Mickles: Saints not getting ahead of themselves
 

You don’t have to worry about the undefeated New Orleans Saints not staying grounded as a result of the rarified air they’re inhaling these days.

Just take it from tight end Jeremy Shockey, who is arguably the most excitable player on the roster.

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” a smiling Shockey said following Sunday’s 48-27 thrashing of the New York Giants, his old team.

“We know what we have at stake and how hard we worked,” he said. “We just have to keep pushing and keep working. At the end (of the season), we’ll count up all our chips. That’s what Coach (Sean) Payton always says.”

It would be easy for the Saints to be floating around with their heads in the clouds considering their 5-0 start — with all five wins coming by 14 points or more.

That the last two wins have come over the two New York teams — and the considerable media spotlight they play under — would seem to give them even more confidence.

But Shockey, of all people, and his teammates know after the beatdown of the Giants that they certainly can’t become overconfident at this stage of the game.

Payton didn’t have any concerns about that Monday, knowing the players he has on his roster.

“I think it starts with the players in the locker room,” he said. “It’s one thing to try to preach or sell something to a team, or to an individual, but we have guys that understand what we’re talking about.

“They understand how long the season is and they understand the roller coaster season that every team goes through in regards to your 16-week schedule.”

In other words, being one of the NFL’s best teams now guarantees you absolutely nothing in December.

That was certainly discussed in the locker room after Sunday’s game.

“You’re only as good as your next performance, and these first five games don’t promise us anything for the rest of the season,” said quarterback Drew Brees. “All it does is give us an opportunity to go out and get better each week.”

NEXT PAGE » 1 2

2theadvocate.com | Saints | Mickles: Saints not getting ahead of themselves — Baton Rouge, LA

Re: Mickles: Saints not getting ahead of themselves
 

We'll find out this week. LOL.

Re: Mickles: Saints not getting ahead of themselves
 

Payton knows that our leadership is grounded and we have people on the roster who have been on winning teams before. This team is going to stay focused on the goal...winning the next game! We are 5-0 now but we need to remember that NY was 5-0 last week.