It's Monday - The sun still came up, and it's shining BRIGHTLY on our Saints. (1 Viewer)

[kfran]

It's Monday morning, and after a night of heartbreak, you realize things aren't as gloomy as they felt a little after 6PM yesterday.

These Saints showed they can hang in there with the World Champs, even when they're on the negative side of the turn over battle and 2 back breaking runs by Parker, in a hostile enviroment.

Yet, after the dust settles, you realize that even with this loss, our Saints are not only still in sole possession of first place in the NFC South and control their own destiny... But, because of "a little luck" (with the Giants' loss to Chicago - they now have 2 NFC losses), we still have sole possession of the tie breaker for the second best record in the NFC and a 1st round bye in the post season.

Under the circumstances (while not what we had hoped for before 3PM yesterday), the sun is still shining very brightly on our Saints.

The mistakes that beat us yesterday are all correctable, and I'm sure Coach Payton will emphasize this to the team this week.

I doubt we'll see that kind of performance from this well coached team again this year. We haven't up till now, so there's no reason to believe we'll see it again. That just doesn't happen often in the NFL to GOOD teams, and these saints ARE a good team.

Who would have thought, let alone said, that with 10 weeks behind us in the 2006 season, and with just 7 games remaining - and 4 at home, the Saints would be in total control of their own destiny for a first round bye in the post Season?

Do like Coach Payton will tell his team to do today: Learn from this game, and then move on. We have another very important game this coming week to get ready for.

There's a whole lot of footbal left in 2006/2007 for this team, and that's a very good thing.

 

[Longtimesaintfan]

I couldn't agree more. The lost was disappointing, but I feel as good or better
about the Saints as ever. They were not man-handled by a talented & emotionally
charged Steeler team playing at home. I think everybody would have been totally
satisfied before the season to be sitting where we're at now.

 

[BIGSAINT]

I dont feel down ,because this team showed they can play with the best of them. I'll say this with confidence that the Saints will win 5 of their last 7 games.

 

[Bill]

This is a good thread to consider because I think that the vast majority of Saints fans feel exactly this way.

It's hard sometimes to remind ourselves that we didn't expect this year to be anything like it has turned out to be. I'm sure that if we are honest with ourselves we never considered that we would have a lead in the division at this point in the season.

However, this early success HAS caused many to forget how rare a feat this is for a first year regime and has begun to expect the unexpectable as this season slowly becomes the stuff dreams are made of. Sadly it has also made some folks a bit critical when those hightened expectations aren't realized.

As disappointed as I would obviously be if we somehow missed out on the post season this year, I would do my best to remind myself of what I realistically thought the 2006 season would produce. When I consider those initial personal predictions, it's no wonder that I can still muster a smile after every game.

This team has a great future ahead of them. And it's great to be a Saints fan today!!!

 

[kfran]

I dont feel down ,because this team showed they can play with the best of them. I'll say this with confidence that the Saints will win 5 of their last 7 games.

I'll be a little bolder than you, BIGSAINT. I think we'll only lose 1 more game this year, and I'm really not sure about that anymore.

I originally saw two games in the second half that concerned me:

Atlanta, simply because of the rivalry (you can never predict them), because it was at their house, and because I thought they would be in serious contention for a playoff spot when we got there the weekend after Thanksgiving.

However, based on how they've played the past two weeks, and the teams they've lost to (Detroit and Cleveland), with the Ravens up next for them, we may find a team waiting to have the air let out of them when we arrive...

So, I'm putting Hotlanta in the win column for us now, not based on emotion, but rather, on what I see...


The other game I was concerned about was the Giants. However, with their injury problems (losing another starter on defense last night), I don't know how much longer they can continue to take a beating like that, and remain the same team they were when they began their streak... That game now is very winnable for me, even though I won't pencil it in.

I had picked the Ravens as a win, without the turnovers, but we all know what happened there.

Which brings me to this: In its own strange way, I think losing that game yesterday because of turnovers will go very far into making us a stronger team down the stretch.

When Payton makes our guys realize that just eliminating those 3 mistakes (and they can be corrected), with our high octane O, solid ST (Gleason and Thomas are coming back) and a disciplined D, we write our own ticket.

As Drew recently said, "If we can get a run of wins going, we're going to be hard to stop."

Pitt proved it again last year: The teams that are HOT at the end of the year are usually the ones that go deep into the post season.

6-1 in the remaining 7... Maybe better

 

[JPH]

Kfran don't forget Carolina. They beat us once already, but I think they due a Saintly woop'n.

 

[kfran]

Kfran don't forget Carolina. They beat us once already, but I think they due a Saintly woop'n.

Not concerned about them at home, in the dome. I don't take them lightly, but I see that as "a very winnable" game in our house.

 

[play action]

heck of a contest, this team has some fight in it. think the saints would of won had it gone to ot. The steelers played like their season was on the line, and rothlesburger didn't make any mistakes, and yet they didn't seal the deal until the final minute, bring on the cats from cincy.

 

[natedogg02]

I agree w/everyone, I mean we turn the ball over 3 times and it still came down to the final few seconds. Against the superbowl champs who had to win this game. Take away the turnovers (14 points) or stopped one of them big runs, and we win the game.

 

[Chairman_LMAO]

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