Saints Nation: Games Following a Bye Week for Saints in the Sean Payton Era
 

The Saints should be well rested and somewhat healed going into their game this upcoming Sunday in Tampa following a bye week. But is the bye week a blessing? Sometimes teams come back rejuvinated and other times teams come back rusty. I figured this would be a good time to look back at how the first game back from the bye week has gone for the Saints in the Sean Payton era. Below is a recap of the last five seasons after the bye week:

2006 - Ravens @ Saints 35-22 L
2007 - Panthers @ Saints 16-13 L
2008 - Saints @ Falcons 20-34 L
2009 - Giants @ Saints 27-48 W
2010 - Seahawks @ Saints 19-34 W
2011 - Giants @ Saints 24-49 W

Oddly there was a significant stink made by the media in 2009 that as successful as Sean Payton had been in three and a half years in New Orleans, he was 0-3 following bye weeks. That stat weighed on Sean Payton to at extent, as he admitted multiple times to seeking outside help and advice for how to handle his players with the downtime. Obviously his luck shifted as the Saints have run off three straight victories in post byes since. Surprisingly the Saints have hosted five out of six of their post bye week games in the Sean Payton, with the only road game being a bad loss in Atlanta in 2008. This game in Tampa will represent the second post bye road game in the era, but it comes on the heels of a three game win streak in similar situations.

Do you see the Saints coming into this game rusty or firing on all cylinders?

Saints Nation: Games Following a Bye Week for Saints in the Sean Payton Era

Re: Saints Nation: Games Following a Bye Week for Saints in the Sean Payton Era
 

I doubt we could have any more rust that before the bye week.

Re: Saints Nation: Games Following a Bye Week for Saints in the Sean Payton Era
 

Payton changed the routine of the team's bye week, after consulting with various people in 2008-2009. I am pretty sure Parcells was one of them. I forget the exact specifics, but it was basically, changing the routine of which days the team was on/off, and changing the preparations and spacing of the practices. I expect that this team will follow whatever routine Payton has been doing, that the "remaining" coaches are familiar with. But then again this year all bets are off, as to how the team responds to it. The frustrating thing to me about this season, is that there is just no way to tell what the heck type of team is going to come running out the tunnel on Sundays, or even in any given half of a game.

Re: Saints Nation: Games Following a Bye Week for Saints in the Sean Payton Era
 

This year with a new defense, I think it just might help us for this game. Our defense has been reeling and this bye just might have given them a chance to get their feet underneath them and get more time to understand how to play the new defense. We've seen improvement from them for the last two weeks which was encouraging and now with a little more time under their belts I'm looking forward to their best defensive showing to date.

Re: Saints Nation: Games Following a Bye Week for Saints in the Sean Payton Era
 

maybe a 6 sack game?!

Wouldn't that be something!

Re: Saints Nation: Games Following a Bye Week for Saints in the Sean Payton Era
 

How about less than a hundred yards rushing allowed?

Re: Saints Nation: Games Following a Bye Week for Saints in the Sean Payton Era
 

They can run all over the field for all I care.. Just stay out of my endzone.

Re: Saints Nation: Games Following a Bye Week for Saints in the Sean Payton Era
 

I'm sure that The Tuna was was of the folks that helped Payton turn around his bye week losing streak.
Bill Parcells is arguably one of the greatest football minds of all time.
Anyway, yes we will follow the training precedents that the team has in place. And that should translate to a win.