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The word STAT, is one of those abbreviated words that can carry different meanings. It is often used in sports terminology as a number that references a specific type of compiled information in order to ascertain a level of competency displayed by a player or team. The medical definition of this word is derived from the Latin word ‘statum’, which means ‘immediately’. It is used by medical personnel when a situation is urgent and must be cared for without delay. Entering into Week #6, both uses of this word can apply to the New Orleans Saints. Of all the statistical categories of our season so far, it’s the winning percentage of only 25% that makes the medical use of the word come to mind.
I think it’s fair to say that wherever there is a love for any NFL team, there are fans who are so optimistic at the start of each season that they dare to stick their head in the clouds and imagine that it’s their own favorite franchise who will be accepting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. Such whims can be derived from the hype surrounding new coaches, draft picks, free agent acquisitions, stadiums, uniforms, or even locations. (See Los Angeles Rams) While a case can sometimes be made about how the parity in the league opens the door for any team to move to the top of the heap, it is usually around this time of the season that the first few weekly doses of hard reality prove to many that it takes far more than hopes and dreams to be able to enjoy championship banners hanging in their home stadium.
Looking over the NFL landscape after Week #5 will give any fan a pretty good picture of who are the ‘Haves’ and who are the ‘Have Nots’ for 2016. Presently there are 9 teams with 1 win or worse<--(sorry Cleveland). Yet there are 10 teams with 1 loss or better<--(still somewhat puzzled about Minnesota). While it’s likely that even the biggest diehard Brownie has crash-landed weeks ago, I’m starting to see the potential for those purple Land O’ Lakes Bradfords lovers to set a land speed record for “Zero to Obnoxious” faster than anyone in the history of the league. Someone needs to remind them that fans who live in glass stadiums shouldn’t blow their own horns. After all, history says the Vikings are still the ‘other-Bills’ when it comes to winning Superbowls. But this week is their BYE so they will have gloating rights until at least Week #7. If Minnesota truly is for real, it may not be long before we might have to pull for them to win their division and ask that they take down all the remaining NFC matchups on their schedule. Let’s face it, this is what KWTPF is all about.
In the meantime there are a fairly large number of 2 & 3 win teams in the NFC and this will make the Saints’ goals impossible to reach if they do not begin to earn a few ‘Ws’ in the coming weeks. Knowing that this stretch of games will be among the toughest on anyone’s schedule, it will be hard for any of us to keep our head in the clouds if we see more of our team’s early season failures. Despite our disappointing record and obvious shortcomings on (and off) the field, one could argue that a few plays here and there could have us close to the top in the standings. And even with the rough road ahead no one knows for sure how we will perform when we get a few of our injured starters back on the field.
When we consider all these things, in many ways our season starts for real with the visit of the Carolina Blues this Sunday. There was some discussion on the forum earlier this week that Mr. Newton was seen on the streets of Charlotte perched atop a unicycle as his mode of transportation. While I’m not sure how accurate that report is, it’s possible that I would pay good money to see such a photo as long as UniCam has one of his funny hats, a clown nose, and his Superman socks to go along with it. But I must say that if such an image isn’t evidence that the NFL definitely needs this new concussion protocol, I don’t know what else would. (See serious note below)
Of course having a successful day against the Panthers would mean even more than just win #2 for the Saints. It would also provide us with both a divisional and conference victory which goes a long way when figuring tiebreaker scenarios. It may interest you dear readers to know that over the last 5 years the Saints actually have a 4-1 record following their BYE week, which is a great stat to consider going into Week #6. Obviously there would be no better medicine for our early season ills than to improve our post-BYE record to 5-1 and send the Blue Newtons home with little hope that they’ll find some of last year’s magic.
As of this writing, the Saints are still dealing with an overwhelming number of crippling injuries. Yes even our BYE week added another casualty to that list when Erik Harris went down with a season-ending knee injury during practice. I guess it goes without saying that our boys are going to have to make an amazing recovery if we are all going to keep hope alive. Clearly, racking up victories is the only way to do that. This means that we need the best performance from each and every “Next Man Up” on our roster… and we need it STAT!
