I'll post for myself and Mikeloc...both him and I originated from the New Orleans area.
We've been N.O. fans since the early 80's...in fact, Mike might even be there visiting now. For the Saints to acheive an 8-0 start is something REALLY special. As hardcore Saints fans, we'll never take an "easy" win lightly. This weekend versus the Rams, I'd still be nervous. In fact, I'm never at ease until the game clock strikes 0:00. For as long as I can remember, I've been let down too many times, saying "eh, there's always next year...". The 2006 season was special, but that team is nowhere near the 2009 team. The more and more they rack up wins, it's become clear that they have tremendous depth in pretty much at all positions. The defense seems to be creating more turn overs and have been executing on key stops during oppositional drives. Brees and the Offense, as we all expected, are still high powered. Shut down 1 or 2 players, another will emerge. Tackle Jermon Bushrod has been a solid replacement for key offensive Pro Bowl player Jamaal Brown, who went on IR with a hip injury. A revived Anthony Hargrove is filling nicely for the injured Sedrick Ellis as well.
The last 3 games were unbelievable. They trailed as much as 21 points, yet still managed to win(by double digit points versus Miami and Carolina). The past Saints squads would have keeled over and raised the white flag.
There are a few things I'm concerned of though. We've allowed DeAngelo Williams and Michael Turner over 150 yards of rushing the last 2 games. We do miss the run-stop technique of Sed Ellis clearly. While Bushrod does well holding back D Ends, he still needs the chip block from the RB's to fully protect the QB. Virtually every team in the NFL has a great pass rusher. So keeping them at bay will allow the Offense to execute imo.
I have to be humble as a fan though. I'd be content with a first round Bye and home field advantage through out the post season if things continue to stay at this pace. I personally don't think they'll have a perfect season, but I also wouldn't be surprised at this point. Going 12-4 or 13-3 or 14-2 would be still awesome.
They still have some tough ball games left however. All of the divisional NFC South teams have always been scrappy. The Bucs appear to have settled on a QB in Freeman. So who knows? This is the NFL. On any given Sunday, you can win OR lose no matter what your record reflects. The Saints also host New England and Dallas within the next few weeks. So they'll be a challenge for sure. I can respectfully bow to New England if they beat us, but I just can't fathom it if we lose to Dallas. I just don't like the 'Boys(My GF is a huge Cowboy fan
). So we both have Dec. 19th circled on the calender...LoL.
I can't tell you how happy I am right now about this Saints team. It's deeply gratifying after all these years of losing. Only the true Saints fans will understand how I feel. I could die a happy man if the Saints went to the big dance and won. That's how much being a Saints fan means to me.
Who Dat??!!
Hybrid Mode
