ourselves up to have a team that contends for years to come. But we have to be smart and careful going forward.

Our team is still missing those one or two dynamic players on defense. The guys that you can point to that teams must contend with every play. I love me some Cam Jordan, but he's almost on that level I'm talking about. Sheldon Rankins could become that guy. He's had an impact right away and defensive lineman usually take a year or two to really establish himself, so his start is very promising. But Aaron Donald needs Robert Quinn. So who will pair up with Rankins?

A healthy Kikaha? A high 2016 pick? A free agent? A trade? Would much rather it be Kikaha or a new rookie. Another signing that doesn't quite work out would be a rough pill to swallow and likely spell the end of the Payton era.

I know some can't wait to see Payton leave, but that isn't a move you do until it's beyond a reasonable doubt that it's over. Because that is a strong, strong boot to fill. I'm not even sure the guy to take Payton's place is coaching in the NFL at this moment yet.

I agree with a lot of that, but our special teams absolutely needs to be addressed. It has been terrible the entire season, and wasn't that much better today. One kick was darn near blocked (actually tipped), and the Lions consistently had better starting field position much of the game.

This has to be one of the top priorities this offseason.
 
Im right there with your brothers, even if it is going to be a tough road to take four in a row, which we MUST do.

I think getting the division is our best option, but if the dirty birds dont lose that extra game we need them to, all hope is not lost.

Running scenarios, if we finish 9-7 and WAS and ARI finish 8-7-1 and NYG, GB, MIN, and TB also finsh 9-7, WE take the 5th seed.

Even if NYG or WAS finish better and take the 5th we would then have the sixth.

The only thing that could hurt is if DET does not take the division and ends up taking a wild card slot. Another reason that game was big for us today because it would have put us ahead of DET in tie-breaker.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Users who are viewing this thread

    Back
    Top Bottom