Wagon on Fire! Stay Back!--Last season the Saints went into the year with no expectations to accomplish anything beyond the locker room or perhaps with some die hard Saints fans who believed in their team.  They used this approach to band together and by adding a few key pieces to the team found a winning formula.  With their success came a slew full of bandwagon fans that quickly jumped on board.

Wagon on Fire! Stay Back!--Last season the Saints went into the year with no expectations to accomplish anything beyond the locker room or perhaps with some die hard Saints fans who believed in their team.  They used this approach to band together and by adding a few key pieces to the team found a winning formula.  With their success came a slew full of bandwagon fans that quickly jumped on board.

You know the ones, the fans who at the start of last season would discuss over the water cooler at work how horrible the Saints will be.  These same fans watched as their so called “favorite team” were destroyed week after week by the Saints and would suddenly pop up after those games with Saints jerseys on and you began to hear strange talk coming out of their mouths.  They began using words like “we” and “us” when talking about the Saints while showing up with Reggie Bush and Drew Brees jerseys on.  Seeing this transformation in people as they jumped on the bandwagon, you could only shake your head and be thankful that you stocked up on your Saints apparel before the bandwagon fans began raiding the stores. 

This season seemed destined for more of the same with almost everyone favoring the Saints either to make it to the NFC title game or the Super Bowl.  We watched as these bandwagon fans showed up in droves for the Saints first and second games, both of which they lost, only to start disappearing with each passing week.  With each loss on the way to the Saints 0-4 start, fewer and fewer Saints bandwagon fans were showing up.  Suddenly almost all of the bandwagon fans began putting on the jerseys of the teams that they swore allegiance to before jumping on the Saints wagon.  Instantly these fans were denying that they ever were Saints fans and that they had been the die hard fans of whatever team they now claimed as long as they had watched football. 

However, that is all changing again with the Saints now having won four straight and put themselves right back into the playoff picture in the NFC South.  With a 4-4 record and the offense now clicking, those nasty words like “we” “our” and “us” are now beginning to be used again by the fans that abandoned the team during its rough start.  However, Saints fans all over would like to share with you a bit of advice before you pull those Saints jerseys out of your closet.  That advice is to keep those Saints jerseys in your closet and keep off our wagon.  For years true Saints fans have suffered through the ups and downs of this team and while everybody else jumped ship already, the true Saints fans have remained by their side.  Last year this team helped to inspire a city and a region.  This year those same people they inspired stood behind this team and let it be known that no matter what type of start they had, we believe.  That support has paid off and the Saints now have rallied to 4-4 and it’s a new season.

So to those bandwagon fans who are ready to jump back on board the Saints wagon, stay off it, you’re not wanted.  The Patriots and Cowboys are both considered to be hot teams, so go take a look for some room on their wagons.  Here in New Orleans, the wagon is all full and we have no room for any excess baggage.  Only those who remained loyal through the good times and bad are welcome; to all others, you missed your opportunity for a great ride, one that still just might turn out to be something very special come season’s end. 

This week’s Player of the Game is Saints quarterback Drew Brees.  I easily could have picked one or two other players, such as Colston or the Saints defense as a whole, but Brees settled any arguments in just half a game of football.  Brees was 35 of 49 for 445 yards and three touchdowns in the Saints victory this week.  He obviously doesn’t look to be pressing any longer when throwing the ball.  Once again he seems confident and secure back in the pocket and appears to be comfortable leading the team.  Overall Drew Brees had an amazing performance today and in what was suppose to be the week where Tom Brady and Peyton Manning played the game that most fans considered to be the big match up of the week, Brees seemed to overshadow them both. 

Q & A is the question and answer section.  If you have a question you would like answered, email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.

Q – JB, thanks for the site and all the work that you and others put in week after week.  My question is along the lines of the running back situation. I have always felt that Deuce has been the heart and soul of the team the last few years, but is tragically a non factor this year.  Do you think Reggie Bush has read too much of the "never will be an every down back" press, when he should he should just relax and play to his strengths of outside and passing game? Also, I saw something in Pierre Thomas that seemed to be "lightning in a bottle" in preseason and a few plays this season.  Maybe he would make the team look bad for investing so much in Reggie, if they play him much more than they have? Thanks – Terry

Saints vs. Rams Game Preview

Psycho’s View

The Saints are continuing to surprise and shock us all as they appear to have completely put the horrible start to the season behind them and are now focused on the task at hand.  However, the one area of concern I personally still have is the kicking game for the Saints.  Orlando Mare is kicking 50% on his field goals and in my opinion this is unacceptable.  I know the team supports him, but it is my belief that he has had his opportunity to work out his problems and with half the season now done eventually his misses are going to cost the Saints.  Overall there are a few kickers out there with some potential or some history that could come in and help the Saints.  Even if the team only got 75% accuracy from their kicker, then it would still be an upgrade over the current situation.  My suggestion is for the Saints once again to audition some kickers and prepare to make a change because eventually this problem could turn into their Achilles heel.

