I want to roll the dice. Take a chance. (1 Viewer)

[bobad]

Let me ask you . Would you give away the farm as some want to get Burrows or concentrate of our secondary?

When you're losing the GOAT, it's tempting to reach for another in his image. I will not delude myself that we have a chance to get Burrow. 25 other teams want him, and most have more draft capital. Pffft! Won't happen!

All we can do is what we always do: Let Ireland, Payton, and Mickey roll the bones for the best 3-4 draft choices, and the best 2 or 3 FA signings they can find. They've been doing well, as our record proves. It's a little tougher this year, so it won't be ideal.

 

[Nevimeister]

Year	Record	Finish (Regular / Post Season)	Coach
2019	12-4-0	1st -- AFC East	0-1 - Lost Wild Card Playoffs	Bill Belichick
2018	11-5-0	1st -- AFC East	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Bill Belichick
2017	13-3-0	1st -- AFC East	2-1 - Lost Superbowl	Bill Belichick
2016	14-2-0	1st -- AFC East	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Bill Belichick
2015	12-4-0	1st -- AFC East	1-1 - Lost Conference Championship	Bill Belichick
2014	12-4-0	1st -- AFC East	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Bill Belichick
2013	12-4-0	1st -- AFC East	1-1 - Lost Conference Championship	Bill Belichick
2012	12-4-0	1st -- AFC East	1-1 - Lost Conference Championship	Bill Belichick
2011	13-3-0	1st -- AFC East	2-1 - Lost Superbowl	Bill Belichick
2010	14-2-0	1st -- AFC East	0-1 - Lost Divisional Playoffs	Bill Belichick
2009	10-6-0	1st -- AFC East	0-1 - Lost Wild Card Playoffs	Bill Belichick
2008	11-5-0	2nd -- AFC East	--	Bill Belichick
2007	16-0-0	1st -- AFC East	2-1 - Lost Superbowl	Bill Belichick
2006	12-4-0	1st -- AFC East	2-1 - Lost Conference Championship	Bill Belichick
2005	10-6-0	1st -- AFC East	1-1 - Lost Divisional Playoffs	Bill Belichick
2004	14-2-0	1st -- AFC East	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Bill Belichick
2003	14-2-0	1st -- AFC East	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Bill Belichick
2002	9-7-0	T2nd -- AFC East	--	Bill Belichick
2001	11-5-0	1st -- AFC East	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Bill Belichick

It's tough to win a Super Bowl, the Patriots went 10 years without another one, after 2004, with Tom Brady in his prime, losing 2 SBs to an inferior team


In this year's playoffs - the Baltimore Ravens (14-2) who looked unstoppable lost to the Titans. In 2011 the Green Bay Packers (15-1) lost at home to the NY Giants (9-7), who then went on to beat the Patriots for a 2nd SB (Saints dominated Giants that year 49-24 in the Dome when the score was not as close as it ended up looking)

All you can do is try and win 12+ games, secure a high seed and play your best ball in Jan/Feb and get a few breaks. 10 years ago we caught some lucky breaks in the Vikings game with fumbles. It's not broken, we just need to address our biggest weaknesses, which to me are a 3rd CB (let Apple and PJ walk, keep Jenkins), starting LG, sideline LB and #2 WR. We probably will not get all 4 but it still may be enough, no team has a perfect roster

 

[fishing4food]

I'm sure the organization could benefit with a few changes in the assistant coaches department.

 

[FootballLady]

When I read all the chatter about selling the farm to get Burrows, my reaction was wrong place to spend our capital.

If we spend any capital at all to get Burrows, I am going to be so mad...

 

[porculator]

How would you rate a horse that leads by 10 lengths for an entire race but always gets past in the last furlong?

13-3 and out is not why you put a team on the field.

What if Nickell Roby Coleman shot the horse in the head right before crossing the finish line and they didn't call a foul on it? Does it still mean that the horse wasn't good enough to win?

 

[dutar76]

How would you rate a horse that leads by 10 lengths for an entire race but always gets past in the last furlong?

13-3 and out is not why you put a team on the field.

I do not believe that our team is built to go 13-3 and out. Just like I don't believe any team is built to win in the playoffs.

The goal is to get to the playoffs. Once your in, the new goal is to win games. If you have a less than perfect game in the playoffs and the team you're playing has one of their better games, you'll likely lose. That's why HFA and a first round bye is so important. Neither guarantee a win, but when it's win or go home, every little advantage is important. Especially rest and team health.

We looked tired in the Minny game. Not extremely, but it was noticeable. Even though we had our stud DT and DE gone to IR, we were still a better team than the Vikings on paper. Not a LOT better, but definitely better. The Vikings were rested and had just got back some key players. Some things during the normal ebb and flow of the game didn't go our way, and they got up on us. We battled back and were able to get the game into overtime. We had the momentum, but they won the coin toss. A few plays later, Cousins hit Thielen on a 43 yard bomb with P-Rob in coverage (because Lattimore had been injured earlier and was out for the remainder of the game). A few plays later, Cousins hits Rudolph in the back of the endzone on what easily could've been called OPI. It wasn't and the score counted. Game over... Season over...

If Latt wouldn't have gotten injured...
If we'd have won the coin toss...
If Cousins would've made a bad throw...
If Theilen would have dropped the ball...
If Rudolph wouldn't have pushed off...
If the refs would've thrown the flag...
If Lutz wouldn't have missed the FG going into halftime...
ect, etc, etc...

