We're all thinking it, but no one wants to say it:This team is reminiscent of 2002 (1 Viewer)

[kfran]

Dude, no he wasn't. The year Blake had and the year Brees is having are in no way similar. Blake was at best a caretaker who rode Ricky Williams and the #1-ranked defense to a decent record, while occasionally pulling some big plays out of thin air. Brees is having an MVP-caliber season leading a high-powered offense with little defensive support.

I keep hearing a lot of folks saying that this defense is terrible (little defensive support). Don't get me wrong - There is definitely room for improvement on our D, but to say we are where we are simply based on Drew, is not true.

He's a large part of it - I think he's the best thing to happen to us since slice bread, but through the first eight games, this D was ranked in the top 10. How soon we forget.

To accomplish that with mostly average talent speaks volume. As someone said earlier, if our D can simply get back to producing more three and outs, and we can eliminate the mistakes on O, we're unbeatable: Evidence - The second Tampa Bay game.

 

[Madmarsha]

Chicken Little, why do you keep writing posts like this?

 

[Brock Meaux]

No one and I mean absolutley no one (including myself) had a 7-2 team finishing 9 and 7. That 2002 team beat 4 Divsion winners at this point. So imagine this team beating the Bears (NFC North), Colts (AFC South), Broncos (AFC West) and the Seahawks (NFC West) for a hypothetical comparison of where this team would rank to equal the 2002 team at this point (assuming they had one more win). If you include the sweep of the Superbowl Champion Bucs, the Saints won 5 games against Division Champs and didn't make it to the Playoffs.

The ultimate demise of that team was related to the injury to Brooks in the win against the Bucs. At this point in the season in 2002, AB was leading the league and on track to throw 38 TD's. Let's hope Brees remains healthy and we don't have to imagine the impact of an injury to Brees.

Even though I didn't think the 7 - 2 team would lose 5 or their remaining 7 games, I did sound the alarm that giving up better than > 4 yards/carry is something to be concerned about. Giving up 5 yds/attempt and a less explosive offense that the 2002 team gives me some reason for conern.

Again, I'm not backing off my preseason prediction of 10 - 6; they just have to tighten up.

I think that is, ultimately, the difference between this team and that one, though...that team played to the level of it's competition. We beat teams we had no business beating and we lost to the likes of Detroit and Arizona on a regular basis. Under Payton, they've been prepared every week, and when they get beat, it's by good teams that are playing better, not by an inferior team that sneaks up on us. Maybe the records end up the same, but in no way will it feel like 2002 because we will be in every single game because this coaching staff and players won't allow anything less.

 

[Brad01]

Uh, no we're not all thinking it.

High scoring offense, rookie WR tearing it up, rookie RG playing extremely well, good record. And that's about where the comparisons stop.

The offense in 2002 was ranked what? 19th? 3rd scoring because of a great special teams. The offense that year was very similar to this year's Eagles. Either score in 3-5 plays or punt in 3-5 plays. This year the offense stays on the field a lot longer, giving the defense more rest.

The defense is also stronger up the middle and better overall talent.

 

[guidry23]

The saints have already exceeded all expectations, so if they make the playoffs, which i think they will it would be an excellent season

 

[SaintJ]

IOne similarity I do see, however, that no one has brought up is the similarity between Drew Brees and Jeff Blake in 2000. No one seems to remember that Blake was just as highly-prized (if not more so) as a free agent acquisition as Brees, and he was having a Pro Bowl year until he broke his leg in about week 10- he never played for the Saints again, but was having every bit as good a year as Brees........

WADR, dude, this is not even close to reality. Nobody was talking up Jeff Blake for MVP in 2000. Blake was also just about the only even journeyman QB on the market that year, there was no Culpepper or Brad Johnson lying around.

 

[SaintJ]

Maybe. And maybe we'll finish 9-7 and miss the playoffs. Could happen, although I don't think it will.

In 2002, we had a defense ranked in the low 20s in yards and the low 20s in points. We had an offense that finished 19th in yards and 3rd in points. One thing we had that year was a fabulous return game. We had a fairly large plus turnover margin for most of the season, but it was a team living on borrowed time all year, given to inconsistent play against all kinds of teams. The defense was unable to muster more than token resistance against anybody, giving up at least 20 points in every game until the last one. At 9-4, late in the Minnesota game up 31-24, we were in a position to get to 10-4 and were in the drivers seat for the first bye in our history. Only Rick Venturi stood in the way. The rest is history.

When people can't feel the bottom of the pool with their toes, they panic a little. Sometimes we grab for analogies and fight the last war. We may end up with similar results, but this is not 2002.

