It feels like forever since the Saints have been relevant (1 Viewer)

[lilvipa221]

I've couldn't have said it any better. We were 9-8 and the last time I checked that means you were a winning team.
Oh I don't want to hear about the easy schedule talk. No NFL schedule is easy. That's all media and fan talk.

You are so right, playing the panthers is just as challenging as playing the chiefs.

 

[St. Geezy]

You are so right, playing the panthers is just as challenging as playing the chiefs.

 

[Will Survive]

Andrus,.. as good as it would be for our next franchise QB to have great arm talent, I believe the thing that propels a QB to the top is the 5 inches between his ears. I believe most NFL starting QBs have enough physical talent to move around and hit open receivers.

What made Drew Brees great was a complete knowledge of the game, the playbook, his teammates, and of what is happening on the other side of the line of scrimmage. As much as I would desire a big brawny QB with a cannon for an arm, I'd take a guy with average physical abilities who could develop the mental skills that we saw when #9 was running the show on the field.

From what has been reported, both Haener & Rattler are known for their grey matter and could excel at the QB position even if they are less than stellar with their physical tools. I liked the way Haener ran the offense during his limited opportunities under center. He also has a head start over Rattler at studying the playbook. However, if Rattler is a better physical specimen and can grasp all the mental things that made Drew such an outstanding QB, then I'm all for him moving into that role.

That said, I don't believe any great QB is able to earn that status on his personal abilities alone. Even the great ones of the past needed a 'perfect storm' of the right supporting cast... including a coaching staff that understands how to showcase their talents. If either Haener or Rattler has what it takes to emulate what Drew Brees brought to the Saints, let's just hope their career isn't spent carrying clipboards while the Saints return to the era of the Baghead Brigade of the 70s & 80s. I don't think I could endure another decade of such misery.

So your saying Taysom could be the answer?

I kid, i kid

To your points I have to agree, I if Carr, Haener, or Rattler are the answer with this Offense everyone will be singing a different tune come December... at this point It is just wait & see...

To the Taysom comment, I would love to see how well he would do, not in the Offense but running this offense... but I am in no way interested in what would have to transpire for us to find that out

They all 4 seem to have the grey matter to succeed in this offense, but it's going to take a minute to see which one will able to put it all together and excel at it... maybe none of them, or maybe we do have a fount of blessings in our QB room... only time will tell.

Just excited to see the turn around in the Offense this season... coupled with our Defense taking care of business... I still hope & pray to get Cam a SB before he hangs them up... & this time of year, there is still always the possibility.... till there isn't...

But for now, there is...
Who Dat!

 

[SaintFanInATLHell2019]

Your not really a Saints fan then.

That harsh. Not everyone was a Saints fan in the bad old days 30-40 years ago and can appreciate both the greatest accomplishment of the team and can also recognize that the Saints treading water right now isn't a complete disaster.

However, those who were only Saints fans in the Payton era, right now is a letdown. There used to be an expectation of making the playoffs and competing for the championship. Now it would be an accomplishment if the team can go 4-2 in the first 6 games, take one away from Dallas/Philly/KC and win the 3 division games on the schedule.

There used to be a different level of expectation that currently is on pause.

It doesn't mean that they are not really Saints fans.

They just want the feeling of expecting more like it was 6-7 years ago.

SFIAH

 

[SaintFanInATLHell2019]

Yeah since they fired Greg Williams
The Defense won us that Superbowl not Payton...

Really? Brees had 32 completions, 82% completion percentage, 2TD and 0 interceptions. So, he had absolutely nothing with the Saints winning the Super Bowl, right?

SFIAH

 

[SaintFanInATLHell2019]

Some of you must need to see another 3-13 to be reminded of what irrelevant really is.

Irrelevancy with the national media really has nothing to do with record. Even when the Saints were at the absolute pinnacle of the football world in 2009, the media only spoke of Mannings coronation with his 2nd SB win. And the Saints in 2010 was not the leading contender to win again IIRC.

National media NFL only has 8-10 teams with similar characteristics:

- Veteran or rookie QB that's proven or an up and coming prospect
- Playoff team from last year.
- Based on the coasts. The Cowgirls are an exception to this.

The Saints are 0-3 in these categories. So, they never ever get talked about in the national media.

SFIAH

 

[SaintFanInATLHell2019]

The first 3 games will tell us how to temper expectations. I just want to see effort, reasonable execution and week to week improvement. Show me a team identity with a new coordinator.

If there are major things, Carr not playing well, lack of effort, poor offensive line play….the playoffs are not realistic and Allen will be a a red hot seat.

I'd say 6 games, not 3. That stretch has 4 of last year's playoff teams including the SB champion and 3 division games.

If the Saints are 4-2 with 3 division wins, then things are likely point up. But if it's a disaster at 1-5 and looking bad in the process...

SFIAH

 

[los226]

There is no difference in going 3-13 and 9-8 if the end result is the same. If the Saints don’t win the division, then it’s a failure. A failure that is magnified with a historically easy schedule.

There are no participation trophies.

 

[Bill]

To the Taysom comment, I would love to see how well he would do, not in the Offense but running this offense... but I am in no way interested in what would have to transpire for us to find that out

Taysom is an awesome football player. There's absolutely no doubt about that. But I believe that he trusts his legs more than his arm. I realize that there have been great running QBs in the past... and Taysom could do well on that quality alone. However, it's hard to imagine that any coach (or fan base for that matter) would be comfortable with a QB that has the tendency to run with the football more than half the time he is under center.

