Some reflections after the Super Bowl

I agree with nearly every word in the original post.

For me, the story of the Saints in 2018 and in 2019 was largely injuries--in 2018, to the offensive line and to Rankins, and in 2019, to the defensive front seven. Both San Francisco and Kansas City were healthy teams yesterday. So incidentally was the 2009 Saints that won a Super Bowl. And overall the ball did not bounce our way and we did not get the calls at the end of the 2018 season and throughout 2019. It seems extraordinary how many times we were so close to getting a week-one bye in the playoffs at the end of the 2019 season--the Rams almost beating the 49ers, Seattle inches away from beating the 49ers, the Lions almost upsetting the Packers.

Having noted the injuries on defense this year, I must also note that our defense must play better at the end of games. For three consecutive years, our season ended in a last-moment playoff loss because our defense at a critical time failed--the touchdown at the end of the Minnesota game, at the end of the fourth quarter and then in overtime in last year's NFC championship game, and in overtime in our loss to Minnesota this year. And there was also the critical game this season with San Francisco, and our defense again failing at the game's end.

My concern--aside from the questions of who will be our quarterback and, if Brees, how much more diminution in arm strength Brees may show--is that we did not get substantial production from our 2018 and 2019 drafts, and that we again are drafting late and that we do not have a second-round pick. When teams have consecutive drafts that are not terribly productive, the lack of young cheap talents eventually shows.