The New Orleans Saints are playing Green Bay tonight in the final preseason game of the year. The dreaded and unnecessary 4th game will be played with a bunch of no-name back-ups and a few promising prospects hoping to make a NFL roster for opening day. Expect very little in viewing this game. Thank God above you are not shelling out top notch regular season ticket prices for this exhibition.
I've already gone on record that I expect precious little from the New Orleans Saints this year. They were a bad bunch as a football team last year and pray, tell me, how did they get better in the off-season? They did not. Instead they got worse, much worse, at least on paper and the magic that once surrounded Mickey Loomis seems long gone. In fact, he seems to be the new NFL expert in signing free agents who, once training camp approaches, find a way to ride the bench. The two most notables have come to us via Buffalo, Byrd last year, who remains a mystery as he rakes in millions to be an observer, and now Spiller, doing much the same as Byrd.
Again, tell me where they got better. Running back? Nope, Spiller is no help and the amazing Pierre Thomas is gone, along with Sproles more than a year ago. Quarterback? We still have Drew Brees, another year older, but still a great QB. We need to remember that Brees is better with a great cast around him, he no longer has that. Did we already forget and forgive the spate of interceptions last year? How about wide receiver? Well, we traded Kenny Stiles for a LB who, like Byrd and Spiller, is riding the exercise bike or the bench. Stiles was good, now he's gone. Cooks is legitimate and Colston solid, but Colston is beginning his 10th season. None of the other receivers show great promise except Snead. Are the Saints better with Snead or a Kenny Stiles as the 3rd wide-out? How about tight-end? Sure, we must be better with a heavy dose of Watson and Hill vs. a Jimmy Graham. Good grief. The offensive line will be ok, but can anybody honestly answer me that this unit is better than last year? If anything, it's a wash. Remember, we spent a #1 pick on a guy who at best will be a back-up this year.
Defense? What defense? We had none last year and tell me how did it get better this year? What pick-up will turn a woefully bad defense that could never get off the field on 3rd down around in 2015? The D-line can't get a sack and has no great player to anchor the middle. We are praying that some rookies will improve the linebackers and they have shown some promise. But as a group, are they any better? And the D-backfield is shredded and decimated by injury, again, now two years in a row. Is Browner ever going to help and is Byrd the biggest free agent bust in the history of the NFL?
Look at the organization as a whole right now. Say what you want about the Benson family feud but how can any of that be good for a franchise in general? What about the before mentioned Mickey Loomis? He helped build a great team that won a Super Bowl, almost six years ago. Has it been that long? Yes! Now, he is destroying this team with incredibly bad decisions in trades, signings and money. No matter what happens from here on out, the Saints are handicapped by a whopping $ 20 million in dead cap money. That's money counting against the teams total allowable cap in players previously traded or cut; the highest dead money in the league. Add in the big star players we did sign who can't make it out of the locker room and on to the field and that total is closer to $ 30 million. Now add that to the ridiculous amount of money we still pay Drew Brees as a reward for what he once did and not matching what he can do now; all I can say is good luck.
Even the coaches seem confused. Who is really running the defense? Ryan seems shot and Allen maybe waiting for the ax to drop on the rotund one. Even Sean Payton, who coaches us to a Super Bowl, seems like he is struggling just to make this bunch competitive.
I know anything can happen. We do still have a Drew Brees and prayerfully, a regular season does have a way of curing what ails you. Maybe some of these injured high dollar folk can still get in the game. Maybe some drat pick or free agent will play all world. Maybe the rest of the NFC South will suck just like 2014. Maybe. For now, based on everything I have witnessed and read from experts, not a guy like me, I cling to my 7-9 and only hope they can achieve this record. After the 3rd pre-season game I was ready to go 6-10.
This is my analysis as a very amateur student of the game. As a fan, and yes, I am a fan, I hope I'm all wet and I too will be celebrating the once greatness of the Saints restored to us in 2015. Let me be wrong, good grief, no one will be happy to give some mea culpa action if the Saints prove this post wrong. And before you get all hyper critical on me, remember, at least I had the moxie to put this out front, before the season even begins!
As a fan I shout loud: Geaux Saints! As a realist I say prepare for disappointment:(
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