Remembering 2002. (1 Viewer)

[MackeyM]

Alrighty then. No big deal. Hard to tell inflection over the internet, especially from someone you really havn't seen post.

No biggie, happens all the time.

BTW, I just jumped on the SaintsReport.com bandwagon but I've been riding the bumpywagon for a couple of decades.

Love the avatars you come up with.

 

[Bill]

The 2002 Debacle is proof that a squad that doesn't take care of business in the last half of the season doesn't deserve to go to the post season.

You should be playing your very best by the end of the season if you can even hope to make any noise in the playoffs.

2002 is dead and gone, and so is the coach that orchestrated that mess.

Frankly, I don't see a Sean Payton coached team falling apart to that degree as long as he has 22 healthy players to put on the field.

 

[hardhead233]

I'm not comparing this team to the the past Saints team because this is a different team HOWEVER it is natural for any Saints fans to still be cautious even at this point of the season, there's still lots of season to play and fans are cautious because traditionally the Saints have fallen off at the end...I don't think that's going to happen, but for people to not understand why some fans feel that way is a little puzzling? That doesn't mean that I'm not enjoying the season because I am, I'm just not going to call us Super Bow bound just yet, at this point I'm thinking playoffs(and home field advantage) but I still want to see us on the road against a legit top team, see how we respond......

 

[327]

http://www.grandstandsports.com/pages/15477.htm

 

[Paul]

http://www.grandstandsports.com/pages/15477.htm

Dude, LMAO.

 

[jlam]

You think its painful for you... I actually lived in Minny at the time.

It was pretty painful for about 4 of my mom's good plates after Daunte soccer-dribbled the ball into the endzone.

 

[kfran]

Sep 8 @Tampa Bay Won 26-20
Sep 15 Green Bay Won 35-20
Sep 22 @Chicago Won 29-23
Sep 29 @Detroit Lost 21-26
Oct 6 Pittsburgh Won 32-29
Oct 13 @Washington Won 43-27
Oct 20 San Francisco Won 35-27
Oct 27 Atlanta Lost 35-37

6-2 after 9 weeks, 7-2 after 10, and then:

Nov 17 @Atlanta Lost 17-24
Nov 24 Cleveland Lost 15-24
Dec 1 Tampa Bay Won 23-20
Dec 8 @Baltimore Won 37-25
Dec 15 Minnesota Lost 31-32
Dec 22 @Cincinnati Lost 13-20
Dec 29 Carolina Lost 6-10


Is anyone at all hesitant to put their full faith into going deep into the playoffs due to historical collapses like this one?

While I'm being cautious and not willing to say Superbowl just yet, I don't expect such a drop-off for one reason: Aaron Brooks is not the QB anymore. Drew Brees is a professional leader whose spirit can carry this team if need be. AB had none of the intangibles needed to take a team the full season. I sleep easier nowadays that there is some legit stability at quarterback.

By the way - sorry if I opened up some old wounds...

As evidenced by the scores of those 1st eight games, most were won through "shoot-outs." Remember: Haz and company were mezmorized with being like the run and gun Rams back then - Greatest Show On Turf.

Coupled with a bad defense and a quick strike offense, most times, we were just trading points with opponents.

I think this was also the year when Brooks's shoulder was hurt for the last 3 games, and Haz wouldn't play Jake with playoff implications on the line.

The result? A less than effective Brooks with a bad shoulder, a poor defense, and no more run and gun. This further fueled the melt down.

It all stemmed from ***poor coaching decisions.***

You can't compare that Saints Start to 2006.

Difference now: Smart Coaching - Sean Payton and his staff "get it."

 

[Madmarsha]

I just think it's a shame that the past transgressions of the Saints have disrupted the psyche of so many fans to the point where they cannot fully enjoy what is a successful season, thus far.

Waiting for the other shoe to drop we are. Pavlovian conditioned responses have we. If we can finish the season out like the first half, though, that will go a long way toward teaching us how to be fans of a winning team.

Some awesome posts so far and one more comparison to '02 is the WAY we got to 6-2. Why, I'd go so far as to say some of the games have actually been enjoyable to watch. Even in '02 when they would win, you had to watch through your hands covering your face like in a horror movie. They NEVER made it easy. Yeah, we've had some games like that this year but, even then we instinctively trust Brees and you know it's going to be okay. He who we do not name managed to find such unique ways to screw up that we NEVER trusted him. And almost without exception, either the offense would show up and the defense wouldn't or vice versa. Just enough flashes of what could be to frustrate us to no end. No, this year, Virginia, I think there really IS a Santa Claus.

 

[Curley]

This isn't 2002. That team was living on borrowed time all year, with a defense that ranked in the low 20s and survived off turnovers, and an offense that finished an anomalous 19th in yards and third in points, again using the turnover differential.

Our numbers are much more consistent this year, seventh in yards gained and sixth in points, and 13th in yards and 10th in points, despite a slight turnover deficit and recent red zone defense problems. This year, we are what we are, no mirrors involved.

Good post, Saint J. Although aren't we 10th overall in yardage as well as tenth in scoring?

http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2006/regular

Also, let me put a positive spin on this. Since we are 6th in scoring and 10th in points allowed, that even edges out the playoff win 2000 season, when we finished 10th in scoring and 10th in points allowed:

http://www.databasefootball.com/leagues/leagueyear.htm?yr=2000&lg=nfl