This week’s Player of the Game for the Saints in a losing effort was quarterback Drew Brees.  Brees appears to be continuing to do everything in his power to try and get the Saints on track, but dropped passes, fumbles, & blown coverages on defense continue to plague this team.  Brees finished the game with 290 passing yards, one touch down, and 2 interceptions.  Brees played a solid game, with both interceptions coming off tipped passes, along with a few of his incomplete passes having had the opportunity to have been caught.  Hopefully the Saints will be able to build on Brees and find a way to come out with a victory next week.

            This week’s Player of the Game for the Saints in a losing effort was quarterback Drew Brees.  Brees appears to be continuing to do everything in his power to try and get the Saints on track, but dropped passes, fumbles, & blown coverages on defense continue to plague this team.  Brees finished the game with 290 passing yards, one touch down, and 2 interceptions.  Brees played a solid game, with both interceptions coming off tipped passes, along with a few of his incomplete passes having had the opportunity to have been caught.  Hopefully the Saints will be able to build on Brees and find a way to come out with a victory next week.

 

Saints vs. Panthers Game Preview

            For the Saints to win next week’s game against the Panthers, they will have to do two things.  The first is to limit the Panthers big plays.  While the Panthers offense is struggling right now, they do have enough weapons to give the Saints secondary trouble.  The Saints will need to make some defensive adjustments and focus on keeping the ball in front of them; by doing so, they can avoid getting beat deep.  On offense the Saints will have to limit mistakes and turnovers.  Dropped passes have plagued this offense this year and the Saints will need to avoid this if they are to have a chance to win.  Whoever limits mistakes in this game and avoids giving up big plays will come out with the victory, hopefully, the Saints can straighten things up before it is too late.

 


            Q & A is the question and answer section.  If you have a question you would like answered, email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.

Q – JB, what is the latest status on #26, Deuce McAlister?  Can Saints fans expect to see him make a comeback from the second ACL injury?  Thanks. – Jason Crane

A – Jason, so far all I am hearing is that Deuce is progressing on schedule & should hopefully be ready for next season.  However, usually ACL injuries are very touchy injuries and in a lot of cases it can take a running back 2 years to get back to the level that he was before the injury.  That being said, it is a good thing the Saints are deep at this position & hopefully will continue to bring along Pierre Thomas for insurance.

 


            The time is now, the Saints have now backed themselves into a corner where every week is a must win if they want to have any shot at making the playoffs; however, in my opinion that is going to be very difficult for them to do.  The kicking game has been inconsistent at best, defensively the team seems to be taking a step back, and on the offense it appears that mistakes are continuing to plague the squad.  What are my suggestions for the team?  First, start running Thomas more for the between the tackle yards, Bush is like Barry Sanders, better in the open field at making people miss.  This will leave more screen passes and pitch runs for Bush.  Second, consistently shift coverage in the secondary to the side opposite of McKenzie.  The big plays are killing this team.  Either do that or drop the safeties very deep and start blitzing like crazy.  The problem with blitzing is that it leaves you open to a big play, but since the Saints are struggling with that now, it should only benefit them.  With six games left, the Saints will basically need to win all the remaining games to give them a shot at the playoffs, so now is the time to put up or shut up.  

This week’s Player of the Game is Maqcues Colston.  Colston had a solid game today, finishing with 7 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.  This has been an up and down season for the Saints and Colston, but hopefully this performance will give the team something to build off this week and help the Saints continue to try and become a more consistent contender.  Hopefully the team will be able to review tape from this week of what worked & what was vital in getting Colston involved so that they can use it to their benefit against the Bucs as they make their push down the stretch to try and make the playoffs.

In recent years the Cardinals rushing attack has fallen on hard times.  For the Saints to beat the Cardinals they will need to keep the Cardinals running the ball to set up obvious passing downs so that they can rush the quarterback.  If they are able to do this, then they should be able to pull out a victory this week and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Player of the Game

{sidebar id=9}This week’s Player of the Game for the Saints could be one of many players considering that several of the team’s role players stepped up this week to help pull out a victory.  However, after much consideration, this week’s Player of the Game award goes to wide receiver David Patten.  Patten had nine catches this week for 122 yards and a touchdown. While Colston, Brees, and Stecker all could have been considered for this award this week, Patten had a career week and helped provide the Saints with the constant receiver that they needed.  His performance helped to solidify the Saints receiving core this week and take some of the pressure off the younger receivers.  Hopefully the Saints will be able to find ways to continue to get him into the offense and use him as the clutch receiver that the team has struggled to find so far this season. 

