- Joined
- Jan 22, 2000
- Messages
- 62,657
- Reaction score
- 62,228
Offline
If You Want It, Here It Is
Come And Get It
But You Better Hurry Cause It's Going Fast
It's too bad that we can't get the Saints players & coaches to hum the words of this Badfinger tune in their heads during their BYE week. The chorus of this song pretty much says it all. While no one literally hands over a division championship and a top four playoff spot to any NFL team, for this entire season the Saints have had the closest thing to a free ticket set right before them.
The problem is that with more than half the season completed the Saints have refused to grab the brass ring. They have fallen short of acting like a championship squad against all but the most hopeless of the opponents on their schedule. And this comes after being awarded the kind of regular season schedule that even a good high school team could conquer. Simply put, this season is not going as planned.
And as the Saints embark on their week of rest & recuperation, all that any of us fans can do now is wait... and pull for the right teams to win. After a horribly frustrating game this past Sunday in Minneapolis, we are all stuck wondering if the Saints' brain trust will ever get things figured out. And we're not just talking about 'in time to salvage the season'. But ever. As in, at any time during their remaining tenure. Frankly it would be hard to find anyone who could be laying down money that Dennis Allen & Company will be able to turn his bunch into a true contender. And now that the Saints have a longer list of injuries moving into their BYE week, we can only hope that when the Saints go marching into the Sphincter Dome in two weeks, they will truly 'want it' more than the Falcons. Because being able to fulfill the dream for this season really is 'going fast'.
Cowboys (6-3) at Panthers (1-8) - In the football world, fans are led to believe in the phrase, 'Any Given Sunday'. Well for that adage to hold true, a true miracle would have to occur on the grassy sod of Bank of America Stadium this week. Even though the Kitties are part of the Evil Three that we have to deal with twice a year, I think I can safely say that we would all prefer to see them pull out a hard fought victory over the CowPukes if only for the 'satisfaction factor' we would receive. Also, a few more wins by Carolina could possibly mean handing the #1 draft picks to the Patriots instead of the Bears. Another fine reason to pull for the Panthers! (purrrrr)
Bears (3-7) at Lions (7-2) - Because the Saints couldn't take care of their own business last week, it's hard for even the most optimistic fan to imagine that the Saints could outpace the Lions in the playoff seeding. But it's not absolutely impossible for that to happen. Should Detroit lose this week and the Saints beat them down the road, there is a possibility of earning an even record with the Lions with the Saints in possession of the tiebreaker!
I'm not saying it's likely; just not impossible. Until it is impossible, I'm calling for us to pull for the Bears to both beat Detroit and slip back a few spots on draft day.
Chargers (4-5) at Packers (3-6) - I can find no reason for us to want Green Bay to be hanging another victory in their win column as long as they are playing an AFC team. By virtue of that reasoning, we can all hope that Herbert will have the kind of breakout day in Lambeau that all eight of their fans will be talking about for generations to come. Give the Chargers your full support in this one.
Cardinal (2-8) at Texans (5-4) - Who really cares about this one? It just doesn't matter who wins this game. My personal feelings will be to have Arizona win their way out of acquiring a Top 3 draft pick. Besides, I'm already growing tired of all the CJ Stroud praise that is being featured on every NFL pregame show. But if you're a fan of the former Buckeye, go ahead and give Houston the nod. No matter who wins, it won't affect much at the end of the day.
Giants (2-8) at Commanders (4-6) - This is another one of those games that would be a hard sell even to diehard fans of either team. I'm guess that this game won't be a sellout in D.C. Everyone knows this game is only going to affect their draft positions. The playoffs is not in the plans of these teams or their fans. But since I'm almost starting to feel sorry for the Gnats, I'll probably end up just pulling for them. You're welcome to join me if you like.
Buccaneers (4-5) at 49ers (6-3) - This game by far has the greatest implications regarding the Saints standings in the NFC South. Should the Bucs pull off the victory out west this Sunday, they will leapfrog the Saints for 1st place in our division. And no matter how much you might want Mickey & his Merry Men kicked to the curb, a takeover by Tampa Bay just ain't enough to get that wish accomplished. Pull for the Bucs to lose by any means possible. If the premise of this column is to help the Saints make it to the playoffs, it has to start with the Baker Boys sinking in San Francisco. Purdy better have the Bucs walking the plank on Sunday. (ker-plunk)
Seahawks (6-3) at Rams (3-6) - Look, I hate the Rams as much as any of you folks. But they are looking like less & less of a threat to pass any team who has legitimate playoff aspirations. And that includes our boys. Thus L.A. could be a cog in helping the Saints to post a better record than Seattle when this regular season eventually grinds to a halt. For the same reasons stated in the Bears at Lions discussion, a hopeless team like the HornyGoats can have a positive effect on what happens to the Saints in the postseason if they can manage to beat a couple of key NFC teams. Just hold your nose and pull for the Lambs.
Vikings (6-4) at Broncos (4-5) - This Sunday Night Football matchup will be the second most influential game on a week that the Saints can do nothing to help themselves. Owning both a one game lead and a tiebreaker over the Saints, it would be of benefit to our team if Minnesota would finally have their win streak broken by Payton & The Ponies. So pull for Denver to give the Vikings a high altitude thumping. Sure it may have a slightly negative effect on the compensation pick we will receive for Sean's departure, but that change in draft position is too insignificant to worry about right now. We just need the Vikings to fall hard while the Saints are preparing to get back on the horse. The Bless You Boys can come back from their BYE Rest in pretty good shape in the NFC standing if a lot of these 'pull for picks' pan out. That is, as long as our Saints still 'want it'.
