Are we for real? (1 Viewer)

SaintsMan209

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I am excited about the team. There is a certain life and newness of energy. If we can blow away the Niners then I will be convinced that the Saints are BACK! You have to think the Wr's are excited about their opportunities. We still haven't worked Fleener into the offense very much but it is just a matter of time. Also, our running game is slightly above average. I can't tell you how excited I am about the Saints right now. I truly believe we are going to go all the way. The Seahawks were lucky to score any points against us with all their gadget plays and I don't see any other team in the NFL that can compete with us. Let's go Saints WHO DAT!!!
 
There are certainly reasons for optimism. It just seems like this board in general is manic depending on how the past game went.

We've got some young players playing well or improving, our defense seems to be improving, some guys playing unexpectedly well, some potentially huge additions coming back from injury, our offensive line has dramatically exceeded expectations, etc. We obviously just came off a big win.

That being said, we've been in this position the past couple years and then completely folded. Our "big win" was against a team that played 5 quarters on a Monday night, had to travel across the country and play an early game, and yet we only managed to win on the very last play. We still have statistically one of the worst defenses in the NFL. We now have a game coming up we should win, which in recent years, we've managed to lose. Then we have an incredibly tough game that's really, really going to test our offensive line. Then the Panthers on the road who looked much, much better last week.

So is it reasonable to be optimistic? Sure. But I also think it's reasonable to go all Jim Mora "playoffs?!?!?!?!" when I see it mentioned in multiple threads around here. If we lose this week, I can also guarantee we'll go from potential playoff scenarios to "Sean Payton must be fired NOW" threads.
 
We are close, but not good enough to make several mistakes and still win. I don't see us blowing out anyone, including the Niners. Our games will be hard fought and most of them down to the wire. Most will be winnable, but again, it will come down to turnovers and brain flatulence.
 
I am excited about the team. There is a certain life and newness of energy. If we can blow away the Niners then I will be convinced that the Saints are BACK! You have to think the Wr's are excited about their opportunities. We still haven't worked Fleener into the offense very much but it is just a matter of time. Also, our running game is slightly above average. I can't tell you how excited I am about the Saints right now. I truly believe we are going to go all the way. The Seahawks were lucky to score any points against us with all their gadget plays and I don't see any other team in the NFL that can compete with us. Let's go Saints WHO DAT!!!

Love the enthusiasm, especially about the offense - I think we're going to finish #1 or #2 again.

I think there are still big questions on defense and the Seahawks this year, with Wilson's injuries and limited mobility are not the gauge of what this defense will be able to do against a top caliber offense. We are getting healthier and have the ability to play well for stretches but we still give up a lot of points to teams that have offensive capability. It is still a work in progress but if we start regularly holding teams to mid-20s or below, now you're talking.

I don't necessarily need to be blowing anyone out to feel good - just win baby.
 
I still caution the optimism.

Dont get me wrong, i am excited too. But i advise "Hope for the best, expect the worst." So you arent totally let down.

We have been here before...claw back to 4-4 only to fall flat.

I am with you though, we should come out this week and blow this team away. No reason to let them hang around.
 
If we lose this week, I can also guarantee we'll go from potential playoff scenarios to "Sean Payton must be fired NOW" threads.
This will be impacted really by how much improvement the defense makes, or whether they regress as the year progresses.

Any willingness to part ways with Payton, or to desire some kind of new organizational structure that reduces his direct role in decisions on the talent, coaching, scheme of the defense has arisen out of a 10 year record of mostly futility on defense. It's been the defensive woes that have held this team back from being a dynasty.

If you look at the record on defense and take away Brees from the equation it's an open question if this program ever would have been a winner. With an eye to the future and the post-Brees world, do we have the right people to keep this team competitive?

In recent weeks Allen has done a credible job but we still are inconsistent with the pass rush and need some LB talent. Maybe Allen is going help turn this thing around. But if the trend line reverses for the defense and this season ends up with another losing record you still have to wonder after a decade if more of a new direction and a fresh set of leaders and decision makers is needed overall for the defense.

Shouldn't have to mean firing Payton but could imply a different org, however unlikely.
 
This game will tell us a lot about this team and it's chances going forward. How will the team respond after a big time victory? How will they play on the road against a team they should beat? Will they show patience with the run game? Most importantly though, will the defense continue to show signs of improvement?

I remain cautiously optimistic but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The O Line is playing better than anyone thought they would. The defense has been up and down but it's way better than some of the units we've trotted out over the past few years. We have some key players who are about to come back for a make or break stretch of games.

The thing I'm most excited about though is our WR corp. For years many of us begged for WRs. We dared to imagine what the offense would look like with stud WRs. We wondered: if the offense is already awesome, what would it be like with bonafide starting caliber WRs? And now it looks like our dream has become reality. Brandin Cooks has become a force and he's still getting better. Snead is as steady as they come and I think we might have something special in Michael Thomas. You don't see many rookie WRs come in and look this polished. He looks like a vet out there. Having these weapons will help Drew immensely in his twilight years.
 
not to be negative but you are what your record says, now in three weeks from now it may be different
 
I still contend that we are a young team that isn't ready for prime time just yet. I think we are dealing with to many injuries, and are a year out from being major players in the league. We will finish 8-8 or 9-7, and that is fine by me. It will be next year when we will be older, healthier, and go on to finish 11-5 or 12-4 and do some real damage in the league.
 
If by "For Real" you mean that this team is making huge strides in personnel identification and on field product and will be a very, very good team for the remainder of Brees' career, then YES!

If by "For Real" you mean a top 8 team in the NFL who can absorb injuries or game day mistakes and still beat "good" teams, then no, I don't think they are quite there just yet.

Soon, though, very soon.
 
There are certainly reasons for optimism. It just seems like this board in general is manic depending on how the past game went.

Ain't that the truth.

It was embarrassing last week (and after other previous losses) seeing posts about being in position to draft Fournette or that LB from Texas A&M. And now after hanging on for a close win to "up" our record to 3-4....it's "are we for real?" Why don't some people just give it a little more time to see how it plays out and then start the "playoff"-type talk....
 
Let's take a look back at a dominating win over a super bowl contending team a few years ago...The 44-23 demolishing of the packers in 2014 in the dome. Just for reference, the same season we beat the panthers by 18 in Carolina then turned around and lost by 31 in the dome. If there's anything i've learned when watching the Saints and NFL in general, is that any team can beat any team on any given sunday. Even a lackluster Saints team crushing a very good Packers team in the dome.

I wouldn't use it as a stick to measure how far we'll go. See how we fare on the road in San Fransisco. See if we can go toe to toe with Denver and pull out a third straight win. Our issue will be consistency and avoiding the injury bug, but we certainly have the ability to make the playoffs. We'll see...it's still too early to talk playoffs anyway.
 
This team has good talent across the board, I think once Breaux, Rankins, and eventually Moore returns, our defense could be a really a dangerous unit. Our offense is lethal and is going to get better the more Fleener plays well. The arrow is pointing up, and this team could beat anybody on the rest of our schedule.
 
There are certainly reasons for optimism. It just seems like this board in general is manic depending on how the past game went.

Well yea... that's the nature of fans. Unlike players and coaches, we can get too high or low and it doesn't affect the team.

As a very deeply rooted Saints fan, I look at more than the final score. In fact, I think most of us pay attention to more than just the last game or 2. Those who watch closely can see our defense improving even in losses, and see our young OL and WR's improving on 35 point 450 yard games in a 25 point 350 yard effort.

Interesting times for Saints fans these.
 

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