Our offensive and defensive yards and points per game are actually pretty much in alignment. Turnovers tend to even out, although I think in our case a pretty glaring lack of athleticism on the defensive side of the ball puts our takeaways at sort of a premium. It's pretty tough to rebuild a 3-13 team into an elite squad in the same offseason as a coaching change. We caught huge lightning in a bottle with Colston and the way the OL has come together, but when what our eyes tell us and what the stats tell us come out the same thing, we probably are what we are: a pretty good football team that beats the teams it needs to (Cleveland at home in 2002, anyone?), fights to win on the road, and laid only one egg all year so far, and I bet we see the Ravens in the AFC Championship game, if not the Super Bowl.

What am I thinking? I'm thinking this is 2006 and we have a team that's improving steadily over the course of the year, and I'm having a ball. If our defense doesn't hold up, if injuries slowly bring the boys down, I'm OK with that because I think they're well-coached and doing their best to at least slow down the opposition for a quarter here and there and keep our offense in the game with a chance to win.

These guys look like professionals almost every down, and thinking back to how ugly and sloppy some of those 2002 games were, if you can say the same, we just don't see football the same way.

 

[Hasboy]

I'm sorry Pure Energy, but look like you're on your own on this one.

 

[kooldak]

WADR, dude, this is not even close to reality. Nobody was talking up Jeff Blake for MVP in 2000. Blake was also just about the only even journeyman QB on the market that year, there was no Culpepper or Brad Johnson lying around.

Just to build on this - through the first 9 games Blakes stats were:

148 of 248 for 1524 yds, 60% comp, 9 TDs, 8 Ints (stats from pro-football-reference.com)

In contrast Brees so far in 2006 (also 9 games) -

217 of 331 for 2604 yds, 66% comp, 15 TDs, 7 Ints (stats from nfl.com)

Big difference. Not knocking Blake, he was a HUGE improvement at QB compared to the Billy Joes. A very solid QB who made things happen in a year when we needed that. But he was not a Drew Brees, IMHO.

 

[xtremc5]

No, this a new team across the board. They have won already done what every body predicted. Very few (myself included) thought they would have more than 6 wins. You can tell by the way they played in the 4th quarter. they were calm and moved the ball effectively. The 2002 team would have self destructed after they went down 14-0. This team stayed poised and fought back. It's just turnovers will kill you, just ask the steelers.

 

[Dean in L.A.]

I totally agree with the similarities; but, don't forget if Brooks isn't hurt or if Haslett sits Brooks and plays Delhomme that 02 team makes the playoffs and probably plays in the NFC Championship game. On top of that this defense is definitely better overall - still same problems against the run though.

 

[Madmarsha]

Another difference. Piling up dumb *** penalties. Seems like we were making 'em for years. Not positive but I'm pretty sure they were there in '02. They have drastically decreased at any rate.

 

[St. Kevin]

I never thought that either. I'm happy with this team. They NEVER give up and that's all I can ask. As a long time Saints fan I haven't once given up on them this year either and I don't plan on doing so now!!!!

 

[Pure Energy]

I totally agree with the similarities; but, don't forget if Brooks isn't hurt or if Haslett sits Brooks and plays Delhomme that 02 team makes the playoffs and probably plays in the NFC Championship game. On top of that this defense is definitely better overall - still same problems against the run though.

I agree Dean. That 2002 team beat the Superbowl Champs twice that year. At this point in the season the 2002 Saints were the media darling rating 1 or 2 in many Power rankings. I believe the 2002 team was a well coached team and as you point out Dean, Haslett's decision to play an injured Brooks instead of a healthy Delhomme cost us that season moreso than any other factor.

This team has to be more disciplined and quit turning the ball over and giving the opposition the short field in order to be successful down the stretch. Lack of discipline results in inopportune penalties, fumbles, and huge yardage gains to opponents because of blown coverage or failing to maintain contain.

I'm just as enamoured with the Offense as anybody (anyone remember the lofty numbers Deuce, AB and Horn were putting up at this point in the season in 2002?), but the reality is that if an opponent spots a weakness in your Defense they will work to exploit it. The rushing attack of the next two opponents, Bengals and the Falcons, will be good tests to get a read on whether this Defense is going to rise to the challenge or fold down the stretch.

Again, I had them at 10 - 6 before the season and I'm not backing away from that prediction. I hope the Pittsburgh game was a wake-up call to the Players, but more importantly the Coaching staff.

 

[zugzug]

It's amazing what a loss will do to a fan. We should be happy with what we have and NOT look to the past. This is not the same team, I repeat this is not the same team. As of right now we are 6 - 3 and have the lead in the nfc south and if that is something not to get excited about then I dont know what is.