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Another season of hope. Another disappointing season. After leading the NFC in scoring I think most Saints fans were thinking we would see more of the same in 2003. Throw in Michael Lewis who set the NFL record for most return yardage, and I think most fans thought scoring points would be the least of our worries.

The only real weakness was the defense. While the holes were many on defense, the Saints did draft Johnathan Sullivan in the first round and sign Tebucky Jones at safety. Sure they filled many of the other spots with unproven players or player past their prime. But, I think most fans were hopeful that they would be improved from last year. And to a certain extent they are. The defense has played well enough to win most of the games this year.

Well, the Saints offense didn't produce like most of us thought they would and now we have a bunch of fans saying " I told you the Saints weren't going to the playoffs." I have a friend that is from New York and he told me Boston wouldn't make it to the world series. Prediciting the saints don't go to the playoffs and Boston doesn't make it to the world series is quite a feat. It's kinda of like prdecting the weather will turn cold once a year. I saw a 5-gallon jar of jelly beans in a store the other day and if you guessed how many were in there you won $500.00. Maybe those guys can predict that too.

Ever since I have been a Saints fan there are fans telling me every year that the Saints have no chance at making the playoffs. I know they are really sticking their neck out considering the Saints history. Which is why I prefer to be optimistic about the Saints every year.

Now that the Saints are virtually eliminated from the playoffs, most are already thinking of next season. I can't help but think about those who will be telling me next year that the Saints won't make it to the playoffs. If I could only get those guys to give me the lotto numbers. I have no illusions about winning the lottery though. I will however have high expectatons that the saints will make the playoffs.

One day maybe even the Super Bowl.


[Edited on 9/12/2003 by BillyC]

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We\'re not matematically eliminated yet Billy.
If I\'m going down, I\'m going down swinging.
We are still gonna back into the playoffs buddy, and we\'re gonna pull a 1st round upset over Carolina!
As long as there\'s a pulse...

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I was speaking about those fans who say the Saints aren\'t going to the playoffs before the seson ever starts. I\'m not talking about you Gator. If anyone has been a Saints fan for any length of time, I\'m sure you know there are those who say nothing but negitive things about the team. Some examples:

1. They hadn\'t never done anything and they never will.
2. The Saints are cursed.

Then there are those that think they have the whole thing figured out before the season starts through careful analysis. Probably the same folks who predicted the Bucs wouldn\'t make the playoffs. Or, the same one\'s who predicted the Cowboys would make the playoffs. Oh, that\'s right. They didn\'t have that figured out before the season started.

Like I said, there will be those before next season starts telling everyone because the Saints didn\'t get this player or that player, or because Haslett and Brooks are still here that we ain\'t going to the playoffs. They\'re already saying it. Which is fine.

I\'ll still believe even if we have John Fourcade back at QB. I\'ll be cheering just as loud and all the while remaining optimistic.

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I understood what you were saying. But, since it was I that started the thread and I was talking about predicting the Saints as losers before the season started, maybe you misunderstood what I was talking about?

I\'m just saying that I know there are those that will be saying before next season starts that we won\'t make the playoffs. If they don\'t, it will be the first time.

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I assume that you\'re talking about me Billy. Maybe that\'s a wrong assumption, but you haven\'t been here long enough to talk about what people say EVERY season b/c you\'ve only been here for one. I predicted that the Saints would make the playoffs last season. I was wrong. It has nothing to do with being optimistic or pessimistic, right or wrong. I look at this team and give my opinion. We\'ll see what we and other teams do in the offseason... but it will be hard for me to expect playoffs as long as Haslett is the coach of the Saints. I\'ll tell you one thing, watch out for Atlanta next year. Mike Vick will prove why he is the most valuable player in football as a team that may go 3 or 4 for the season this year should be a legitimate playoff contender next season. I\'ll give you another one - the Jacksonville Jaguars. No Billy, I\'m not psychic, but I do know a thing or two about football. Watch those two teams and tell me if they\'re not in contention next season. AS for this team, my mind isn\'t made up just yet, but if I had to bet right now on their record next year I would say 9-7, maybe 10-6 if the stay healthy. (yeah, that\'s a winning record. Tell me how I\'m a pessimist again).