Saints vs. Arizona Game Preview

This week the Saints will be facing the Arizona Cardinals in what will be a crucial game for the team in their playoff hopes.  In order for the Saints to pull off a victory against the Cardinals they will need to build on what they did against the Falcons.  Offensively the Saints will need to establish the running game so that they can make the play action pass more effective & limit turnovers.  Also they need to make sure that they keep the Cardinals honest by occasionally trying to stretch the field.  Defensively the Saints will need to do their best to shut down the Cardinals passing attack and force them to beat them with the rush.  In recent years the Cardinals rushing attack has fallen on hard times.  For the Saints to beat the Cardinals they will need to keep the Cardinals running the ball to set up obvious passing downs so that they can rush the quarterback.  If they are able to do this, then they should be able to pull out a victory this week and keep their playoff hopes alive. 

Q & A

Q & A is the question and answer section.  If you have a question you would like answered, email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.

Q – JB, I know it’s early & the season isn’t over yet, but what do you believe the Saints biggest needs are on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball? – Hank

A – While I don’t usually like to get into off-season talk too early, I will take a quick look at the Saints needs.  On offense I’d say that adding a big name tight end if available through free agency or trade would be a good addition to the team.  Right now the Saints use the tight end position, but they could get more out of it.  On defense the cornerback position across from McKenzie would be a key area to focus on also.  However, the Saints could use some depth on pretty much every position on the defensive side of the ball.  Also don’t be surprised if the Saints look to add some youth to the linebacker and defensive tackle positions also. 

Psychos View

 

 This week the Saints will be trying to continue their winning streak against the Philadelphia Eagles. In order for the Saints to win this week, they will have to continue to limit their turnovers. Offensively the Saints will need to establish the run early to slow down the pass rush of the Eagles. By doing this, Drew Brees should have the opportunity to utilize the play-action passing attack which he does so effectively. On defense the Saints will need to stack 8 on the line of scrimmage to limit the damage that the Eagles rushing attack can do. Not only will keeping 8 on the line slow down the Eagles rushing attack, but it should also help the defense keep the pressure on the Eagles quarterback. If the Saints can keep pressure on McNabb, who has been hampered by injuries yet again this season, then it should help limit his effectiveness on stretching the field. If the Saints can force the Eagles to try and beat them through the air, then they should drastically improve their chances of pulling out a victory this week.

This week’s Player of the Game for the Saints is quarterback Drew Brees. While Brees has had more impressive games than his 315 yard passing performance this week which resulted in 2 touchdowns with 26 completions on 30 attempts, he once again stepped up to the challenge of having his top two running backs out, but still being able to help jumpstart the offense. Brees seemed to help inspire and excite the offense as the Saints found ways all day to move up and down the field and put up 31 points. Overall the Saints offense could have done a little more, but they got the job done & that’s all you can ask. Hopefully the Saints will be able to continue to build on the strong weekly performances of Drew Brees as they attempt to try and keep themselves in the playoff picture. Congratulations to Brees for the award this week on another strong performance by the veteran quarterback. 

This week the Saints will be trying to continue their winning streak against the Philadelphia Eagles. In order for the Saints to win this week, they will have to continue to limit their turnovers. Offensively the Saints will need to establish the run early to slow down the pass rush of the Eagles. By doing this, Drew Brees should have the opportunity to utilize the play-action passing attack which he does so effectively. On defense the Saints will need to stack 8 on the line of scrimmage to limit the damage that the Eagles rushing attack can do. Not only will keeping 8 on the line slow down the Eagles rushing attack, but it should also help the defense keep the pressure on the Eagles quarterback. If the Saints can keep pressure on McNabb, who has been hampered by injuries yet again this season, then it should help limit his effectiveness on stretching the field. If the Saints can force the Eagles to try and beat them through the air, then they should drastically improve their chances of pulling out a victory this week. 

 

Q & A is the question and answer section. If you have a question you would like answered, email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.

Q – JB, with all the injuries to the Saints this year, I am worried about the Saints backup quarterback position. Do you think this is a need that needs to be addressed in the off-season? Thanks and keep up the great work! – Steven

A – Well Steven, to be honest I do believe the Saints need to address the backup position. They have been keeping an eye out for a young quarterback to develop into a backup for Brees. However, I believe the Saints should continue this look during the coming draft because as any football fan will tell you, there is no such thing as too much talent at any given position.

 

During this up and down season the Saints & their fans have been on a rollercoaster ride. However, as the season winds to an end and the Saints continue to fight for a playoff spot, the team now only has possibly two games remaining to answer any player related personnel questions. As the Saints make their stretch run, they will find out a lot about their players and possibly answer some questions about what this team needs to add in the off-season. However, hopefully with some strong play and a little bit of luck, the Saints will be able to add at least one or two additional games to their schedule this year and give a bit more excitement to Saints fans.