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So far this season the Saints have stumbled out of the gates with a record of 0-3 through three games.  While this can be contributed to many phases of the game, numerous fans are asking if perhaps the exit of a certain Saints player has played a part in this.  That player is namely Joe Horn, a veteran who showed last year that yes he was past his prime, but maybe the area where he provided the most good is something that can’t be judged in the stats column, the leadership department. 

In watching the foibles of the New Orleans Saints over the course of three games, I have been as confused and surprised as anyone in watching the fortunes of this franchise disintegrate. The foundation has crumbled as fast as a Saltine cracker. In retrospect, after gathering information, organizing thoughts, and seperating my professional opinions from my personal feelings, my vision has been restored.  Johnny Nash wrote a song which became a big hit called "I Can See Clearly Now" which reached number one on the Billboard charts in 1972.

Northshore and Southshore Forecast-Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of evening & early overnight showers & isolated thunderstorms, 30% after midnight.  Lows 74-77 with east winds 5 to 10 mph.

The Saints continued their stumble out of the gate this week with a loss to Tampa Bay.  Perhaps the three biggest areas that hurt the Saints this week were the offensive line, overall offense, and the defensive secondary.  These three seemed to plague the Saints for yet another week as they try to figure out what is wrong.

Going into this season, the Saints have had a lot of promise.  While this week’s loss to the Colts was a setback, fans shouldn’t read too much into it.  The Saints loss was very disappointing, but there were a few bright spots to focus on when the team reviews the game film from the Colts match up.

Overall the Saints had some bright spots on defense, at times coming up with key spots against arguably one of the best offenses in the NFL.  However, the defense did appear to wear down in the second half, allowing the Colts to pull away.  For the Saints defense to continue to improve, they will have to find more creative ways to get to the quarterback so that they can give some relief to their secondary, something they were unable to do against the Colts.

Offensively the Saints struggled horribly during the course of the game.  They never seemed to really get a tempo going and they allowed the Colts defense to dictate the course of the game.  Early in the game the Saints appeared able to move the ball, but didn’t seem able to finish off drives.  They didn’t really seem to gel during the game and will need a lot of work during the week and a half of preparation for Tampa Bay if they want to get back on track.