San Francisco (1-4) at Buffalo (3-2), The return of Colin Kaepernick as the starting QB in San Francisco will likely be met with a mix of approval and vitriol. However, it’s not hard to understand the decision to put him back under center given the desperation of the situation that the 49ers are experiencing. Whether he will be effective in righting their ship this week may have more to do with the way the Bills are playing than what the rest of Colin’s teammates think of the move. Seeing the 49ers lose to anyone is usually good for what ails a Saints fan, but especially when it won’t give a victory to another NFC team. Pull for the Upstate New Yorkers in this one. Lately those Ryan boys have been making some beautiful music together. There’s no reason to stop now.
Jacksonville (1-3) at Chicago (1-4), Like much of the eastern Florida coastline the Jaguars were likely holding their breath as the path of hurricane Matthew inched closer to their city last week. How nice for them that they also had Week #5 as their BYE week and didn’t have to deal with fitting in a game during that critical time for the whole community. What a great way to celebrate by having you guys romp on the Bears this week!!! You deserve it. We deserve it! Geaux Jags!
Los Angeles (3-2) at Detroit (2-3), I’m so tempted to flip a coin on this pick simply because it may a bit too early to know which of these teams will be making the biggest splash as the season starts to identify contenders and pretenders. An argument could be made that neither of the teams will be a factor down the stretch, but it’s hard to ignore that one of these teams has a 2-game lead on the Saints. While it’s true that in the arena you are not likely to find a saint pulling for a lion, in this case I will make an exception.
Baltimore (3-2) at New York (2-3), These days it is hard to know which Giants team will come out of the locker room on any given week. Now that Odell Beckham Jr has begun to age like a fine ‘whine’, it can be almost comical to watch how each game they play will unfold. But what isn’t funny is that they do own the head to head tiebreaker over us. This would be a great week for the Ravens to pick it up a notch and prove that their loss at home to Washington last week was a fluke. Nevermore! Beat those Meadowlanders!
Philadelphia (3-1) at Washington (3-2), I will admit to being a bit surprised to see the Redskins’ with a winning record especially since they lost their first two games of the season. But they will have a real test against Philly after the Eagles took a tough one on the chin in Detroit last week. For now it’s hard to imagine that Washington is a real threat to run away with the NFC East, but it’s games like this one at FedEx Field that will determine how much stock to put in them for the rest of the season. There could be a genuine log jam in that division for the next few weeks, but eventually the true colors of these teams will be revealed and a clear favorite will emerge. Since I still think the Cheese Steakers have a better chance of making more ‘Ws’ in the weeks to come, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Redskins give them the ol’ tomahawk chop just to keep things close for now.
Dallas (4-1) at Green Bay (3-1), In the ‘Pick-Your-Poison Game of the Week’, we have the team we all love to hate versus one of the preseason NFC favorites to take one of the top seeds in the postseason. While I could never publicly encourage our fanbase to pull for the Pokes, they do have an uncanny ability to drop off the radar as things start to heat up in the race each year. And now the talk is that Jerrah wants to bench Dak as soon as Romo is able to crawl back to the huddle. Really? Maybe that’s why the temptation might be to want Green Bay to take the loss here. But I can’t pull for the Jones Boys, no matter how goofy Jerrah may be. And fortunately since the Dallas Prescotts currently hold a half game lead over the Lords of Lambeau, I don’t have to. At this stage of the season I would still prefer to see the Pokes on the short end of the scoreboard this weekend. Pull for the Pack.
Atlanta (4-1) at Seattle (3-1), Let’s face it… the Dirty Birds must die! I’m already tiring of the smoke being puffed up the backside of Julio and the Ryanites by the football media lately. We all know that our best chance to make the playoffs now will be as the NFC South champs, and unless the Falcons can be plucked back down to reality, the season may be history for us. We will only be vying for second place in our division and an outside shot at a wildcard spot. No one wants to be forced to give support to anything attached to Pete Carroll, but we now have to accept any help we can get to make Atlanta stumble. And should Seattle fail, I may have to avoid any football highlights programming to ensure that the bile doesn’t work its way up to my mouth. Only one bird will soar at CenturyLink this Sunday afternoon. Please let it be the Seahawks!