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Gator --

1. I\'m suppose to believe that because WhoDat predicted a 8-8 or a 9-7 team that he\'s some kind of expert?

2. Becuase Brooks is fumbing the ball we should assume he\'s done. I think WhoDat say\'s it always going to be one problem or another with Brooks and why am I suppose to believe that?

3. This is a poo team? Hmmmm......... Fact is this is a very talented team that had a bad season. Many of those games could have gone either way. So, could Carloina games and we would be sitting right here saying they are poo. But, I will give you that they are a BIG disappointment, but I don\'t think they are in the bottom of the NFL.

Everyone has their opinion, but WhoDat goes around and tries to make suer everyone knows how right he is. Great, he predicted 8-8 or 9-7. When he really goes out on a limb and impresses me, I\'ll let ya know.

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Now I\'m foolish? Do you think that the Bucs are a poo team? I mean come on. If anyone has been a bigger disappointment than the Saints it has to be the Bucs. All I\'m saying is one year a champ and the next a CHUMP. This year the BUCS were chumps. Will they be next year?

Have your opinion and I won\'t call you foolish. I\'ll have mine too. Think about that.

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Gator,

I\'m not saying it\'s luck. I\'m saying the NFL is very unpedictbale. There MAY be 3 or 4 teams in the league that someone can say with SOME degree of certainy that they will make the playoffs. Beyond those teams, it\'s really a crapshoot evaluating those teams. I\'m not saying it\'s luck that those unexpected teams make the playoffs, I\'m saying there is just NO way to know at the beginning of the season. Anyone that claims to know......I don\'t believe them. Wheather that be the experts, you, or WhoDat. It\'s been proven time and time again that even the Super Bowl champs aren\'t a lock for the playoffs.

Furthermore, when someone says Brooks is done or should ride the bench I don\'t put too much stock in that either. They said the samething about McNabb earlier in the year. It\'s a good thing Andy Reid didn\'t listen to the fans and the media. They were so brutal on McNabb that he had to go to Arizona in the bye week to get away from them

Bottom Line -- The NFL is too unpredictable to be stating with ANY certainy who will make it to the playoffs. You can analyze it however you want to, but it just defies logic a lot of times. Not saying LUCK. Saying UNPREDICTABLE.

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I find it interesting that the \"I told you so\" crowd is coming out of the woodwork now. Well I find it interesting that their original reasons for this team\'s failures had very little to do with it. Here\'s why we\'re sitting at 6-7 right now.

1. Special teams was a dismal failure this year. (no one predicted this)
2. Offense disappeared for the 1st half of the season. (no one predicted this)
3. An inordinate amount of injuries stalled this defense\'s development. (no one can predict this)
4. Costly fumbles and excessive drops cost us at least 3 games. (no one saw all the drops coming).
5. Horribly predictable play calling. (no one predicted this).
5. Three admittedly blown calls cost us one loss. (but that happens to us every year anyway).

This was an 11-5 team that gave away too many games because of turnovers, penalties and injuries.

Gator you bring up the Colts and Titans. Why? We had 1/2 our defense out. Manning and McNair against any teams 2nd and 3rd stringers would yield the same result. If you can judge a whole season based on two games with 2nd and 3rd stringers playing you need to move to Vegas cause you\'ll make a fortune.

Most pessimists (I mean realists) based their predictions on…
1. Horrible Defense. (It wasn\'t).
2. Venturi Sucks (he didn\'t).
3. Aaron Brooks sucks (I\'m tempted to give you this one).