Come And Get It
But You Better Hurry Cause It's Going Fast
It's too bad that we can't get the Saints players & coaches to hum the words of this Badfinger tune in their heads during their BYE week. The chorus of this song pretty much says it all. While no one literally hands over a division championship and a top four playoff spot to any NFL team, for this entire season the Saints have had the closest thing to a free ticket set right before them.
The problem is that with more than half the season completed the Saints have refused to grab the brass ring. They have fallen short of acting like a championship squad against all but the most hopeless of the opponents on their schedule. And this comes after being awarded the kind of regular season schedule that even a good high school team could conquer. Simply put, this season is not going as planned.
And as the Saints embark on their week of rest & recuperation, all that any of us fans can do now is wait... and pull for the right teams to win. After a horribly frustrating game this past Sunday in Minneapolis, we are all stuck wondering if the Saints' brain trust will ever get things figured out. And we're not just talking about 'in time to salvage the season'. But ever. As in, at any time during their remaining tenure. Frankly it would be hard to find anyone who could be laying down money that Dennis Allen & Company will be able to turn his bunch into a true contender. And now that the Saints have a longer list of injuries moving into their BYE week, we can only hope that when the Saints go marching into the Sphincter Dome in two weeks, they will truly 'want it' more than the Falcons. Because being able to fulfill the dream for this season really is 'going fast'.
Cowboys (6-3) at Panthers (1-8) - In the football world, fans are led to believe in the phrase, 'Any Given Sunday'. Well for that adage to hold true, a true miracle would have to occur on the grassy sod of Bank of America Stadium this week. Even though the Kitties are part of the Evil Three that we have to deal with twice a year, I think I can safely say that we would all prefer to see them pull out a hard fought victory over the CowPukes if only for the 'satisfaction factor' we would receive. Also, a few more wins by Carolina could possibly mean handing the #1 draft picks to the Patriots instead of the Bears. Another fine reason to pull for the Panthers! (purrrrr)
Bears (3-7) at Lions (7-2) - Because the Saints couldn't take care of their own business last week, it's hard for even the most optimistic fan to imagine that the Saints could outpace the Lions in the playoff seeding. But it's not absolutely impossible for that to happen. Should Detroit lose this week and the Saints beat them down the road, there is a possibility of earning an even record with the Lions with the Saints in possession of the tiebreaker!
I'm not saying it's likely; just not impossible. Until it is impossible, I'm calling for us to pull for the Bears to both beat Detroit and slip back a few spots on draft day.Chargers (4-5) at Packers (3-6) - I can find no reason for us to want Green Bay to be hanging another victory in their win column as long as they are playing an AFC team. By virtue of that reasoning, we can all hope that Herbert will have the kind of breakout day in Lambeau that all eight of their fans will be talking about for generations to come. Give the Chargers your full support in this one.
Cardinal (2-8) at Texans (5-4) - Who really cares about this one? It just doesn't matter who wins this game. My personal feelings will be to have Arizona win their way out of acquiring a Top 3 draft pick. Besides, I'm already growing tired of all the CJ Stroud praise that is being featured on every NFL pregame show. But if you're a fan of the former Buckeye, go ahead and give Houston the nod. No matter who wins, it won't affect much at the end of the day.
Giants (2-8) at Commanders (4-6) - This is another one of those games that would be a hard sell even to diehard fans of either team. I'm guess that this game won't be a sellout in D.C. Everyone knows this game is only going to affect their draft positions. The playoffs is not in the plans of these teams or their fans. But since I'm almost starting to feel sorry for the Gnats, I'll probably end up just pulling for them. You're welcome to join me if you like.
Buccaneers (4-5) at 49ers (6-3) - This game by far has the greatest implications regarding the Saints standings in the NFC South. Should the Bucs pull off the victory out west this Sunday, they will leapfrog the Saints for 1st place in our division. And no matter how much you might want Mickey & his Merry Men kicked to the curb, a takeover by Tampa Bay just ain't enough to get that wish accomplished. Pull for the Bucs to lose by any means possible. If the premise of this column is to help the Saints make it to the playoffs, it has to start with the Baker Boys sinking in San Francisco. Purdy better have the Bucs walking the plank on Sunday. (ker-plunk)
Seahawks (6-3) at Rams (3-6) - Look, I hate the Rams as much as any of you folks. But they are looking like less & less of a threat to pass any team who has legitimate playoff aspirations. And that includes our boys. Thus L.A. could be a cog in helping the Saints to post a better record than Seattle when this regular season eventually grinds to a halt. For the same reasons stated in the Bears at Lions discussion, a hopeless team like the HornyGoats can have a positive effect on what happens to the Saints in the postseason if they can manage to beat a couple of key NFC teams. Just hold your nose and pull for the Lambs.
Vikings (6-4) at Broncos (4-5) - This Sunday Night Football matchup will be the second most influential game on a week that the Saints can do nothing to help themselves. Owning both a one game lead and a tiebreaker over the Saints, it would be of benefit to our team if Minnesota would finally have their win streak broken by Payton & The Ponies. So pull for Denver to give the Vikings a high altitude thumping. Sure it may have a slightly negative effect on the compensation pick we will receive for Sean's departure, but that change in draft position is too insignificant to worry about right now. We just need the Vikings to fall hard while the Saints are preparing to get back on the horse. The Bless You Boys can come back from their BYE Rest in pretty good shape in the NFC standing if a lot of these 'pull for picks' pan out. That is, as long as our Saints still 'want it'.