New York (1-4) at Arizona (2-3), Well, the big question this Monday night will be, “How can the Cardinals be only one win better than the hapless Jets?” No doubt the Cardinals have already been wondering the same thing. But they also know that no one in their division has looked like a hands-down favorite to take the West. I believe that a loss by Arizona would be beneficial to the Saints in two ways… not only would another loss keep them at a winning percentage at or below us, but they would become more desperate to take down the leaders in their division when they come up on their schedule. So let’s get on board the Jets flight to Phoenix and see if we can help New York rise from the ashes!
Carolina (1-4) at New Orleans (1-3), I’m not a doctor, and I don’t even play one on TV, but as I understand it the NFL’s new concussion protocol has been put in place to protect the current and future health of players from these all too common head injuries. (Some might argue that it has more to do with limiting future lawsuits against the league. That’s for another discussion.) But as a result of this implementation, some players have been forced to take a seat after any collision that causes them to fail the tests that indicate the brain is no longer functioning as it should. An important part of this new action is that the NFL team physician and an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant makes the calls concerning the actions taken once the player comes off the field. Whether you like Cam Newton as a person or not, the fact is that the league invests a lot of their promotional dollars on the star players in the league and the entertainment value for many fans goes up or down depending on whether these players are on the field each Sunday. It will no doubt be hard for players (and their fans) to accept being held out of any game over this protocol. But there is a very complex Return-to-Play process that is supposed to take place each and every time a player tests positive for a concussion. Details Explained I won’t pretend to know what level of damage or lingering effects may still exist in Cam’s head by game time on Sunday, but as a fan of the game (who frankly has never had a concussion in his life) I hope that the NFL will correctly follow through on what this action is intended to do… protect players from potentially long term or permanent brain damage. No decision about the player’s ability to participate should be based on the role of the player. Thus if it is determined that Newton should sit this one out, so be it. But if cleared to play, then he needs to have his towel-draped head ready to play at the Dome on Sunday. He is fair game.
Enjoy the games folks!
I think it’s fair to say that wherever there is a love for any NFL team, there are fans who are so optimistic at the start of each season that they dare to stick their head in the clouds and imagine that it’s their own favorite franchise who will be accepting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. Such whims can be derived from the hype surrounding new coaches, draft picks, free agent acquisitions, stadiums, uniforms, or even locations. (See Los Angeles Rams) While a case can sometimes be made about how the parity in the league opens the door for any team to move to the top of the heap, it is usually around this time of the season that the first few weekly doses of hard reality prove to many that it takes far more than hopes and dreams to be able to enjoy championship banners hanging in their home stadium.
Looking over the NFL landscape after Week #5 will give any fan a pretty good picture of who are the ‘Haves’ and who are the ‘Have Nots’ for 2016. Presently there are 9 teams with 1 win or worse<--(sorry Cleveland). Yet there are 10 teams with 1 loss or better<--(still somewhat puzzled about Minnesota). While it’s likely that even the biggest diehard Brownie has crash-landed weeks ago, I’m starting to see the potential for those purple Land O’ Lakes Bradfords lovers to set a land speed record for “Zero to Obnoxious” faster than anyone in the history of the league. Someone needs to remind them that fans who live in glass stadiums shouldn’t blow their own horns. After all, history says the Vikings are still the ‘other-Bills’ when it comes to winning Superbowls. But this week is their BYE so they will have gloating rights until at least Week #7. If Minnesota truly is for real, it may not be long before we might have to pull for them to win their division and ask that they take down all the remaining NFC matchups on their schedule. Let’s face it, this is what KWTPF is all about.