While I realize that his rushing plays were part of the gameplan when he's been on the field, it's hard to imagine that he would ever have the mindset to hang in the pocket to make a play rather than try to advance the football in the best way that he knows how. And we all know that all it would take is one low tackle to put his wheels out of commission for the season.

I love having Taysom in our offense. But making him our starting QB pretty much eliminates having him available for all the other roles where he has been used to help our offense. Just like the Eagles use their 'push play' to make an important first down, there are occasions when have Hill under center is a smart move. But I think our coaching staff has come to realize that making Taysom our starting QB is under-utilizing his talents. I'm really curious to see how Kubiak will work him into the offensive scheme.

 

[SWJJ]

Your not really a Saints fan then.

He's still a fan, he's kinda entitled a bit, but let's not gatekeep fandom.

 

[SWJJ]

There is no difference in going 3-13 and 9-8 if the end result is the same. If the Saints don’t win the division, then it’s a failure. A failure that is magnified with a historically easy schedule.

There are no participation trophies.

I wholly disagree. 9-8 and fighting for a playoff spot and having hope is a much more enjoyable season than being 0-6 with no shot and giving up on the season midway thru.

 

[whodatbe]

Are the Saints relevant is an interesting question. If you were talking with national media or other fans, they would probably say no.

Then on the other hand, last 2 seasons, Saints were in it to the end to win the division.

I think certain people have a different, I guess value, of the word relevant. Meaning relevancy is the team makes the playoffs might make some noise or, the team is mention as a SB contender, or consistent 9-8 seasons may or may not be in the playoffs but a winning record.

 

[St. Geezy]

There is no difference in going 3-13 and 9-8 if the end result is the same. If the Saints don’t win the division, then it’s a failure. A failure that is magnified with a historically easy schedule.

There are no participation trophies.

Curious, as I can only see your 2011 SR sign-up date and don't want to surmise that that's how long you've been a fan or that you're very young. How old are you and how long have you been a fan of the Saints?

I can promise you, there is a significant difference between the feeling of 3-13 vs. 9-8.

3-13 usually entails some crazy 0-8/1-7 type start, to where you're not even paying attention the last two months of the year and you're embarrassed to even identify publicly as a fan of the team. Hell, even this very message board would become a ghost town.

 

[los226]

Curious, as I can only see your 2011 SR sign-up date and don't want to surmise that that's how long you've been a fan or that you're very young. How old are you and how long have you been a fan of the Saints?

I can promise you, there is a significant difference between the feeling of 3-13 vs. 9-8.

3-13 usually entails some crazy 0-8/1-7 type start, to where you're not even paying attention the last two months of the year and you're embarrassed to even identify publicly as a fan of the team. Hell, even this very message board would become a ghost town.

I am 39 y/o and have been a Saints fan since elementary. I became a bigger overall NFL fan at 21 y/o when I started gambling on it lol.

My personal feeling about the ‘23 Saints wouldn’t change if they won three or nine games.

I understand what you’re saying about having playoff hopes until the end being the reason that nine wins is better than three wins, but I personally lost playoff hopes after the Bears win.

The loss at GB was terrible!
They won the turnover battle, won the penalty battle, scored a special teams TD, and had a 17pt lead in the final quarter and still lost. Losing Carr late in the game is not a good enough reason to still lose that game. Payton lost Jameis at the beginning of the Tom Brady led TB game and still beat them easily with Trevor Seimian! Good coaches find a way and DA proved what he’s made of with that game.

Then they follow the GB loss with getting blown out by the Bucs at home. DA once again proving what he’s made of coming off the horrible GB loss.

Then, the last straw for me was when the Bagent led Bears came to the dome and turned the ball over five times and the Saints still only beat them by one score. That was a pathetic win.

Those three games were enough for me to see that they weren’t the best team in the division and wouldn’t make the playoffs. Those three games confirmed what we already knew about DA. So, I personally lost playoff hopes mid way through the season.

 

[Bill]

Those three games were enough for me to see that they weren’t the best team in the division and wouldn’t make the playoffs. Those three games confirmed what we already knew about DA. So, I personally lost playoff hopes mid way through the season.

I don't know about other Saints fans, but there was a time (back in the 70s & 80s) when my dream each season was just to see the Saints reach the playoffs. But I have moved on from that simple wish ever since the 2000 season when the Saints defeated the Rams for their first playoff victory. The bar got higher when we made it all the way to the NFC Championship game in 2006. But after having reached the pinnacle in 2009, I no longer think of 'backing into' the playoffs as a satisfying goal anymore.

So once I lose confidence that the Saints are capable of going the distance in the postseason, then missing the playoffs no longer bothers me. While I realize that anything can happen once you make it into the NFL's second season, I can't help but to view a Saints team who has struggled all season long as not being worthy of being in the playoffs.

Do I still want the Saints to make it into the playoffs even after a mediocre season? Of course I do. But I see such a season as being the proverbial 'handwriting on the wall'. I don't get nearly as excited and I 'brace myself' (translated: fully expect) to experience the inevitable early exit from the ranks of the real contenders. For me, it's just hard to get my expectations high for the playoffs when the Saints have proven throughout the season that they aren't ready for postseason glory.

Having seen my team bring home a Lombardi trophy once before has taken away a lot of the pressure & stress of seeing the Saints get back into the postseason. That's why it no longer bothers me when the Saints come close, but (mercifully) fail to make the playoffs. I want our team to be a true contender. So as you mentioned, having witnessed the disappointing losses that were a big part of the 2023 season just made our elimination from the playoffs at the end a lot easier to accept.