Tonight the dream of the New Orleans Saints repeating as Super Bowl World Champions is over. They will only be able to say defending champs for about another month. The Saints go out of the playoffs after the 1st round but what stings is it's against a team that still has a losing record.
If you would have come to me last year and said hey, the Saints will win 13 games, coast through the palyoffs, win the Super Bowl, become world champs and return the following year and win 11 and make the playoffs again; I would always take that deal.
The fact that we will always have that Super Bowl championship is special. The way that whole year played out and what it meant to all of us; to a city and an entire region is amazing. And the way they came back this year with most of their players and won the kickoff classic vs Minnesota, you had to think this can happen again. Even after some mind numbing losses early on, the Saints won 7 of the last 9 and were matched up to play a losing team in the playoffs.
But the Saints indeed had problems. The injuries, dating all the way back to August, were beyond belief. And for some strange reason, right before the playoffs, the Saints lost even more important players. For the game tonight, 6 starters were out. And the Saints never played consistent defense in 2011. Although improved statistically, many a running back was able to gash the Saints. Then the mystery of Drew Brees. I'm still a huge fan, but his timing was off a good bit of the year and his interception count was unacceptable.
In looking back over recent history, many a Super Bowl Champ does not even make it back to the playoffs. It happened just last year to Pittsburgh. We made it back but with injuries mounting and relegated to a road team. You had to think maybe not this year. But the way we have learned to love the Saints, to have faith, to have witnessed the unimaginable, you still thought, hey, we will be o.k. Not tonight.
I love the Saints; but the defensive effort tonight was embarrasing. All out failure. It appeared that they had no heart, no desire, no anything. This is something Coach Peyton needs to address immediately.
And I've begun my own who to get rid of list: the king of my list is Reggie Bush; get outta here. Next year you will cost us $ 12 MM. Not worth it. And I'm ready to get rid of quite a few more: Julius Jones, Jeremy Shockey, Devery Henderson, Danny Clark, Scott Shanle, Darren Sharper, maybe Roman Harper, I'll add Jabari Greer and Garrett Hartley.
So we return to a 44 year tradition: wait til next year.
Thanks Saints for a great 2009-2010 and that Super Bowl we will never forget, and thanks for not being a total bust in 2010; but you are 0 for 2 in 2011 and we all pray that this is a trend you will reverse come autumn.
Still a Saints fan!
PS - All I need now to make this worse is Atlanta to win the Super Bowl. That would be too much!
The headline on the game in the NY Post was "Blew Dat". Not nice, even by New York standards...my sympathies, but as a Bills fan I must say, things could be worse. You'll always have 2010.
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