In the meantime there are a fairly large number of 2 & 3 win teams in the NFC and this will make the Saints’ goals impossible to reach if they do not begin to earn a few ‘Ws’ in the coming weeks. Knowing that this stretch of games will be among the toughest on anyone’s schedule, it will be hard for any of us to keep our head in the clouds if we see more of our team’s early season failures. Despite our disappointing record and obvious shortcomings on (and off) the field, one could argue that a few plays here and there could have us close to the top in the standings. And even with the rough road ahead no one knows for sure how we will perform when we get a few of our injured starters back on the field.
When we consider all these things, in many ways our season starts for real with the visit of the Carolina Blues this Sunday. There was some discussion on the forum earlier this week that Mr. Newton was seen on the streets of Charlotte perched atop a unicycle as his mode of transportation. While I’m not sure how accurate that report is, it’s possible that I would pay good money to see such a photo as long as UniCam has one of his funny hats, a clown nose, and his Superman socks to go along with it. But I must say that if such an image isn’t evidence that the NFL definitely needs this new concussion protocol, I don’t know what else would. (See serious note below)
Of course having a successful day against the Panthers would mean even more than just win #2 for the Saints. It would also provide us with both a divisional and conference victory which goes a long way when figuring tiebreaker scenarios. It may interest you dear readers to know that over the last 5 years the Saints actually have a 4-1 record following their BYE week, which is a great stat to consider going into Week #6. Obviously there would be no better medicine for our early season ills than to improve our post-BYE record to 5-1 and send the Blue Newtons home with little hope that they’ll find some of last year’s magic.
As of this writing, the Saints are still dealing with an overwhelming number of crippling injuries. Yes even our BYE week added another casualty to that list when Erik Harris went down with a season-ending knee injury during practice. I guess it goes without saying that our boys are going to have to make an amazing recovery if we are all going to keep hope alive. Clearly, racking up victories is the only way to do that. This means that we need the best performance from each and every “Next Man Up” on our roster… and we need it STAT!
San Francisco (1-4) at Buffalo (3-2), The return of Colin Kaepernick as the starting QB in San Francisco will likely be met with a mix of approval and vitriol. However, it’s not hard to understand the decision to put him back under center given the desperation of the situation that the 49ers are experiencing. Whether he will be effective in righting their ship this week may have more to do with the way the Bills are playing than what the rest of Colin’s teammates think of the move. Seeing the 49ers lose to anyone is usually good for what ails a Saints fan, but especially when it won’t give a victory to another NFC team. Pull for the Upstate New Yorkers in this one. Lately those Ryan boys have been making some beautiful music together. There’s no reason to stop now.
Jacksonville (1-3) at Chicago (1-4), Like much of the eastern Florida coastline the Jaguars were likely holding their breath as the path of hurricane Matthew inched closer to their city last week. How nice for them that they also had Week #5 as their BYE week and didn’t have to deal with fitting in a game during that critical time for the whole community. What a great way to celebrate by having you guys romp on the Bears this week!!! You deserve it. We deserve it! Geaux Jags!
Los Angeles (3-2) at Detroit (2-3), I’m so tempted to flip a coin on this pick simply because it may a bit too early to know which of these teams will be making the biggest splash as the season starts to identify contenders and pretenders. An argument could be made that neither of the teams will be a factor down the stretch, but it’s hard to ignore that one of these teams has a 2-game lead on the Saints. While it’s true that in the arena you are not likely to find a saint pulling for a lion, in this case I will make an exception.
Baltimore (3-2) at New York (2-3), These days it is hard to know which Giants team will come out of the locker room on any given week. Now that Odell Beckham Jr has begun to age like a fine ‘whine’, it can be almost comical to watch how each game they play will unfold. But what isn’t funny is that they do own the head to head tiebreaker over us. This would be a great week for the Ravens to pick it up a notch and prove that their loss at home to Washington last week was a fluke. Nevermore! Beat those Meadowlanders!