Games that should go one way often don't go that way. Teams that should win don't always win. Games that shouldn't be close on paper often go down to the wire. Games that go down to the wire can literally go either way and all it takes is one little thing to swing it.

If we're looking for the secret sauce that eliminates all the intangibles in football, we're not alone. But we're not going to find it, and neither is any other team. When it happens, the knee-jerk reaction is to throw blame around. The drastic over-reaction is to blow up the team and start over. Neither fix the problem, because there isn't a problem. Both reactions cause problems. The drastic over-reaction causes drastic problems going forward. Look at all the teams in a perpetual cycle of re-building.

There weren't very many flaws in the 49ers this year. They were a very good team. They had EXACTLY what many loud Saints fans have been shouting that we need to be contenders (never mind that we already are contenders and what they mean is to win a superbowl every year, which is impossible) They have and elite coaching staff, an elite defense, and an elite running game. They lost the superbowl... even after they had a sizable lead in the 3rd quarter. Many point at their coach and yell "CHOKE ARTIST!" Truth is, they did everything right and even held down the best passing offense in football for much of the game. Then football happened.

Two ways to look at it. SF choked and blew the superbowl, or the Chiefs made a historical rally and won the superbowl. I guess it depends on whether you are a positive or negative minded person. Same goes for our Saints.

 

[SweetT]

You've heard of this thing, the 8-minute abs? Well, this is going to blow that right out the water. Listen to this: Seven. Minute. Abs.

What if someone creates 6 minute abs???

 

[Swimmer]

We have one of the very elite teams in the NFL with the best record over the last 3-years. That's amazing and true elite. Luck is as much of a factor in winning the SB as well as injuries.

But like everything in life, teams are in a constant stage of change. So if we can bring back the same team as last year, have a decent year with injuries and imho, the biggest factor is whether Coach Payton can get this team to rise back to the total commitment and determination that it took every year, 3-years in a row, to have the best record after 3-consecutive emotionally rattling playoff losses. If he can, we will back to 12-4 or better this year if Brees comes back.

And that leads to the last obstacles. Now that Minny has shown how to stop a Brees led offense in the playoffs, other teams with top defenses know how to do the same. Brees has not had a lights-out full playoff game in these past 3-years. He's struggled except in the 4th quarter against Minny in 2017. At age 41, can he up his game in the playoffs like he did in 2009?

But 11-4 to 13-3 is something to celebrate about and I think we hit it again this year.

 

[SaintRob]

You've heard of this thing, the 8-minute abs? Well, this is going to blow that right out the water. Listen to this: Seven. Minute. Abs.

I see where you're going... but what happens when someone comes up with 6 minute abs?

 

[Super44]

My idea? Well I think we have a problem with teams making late game comebacks. When I read all the chatter about selling the farm to get Burrows, my reaction was wrong place to spend our capital.

Our secondary seems to manage early in the game when the opponent is playing the odds but when we are ahead late and the opponent has to ditch caution and go for broke we allow all sorts for long gains.

My view is to agree the offense is solid and concentrate of building a secondary that can shut down deep gains.

I think it has more to do with scheme on defense, for 3rd down passing situations, then it does anything else. Getting off the field on 3rd and long, or 4th downs, the Saints are bad! They do very good on 1st and 2nd downs, no question. I say it is more on the DC, than anything else. The Saints were 16th in the league, allowing right at a total of 5 3rd down conversions made. That is not good. And allowed 6.7 their last 3 games! To make matters worse. They allowed 10 to the Vikings. In the past two seasons, they are sitting right under 5 per game. That is what gets you knocked out of the playoffs. Add in, your own inability to convert on 3rd down. Saints were 19th in converting 3rd downs, at 5 per game. Again, not good. To me, the 3rd down conversion numbers are my pet peeve the last 3 years.

 

[Super44]

I see where you're going... but what happens when someone comes up with 6 minute abs?

Then there will 5 min abs!

 

[Grumpy Old Manatee]

How would you rate a horse that leads by 10 lengths for an entire race but always gets past in the last furlong?

13-3 and out is not why you put a team on the field.

USDA choice at best; more likely USDA select, but not quite Elmer's.

 

[mccombmike]

There are two ways to totally shake up the team that I can think of.

One, sell the farm and get Burrow. I think this is a long shot but I don't object even if the price is huge. We live in the Mahommes and Lamar Jackson era now. You want to win the Super Bowl, you better have elite QB talent, or watch Pat or Lamar crush you in the fourth quarter on SB Sunday. I'd rather have a brilliant QB and scramble to fill in the gaps than struggle on with an average or even above average QB for several years.

Two, sign Amari Cooper. This will cost a ton and cause cap mess, but Brees would have a new lease on life passing to Cooper and Thomas for a season or two. That extra firepower could get the Saints back to the big game again, although we might pay for it with cap problems for some time after.

I see pluses and minuses to both approaches. I doubt either will happen. Most likely we have an 11-5 team who has a slim but real chance of winning it all, but will not be favored to do so.

 

[Devildog]

Let me ask you . Would you give away the farm as some want to get Burrows or concentrate of our secondary?

OMG, it's freaking BURROW. How hard is it to look up the dang name?

 

[Mrpoplus]

My idea? Well I think we have a problem with teams making late game comebacks. When I read all the chatter about selling the farm to get Burrows, my reaction was wrong place to spend our capital.

Our secondary seems to manage early in the game when the opponent is playing the odds but when we are ahead late and the opponent has to ditch caution and go for broke we allow all sorts for long gains.

My view is to agree the offense is solid and concentrate of building a secondary that can shut down deep gains.

And that starts with replacing the Williams Bros .