NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
No, New Orleans made the right call going with Brooks
Nakia Hogan / The Times
Posted on January 27, 2004
NEW ORLEANS - Congratulations to Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme. He's enjoyed a storybook year in helping the Panthers reach Super Bowl XXXVIII to face the New England Patriots on Sunday in Houston.

The pride of Breaux Bridge is worth cheering for. He's the underdog who made it. He's the guy who gives all the little people hope.

But let's not kid ourselves here. While Delhomme is a serviceable quarterback, he is by no means the key component behind the Panthers' Super Bowl run or by no stretch of some Cajun's imagination a better quarterback than the Saints' Aaron Brooks, the man whose job some delusional observers would have loved to see Delhomme have.

Fact is, though, had Delhomme, whom the Saints wanted to keep, stuck around and not decided to go to Carolina for a chance to become a starter, he'd have been toting Brooks' clipboard.

"I have no animosity toward New Orleans," Delhomme said during the regular season. "I didn't play for them. It's not like I am Stephen Davis playing the Redskins. ... I was just a guy on the bottom tier of the roster. I am a backup quarterback. I was a third string quarterback for a while. It's not like they didn't think I was any good and let me go. They have a very good starting quarterback in Aaron Brooks and he was their guy. I would have been a backup there."

If Delhomme knows it, what's with all the persistence from gung-ho fans that he would have somehow led the Saints into the playoffs, that somehow the Saints' defense wouldn't have been so porous, the wide receivers so banged up, the record not so mediocre?

If you are one of those folks who believe Delhomme would have been the answer to the Saints' problems, ask yourself why? Does Delhomme have a stronger arm than Brooks? No. Can Delhomme escape onrushing defensive linemen better than Brooks? No. Is Delhomme more adept at making plays than Brooks? No.

If you are upset that Delhomme is playing for the Panthers, not the Saints, in the championship, you are probably upset the way a person is when they see their former boyfriend or girlfriend from next door move on and find a new mate, one that is a better fit for their needs. It's not that Delhomme left, it's that the Panthers are a better team than the Saints and all you Brooks naysayers need something to find fault in the Saints' quarterback.

But this isn't it.

Brooks is coming off a stellar season, one in which he passed for 3,546 yards 24 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. His 88.8 passer rating was a career-high, ranking seventh best in the league this season.

Meanwhile during the regular season, Delhomme threw for 3,219 yards, 19 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. His passer rating of 80.6 was 13th in the league.

Consider this: The Saints and their West Coast offense are more dependent on the skills of their signal caller, asking him to make plays with his arm, passing the ball downfield and firing throws with pinpoint precision. These are skills Delhomme, even in his championship run with the Panthers, has yet to showcase, and in all likelihood, doesn't possess.

In Carolina, the Panthers have a team built around their defense. All coach John Fox asks of Delhomme is not to lose the game, putting his signal caller in a system where the weight of the offense rests on the legs of running back Stephen Davis.

"What you have in Carolina is what the Baltimore Ravens had when they won the Super Bowl," said Sean Salisbury, an ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback. "A nasty defense, a big, physical back, good special teams and a quarterback who usually will not get you beat. "Jake Delhomme is a guy who will continue to progress, and maybe there will come a time when he can carry a team. But right now the big-play guy resides in New Orleans, and the don't-get-me-beat guy resides in Carolina." Unfortunately, the Saints are not a "don't-get-me-beat" team. And because of this, there will always be talk. But the better quarterback definitely plays for the Saints.

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

The man speaks the truth. The truth I say!!

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

Why is this so hard for a handful of people to understand?

I think this pretty much sums it up. It\'s called hurt feelings...and lets remember it has very little to do with Football.

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

So their boyfriend found someone else?
LMAO!!!

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

Great article.

Brooks haters have to find something else to blame him about!

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

All true, but he is a better leader, more consistent, and do you think an extra, say 32 million dollars, might help us get the players we need on defense? That\'s the problem with the Saints right? The defense. Well think about how many players the Saints could sign with $32 million more dollars.

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

Ahhh, there you go again Whodat. Brooks contract, by your own admission, isn\'t the reason the Saints didn\'t sign players \"X\" and \"Y\". If you can prove it ok. If you can\'t then its just another attempt to put blame where it doesn\'t belong.

How much do you think Jake will cost the Panthers next year?

How much do you thank Jake should cost the Panthers next year?

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

Well, last year the Saints had plenty of room under the cap and they didn\'t please you with their offseason signings, WhoDat. They have even more room this year. So, I don\'t think Brooks\' contract is hindering this team at all in the FA market. The issue of signing FA\'s is enitrely a management problem.

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

Neither does he ScottyRo...he\'s just arguing that cause there\'s not much else to argue.

NAKIA HOGAN: Did the Saints blow it?
 

.. same put downs from a jim Rome wannabe (and how sad is that in on itself) that I\'ve heard over and over and over.. \"toting the clipboard\"...
too bad for this guy/woman just over a week ago Jake was toting the NFC Championship trophy, and next Sunday has a chance to tote the Lombardy.

yeah, yeah, I know, I know... he\'s no one in that offense, he just hands the ball to Stephens, etc.. etc..etc..

The Saints didn\'t blow it by leting Jake go... The Saints blew it by the way this coaching staff handles personnel.. the way the coaches play favorites, the way the coaching staff puts on all those charades and keeps blaming player after player for the collapses, the way the nucleous of the offense thinks they are superstars...

... I can go on and on...but what\'s the use..