Philadelphia (3-1) at Washington (3-2), I will admit to being a bit surprised to see the Redskins’ with a winning record especially since they lost their first two games of the season. But they will have a real test against Philly after the Eagles took a tough one on the chin in Detroit last week. For now it’s hard to imagine that Washington is a real threat to run away with the NFC East, but it’s games like this one at FedEx Field that will determine how much stock to put in them for the rest of the season. There could be a genuine log jam in that division for the next few weeks, but eventually the true colors of these teams will be revealed and a clear favorite will emerge. Since I still think the Cheese Steakers have a better chance of making more ‘Ws’ in the weeks to come, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Redskins give them the ol’ tomahawk chop just to keep things close for now.
Dallas (4-1) at Green Bay (3-1), In the ‘Pick-Your-Poison Game of the Week’, we have the team we all love to hate versus one of the preseason NFC favorites to take one of the top seeds in the postseason. While I could never publicly encourage our fanbase to pull for the Pokes, they do have an uncanny ability to drop off the radar as things start to heat up in the race each year. And now the talk is that Jerrah wants to bench Dak as soon as Romo is able to crawl back to the huddle. Really? Maybe that’s why the temptation might be to want Green Bay to take the loss here. But I can’t pull for the Jones Boys, no matter how goofy Jerrah may be. And fortunately since the Dallas Prescotts currently hold a half game lead over the Lords of Lambeau, I don’t have to. At this stage of the season I would still prefer to see the Pokes on the short end of the scoreboard this weekend. Pull for the Pack.
Atlanta (4-1) at Seattle (3-1), Let’s face it… the Dirty Birds must die! I’m already tiring of the smoke being puffed up the backside of Julio and the Ryanites by the football media lately. We all know that our best chance to make the playoffs now will be as the NFC South champs, and unless the Falcons can be plucked back down to reality, the season may be history for us. We will only be vying for second place in our division and an outside shot at a wildcard spot. No one wants to be forced to give support to anything attached to Pete Carroll, but we now have to accept any help we can get to make Atlanta stumble. And should Seattle fail, I may have to avoid any football highlights programming to ensure that the bile doesn’t work its way up to my mouth. Only one bird will soar at CenturyLink this Sunday afternoon. Please let it be the Seahawks!
New York (1-4) at Arizona (2-3), Well, the big question this Monday night will be, “How can the Cardinals be only one win better than the hapless Jets?” No doubt the Cardinals have already been wondering the same thing. But they also know that no one in their division has looked like a hands-down favorite to take the West. I believe that a loss by Arizona would be beneficial to the Saints in two ways… not only would another loss keep them at a winning percentage at or below us, but they would become more desperate to take down the leaders in their division when they come up on their schedule. So let’s get on board the Jets flight to Phoenix and see if we can help New York rise from the ashes!
Carolina (1-4) at New Orleans (1-3), I’m not a doctor, and I don’t even play one on TV, but as I understand it the NFL’s new concussion protocol has been put in place to protect the current and future health of players from these all too common head injuries. (Some might argue that it has more to do with limiting future lawsuits against the league. That’s for another discussion.) But as a result of this implementation, some players have been forced to take a seat after any collision that causes them to fail the tests that indicate the brain is no longer functioning as it should. An important part of this new action is that the NFL team physician and an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant makes the calls concerning the actions taken once the player comes off the field. Whether you like Cam Newton as a person or not, the fact is that the league invests a lot of their promotional dollars on the star players in the league and the entertainment value for many fans goes up or down depending on whether these players are on the field each Sunday. It will no doubt be hard for players (and their fans) to accept being held out of any game over this protocol. But there is a very complex Return-to-Play process that is supposed to take place each and every time a player tests positive for a concussion. Details Explained I won’t pretend to know what level of damage or lingering effects may still exist in Cam’s head by game time on Sunday, but as a fan of the game (who frankly has never had a concussion in his life) I hope that the NFL will correctly follow through on what this action is intended to do… protect players from potentially long term or permanent brain damage. No decision about the player’s ability to participate should be based on the role of the player. Thus if it is determined that Newton should sit this one out, so be it. But if cleared to play, then he needs to have his towel-draped head ready to play at the Dome on Sunday. He is fair game.
Enjoy the games folks!
