Because I remember Decembers in the 70s (1 Viewer)

[Noble Saint]

The fans have no control over what 'temperature' we will play whether now or in the future. All we can do is hope for better times ahead and try and enjoy what's left of the season. The offseason is too long to be whining while our team is still in the hunt. Yeah, we suck like a Hoover right now, but we may be even worse next year. So I've decided to (try to) enjoy whatever is left of the season. I really don't believe decisions will be made solely by what happens in the next 4 games. DA will probably get his third year as the skipper, and our final record won't make or break our draft position. Since I can't call the shots, I just want to be a good fan.

By in the hunt you mean considered one of the top 14 teams in the league? Barely in the top half of the league? Making the playoffs doesn’t signify a successful season like it once did. Especially in the 70’s. There are 3 win teams still alive and in the hunt lol

 

[Noble Saint]

Any time I see someone post this sentiment about the team they root for even possibly being bad, I immediately wonder to myself:

“Which games did this fan wish the Saints lost?”

Because on six occasions, the team did what it took to win, and usually what we as fans wish for is for the team to have won more. I don’t believe anyone would be happy sitting at, say, 4-9 right now — but at this point I’m less convinced many of you would be happy at 9-4, either

I’ve never rooted for the Saints to lose or want them to lose or wanted them to tank. If this was a team with low expectations the fan base would be ecstatic right now. But we expected more and rightfully so. This team should not be under .500

 

[Section 302]

I have watched Saints teams since the 60's and I never pull for them to lose, however, I have seen enough to know that this team is going nowhere by the way they are playing. There is no magic switch to flip to make them any better than they are. As we use to say in the past, "wait until next year".

 

[Bill]

By in the hunt you mean considered one of the top 14 teams in the league? Barely in the top half of the league? Making the playoffs doesn’t signify a successful season like it once did. Especially in the 70’s. There are 3 win teams still alive and in the hunt lol

'In the hunt' simply means that a playoff berth is still possible... not that they are favored to get in.
I think that phrase well describes the Saints' situation at the moment.

 

[Noble Saint]

'In the hunt' simply means that a playoff berth is still possible... not that they are favored to get in.
I think that phrase well describes the Saints' situation at the moment.

lol I know what in the hunt means. I’m saying we are in the hunt to be mid pack.

 

[HoustonSaint68]

... and it's a far cry from what we were treated to during the Payton/Brees era. But we had to see this coming. I mean, nothing good lasts forever. Perhaps we failed to prepare ourselves properly for this inevitable downturn.

Actually, having experienced what the Saints were since 1968, quite often during the Brees-Payton run (often during Crunk while laying a 40 burger on some hapless opponent in the Dome), I would tell my brother-in-law that we needed to soak it in because it was going to be painful when they were gone.

It doesn't really make it easier now, but I sure did appreciate those great moments as they were happening.

 

[mjcouvi]

Love these kinda posts, thanks Bill

 

[LoE]

I was there in the 70's and 80's too. I remember how bad we were. It was so hopeless for so long.

The joke was if you left two tickets under someone's windshield wipers, you'd come back in an hour to see 4 more under the same windshield wipers.

But I can't give DA a pass. The old regime left this team with too much talent, too well oiled a training system to justify what I've seen. The game planning in particular has fallen off.

The talent is not the problem. The leadership is.

 

[No2DC]

That's why all my friends and I either had Steelers or Cowboys (underoos). I was a Mean Joe Green fan myself ("Hey kid catch").

 

[Paul]

To all you super mature folks out there I remember Decembers in the 90s and as ugly and frustrating as it’s been this season, I’d rather the Saints be in contention than packing up lockers.

 

[Bill]

I was there in the 70's and 80's too. I remember how bad we were. It was so hopeless for so long.

The joke was if you left two tickets under someone's windshield wipers, you'd come back in an hour to see 4 more under the same windshield wipers.

But I can't give DA a pass. The old regime left this team with too much talent, too well oiled a training system to justify what I've seen. The game planning in particular has fallen off.

The talent is not the problem. The leadership is.