Most optimists (I mean realists) based their predictions on…
1. Solid Offense (it wasn\'t)
2. Spectacular Special Teams (they weren\'t)
3. Improved Defense (it was)

The bottom line is that if you predicted we\'d have the most injuries in the league, our special teams would fail miserably, our offense would struggle to score, veteran players would drop passes regularly, and Brooks would fumble away 2 games single handedly, then you have every right to say I told you so.
But nobody did so spare me the \"I told you so\"

Danny

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OK I\'ll bite…
1. Saints win out. (Possible)
2. Dallas loses @ WAS OR vs NYG. (Likely)
3. Green Bay loses to Denver (Possible)
4. Tampa loses @ TEN OR vs ATL

Saints are in. I give us a 1 in 4 shot right now.

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Danno Welcome just wanted to know. What have you done to Tweeky and will anyone find the body? Just in case anyone wants to give hime a decent burial.

[Edited on 12/10/2003 by saint5221]

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Tweek ain\'t dead you vulture! :D (I saw what you did in League#4) LOL. He\'s just taking a short nap! I\'ll give him a proper send off when the time comes. :P

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Yea Joe I almost felt bad doing it, just wish you had bailed a couple weeks sooner could of used the help then.

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Was I right or wrong? Did I identify the problems we had correctly or incorrectly? How did you do in those two categories? I\'m not purporting to be an expert, but people here respect and listen to what I say b/c I look at the team and give an honest opinion... and am correct fairly often. People tend to listen to you less b/c you make bold statements about this team that don\'t come true - which speaks to your ability to judge talent and analyze our chances.


Has it been a different problem or set of problems each year since he was named the starter? You don\'t have to believe that Billy. But if you look a Brooks\' career thus far there HAS been a different problem each year. Now I\'ll flip the question on you - why should we believe anything will change? The Saints have gone out of their way to bring in experts of all types to help Brooks in his development. They hired a QB coach, they brought in former greats, they sent him to leadership classes, etc. etc. etc., but the bottom line remains: he always finds a way to NOT live up to expectations or perceived abilities. You give me a reason to believe he will. B/c other QBs have done it in the past? Those guys aren\'t AB and they\'re not playing on this team in this league. Is it possible? I\'ve never said it\'s not, but most of us wouldn\'t put money on it b/c it\'s not probable. If you want to believe that Brooks can change and eliminate all of the errors and live up to expectations b/c that\'s what you hope will happen - fine, go right ahead. But I think it would be hard for you to make a good argument that his play over the last 50 games supports that opinion.

Welcome to the Jim Haslett era Billy. Nice to see you made it. This has been the story every year since he got here and that includes the playoff year. You think we didn\'t get a lot of breaks that year? (See Hakim Dropped the Ball!!!! See a defending SB champions Rams team that was destroyed by injuries...) You see Billy, that is the story with the Saints every year. The other story is that, unless things REALLY start going the Saints\' way in these last three games, Haslett will have made the playoff three times less than he made them. So this all relates back to my when is enough enough question? How long do you want to wait before \"Fact is this is a very talented team that had a bad season. Many of those games could have gone either way.\" just isn\'t acceptible and the Saints make a move to get someone in here that can get us over that hump?

Damn right I do, and so do you on the one or two occassions that you\'re right a year. The only way that we\'re different Billy is that I\'ve been right a lot and you haven\'t. If you\'re mad b/c I\'m not willing to let that slide after you called my crazy and the most pessimistic person in the history of the world, well that\'s just tough. Maybe next time you should think before you bash someone for disagreeing with your skewed perspective.

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BillyC, you were at the beginning of the season are now. The \"defense is the only real weakness\" is about the statement I\'ve ever heard. Or did the Saints not hold the Bucs to 14 points. It was clown Brooks who blew that game. If Haz and Brooks aren\'t booted out of here pronto, this team will be moving. Pure and simple. The fans will not STAND for 4 non playoff season in a row. Do yourself a favorgo check yourself into a mental because you know about as much about .

[Edited on 10/12/2003 by JOESAM2002]

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I smell some swamp skank.

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WOOHOO, my favorite swampdawg is back!!! How you doing, George?

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OK, this guy\'s gotta go.