Bill, this is so very well said.
I’m in my late 40s, so my intro to the Saints was early 80s - which means I missed a large portion of the really brutal days as a Saints fan. But as a kid, I was always desperate for the Saints to make the playoffs and “have a shot”
1987 was one of the most exciting times of my youth and every playoff appearance after that was met with excitement and wonder.
I have said before and it might be worth mentioning again - it feels like sports fans today - all sports fans are way less interested in “now” than ever before.
I believe that the 24 hour sports news cycle and countless talking heads debating every aspect of every team has made fans believe that they have enough info to be an effective GM and thus they question every move and every signing and every hire as though they were in the room with management and their pleas were ignored. It seems personal to them.
Or perhaps It’s the GM mode on Madden and NBA and MLB games that creates this backseat GM mentality.
I have gone on record here that I gave Allen and Loomis the benefit of the doubt until the Falcons game after the bye week. Now I no longer defend criticism of either.
However - I still want my team, the New Orleans Saints to make the playoffs - because it’s what I hope for every season.
I don’t expect them to be the best team every season. But I always want to watch my team in the postseason. Because it’s a fun way to close out a year and ring in a new one - and also because I remember the days when I only dreamed of them making the playoffs.
I don’t know how long I have left on this earth - none of us do. So I’ll stay in the “now” when it comes to the Saints.
Do I think they are a playoff team “now”? Honestly - no. I don’t expect them to win the next 4 games. However, I’ll be hoping they do - because that’s what they’ll need to make the playoffs.
And that’s what I care about. Meaningful football in December. That’s what we have thanks to a putrid division. So we might as well enjoy it before it’s over.