I'm trying not to look at cheering on the Saints the same as giving Allen a pass. I just don't think these last 4 games are going to change Mickey's mind about his head coach. I just want what will make me the happiest when I watch them suit up & perform for the remainder of this season. And that is to win football games... no matter the outcome when the season is all over. But I understand the dilemma that a lot of people are feeling in that regard.

 

[Day1]

As a child I learned what "mathematically eliminated" meant, usually around midpoint of the season.

 

[LoE]

I'm trying not to look at cheering on the Saints the same as giving Allen a pass...

I misunderstood your post. I apologize. I meant no disrespect or argument. I want them to succeed too.

I don't feel they will succeed with DA leading.

It kills me to see people like Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, Taysom Hill, HoneyBadger, Cam Jordan, Demario Davis, Jimmy Graham, Paulson Adebo, Bryan Bresee, Rashid Shaheed, Pete Werner, et al - having their futures squandered by poor leadership.

 

[boutte]

The more I think about it the more troubled I am about my attitude in regard to the current state of our beloved football franchise. Yes, the performance of our team is anything but impressive these days, and it's a far cry from what we were treated to during the Payton/Brees era. But we had to see this coming. I mean, nothing good lasts forever. Perhaps we failed to prepare ourselves properly for this inevitable downturn.

Sure, we can choose to be miserable about it... even angry if we're the type who is prone to such emotion. But we can also choose to make the best of what we have down the home stretch of the 2023 season. This is not to take away from the misery of those who have a lot of money invested in this team and feel that they must make their feelings known to the front office that they are very displeased with the lack of production shown by the team they are supporting. More power to those who are earnest in their attempts to get this point across to Mickey & Gayle.

But frankly I think they already know. Everybody knows. Including every coach & player that is receiving the brunt of the criticism. But there is an undeniable fact about this Saints team that we must acknowledge. They aren't done yet. Not only are the Saints still in the hunt for the NFC South crown and a #4 Seed home game in the playoffs, but at the moment they also control their own destiny for those two prizes.

While it's easy to give discouraging reasons 'why' the Saints are still in the running, isn't it still better than what Decembers were like back in the 70s & early 80s? Like many of you folks I remember when the postseason dream was over long before we entered the last month of regular season football. How we used to yearn for the opportunity just to find ourselves in the short list of playoff participants. Even during the Mora years when our postseason visits came up empty, we were still happy & proud that we managed to get there.

I get it. It's hard to go back and accept mediocrity once again. But it can still be fun and exciting to cheer on your team even though hard reality says we won't get far. But it's still better than being eliminated by Thanksgiving. In fact this very situation is what the premise of KWTPF sprang from. No, I'm not going to fool myself into thinking 'this could be the year'. What's going to happen, is going to happen. But I'm going to enjoy whatever positive things may come about in the next 4 weeks. Chances are I'll be a little less disappointed when the inevitable happens. But either way, I just need to take myself back to those days when hope was always fleeting so that I can find some joy in knowing that this December we still have something special to play for.

Geaux Saints!

In the 70s and 80s this team would have been eliminated by game 8. The only 2 reasons we're still in it because of our schedule and the poor quality of the rest of the teams in the league.

Mediocre is pretty relative. All these middle of road teams are actually bad. We perceive that mediocre. Slightly above average makes you look like a power house.

 

[Bill]

I misunderstood your post. I apologize. I meant no disrespect or argument. I want them to succeed too.

I don't feel they will succeed with DA leading.

It kills me to see people like Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, Taysom Hill, HoneyBadger, Cam Jordan, Demario Davis, Jimmy Graham, Paulson Adebo, Bryan Bresee, Rashid Shaheed, Pete Werner, et al - having their futures squandered by poor leadership.

Scott Fujita was 30 when the Saints won the Superbowl. I remember him commenting about the young guys on the team celebrating after that victory saying things like: "They think this is easy." Fujita was making the point that these young guys were experiencing something very early in their careers that relatively few pro players ever get to experience. Though Tyrann has his ring, it's very possible that all the hard work of those other guys will never amount to a championship ring. No wonder winning even one time is so coveted by these players.