What Will Satisfy You in 2006?
 

We have questioned in the past to what degree the moves were directed by Haz or by Loomis. The fresh new positive direction reinforces my belief that Haslett was the primary director of personnel calls and Loomis the operative. Haz was a well known lover of the athletically endowed while often missing thier heart and drive or smarts for the game. The team reflected that. Aaron Brooks was the zenith of that philosophy. Booting Sammy Knight and trading 3 draft picks for Tebucky Jones was the apex of enacting it.

I gave Haz full support to start with. I am remembering how that changed-

2000- new kid on the block Haz's results cannot be argued with. Mueller looks like a real football guy in the front office, NFL Exec of the Year.

2001- 7-5 playoff contention, lose last 4 games by combined 42-160 score. ugly collapse.

2002- Mueller fired in FO power struggle (uh oh me sez). 9-4 record- playoffs with one more win, but lose last 3 games to teams with combined 10-29 record going into the Saints game, disgusting way to go out, most underachieving team MO established

2003- the Jonathan Sullivan draft debacle, the 1-4 start dooms them, they play erratic but finish strong. Deuce and Brooks have their best years. Defense is disappearing but O is good. I am all the more skeptical of this organization but maybe there still is hope

2004- things are dim at 4-8, It looks like a badly coached and bad team both. Brooks fumbling reaches 51 in 4 seasons starting. I'm ready to pull the plug on Haz. Even if not, Brooks must go. If we are gonna lose, let's do it a different way at least is my mantra.

2005- So much so bad in so many different ways. I only cringe thinking Haz/Brooks will get a bye for the year with the hurricane situation. Brooks benched?!?! A sparkle of distant hope.

After reviewing, I think about support for the new regime. As much as I love the Brees signing you do have to understand it is a move considered by most as very risky. I'd probably like to see some more FA action and signings. too. I have my ideas and preferences about draft trades and the players that could help the team most. They may follow that or it could end up completely different. My support increases or decreases not on those moves but on two other things. One, bottomline is win/losses, playoffs, and beyond. Nothing satisfies like wins. It may not end up being my preferred style or approach but after only 7 winning seasons (count'em) in 39 years I will take them anyway they come. Just as important though is another aspect: solid strategy, performance, and FO operation. The wins may vary from year to year but there is no arguing about strong organizations. That is why Cowher has been in Pittsburgh so long. That is why no one questions Jeff Fisher's calls when he is coping with a cap strapped team. I do think there is a nucleus of talent that could turn things around quickly here like the Bucs or Bears last season. But even if it ends in a 7-9 finish here's how I still would be happy: if this draft is scored among the tops in 2007, if we plummeted to the bottom of the list in pre-snap penalties (all penalties too), if the D starting looking intimidating even if they still were burned occasionally, if the D became known as a solid tackling bunch, if the D scheme becomes the opposite of the Venturi bend-don't-break-let-them-just-keep-rolling-over-us approach, if they play consistent avoiding 0-4 holes and end seaon collapses, and if the Dome is rocking and the team's future is cemented in Nawlins.

What will make you happy?

I couldn't be happier than I am already. Brooks gone, Haz gone, Venturi gone. I feel like Christmas done come early. Everything after that was gravy to me, so I guess what makes any of us happy is relative. I, for one, am happy.

This doesn't look like a sentence to me. Subordinate clause, subject but no verb. What gives?

In a perfect world, I'd like to see a Dolphins under Saban type turn around. Steady improvement week by week would be really nice. Basically, I'd like to see a disciplined team. Getting beaten isn't great, but what I really don't want to see is any more beating ourselves. 10-6 would be really great this year, but I'd be satisfied with much less as long as the stupid mistakes stop.

On the ownership front, I'd like to see Benson hand the reins and the bank book to Rita.

:lol:

I agree with Whodi here. How can you not be happy with what has gone on this offseason. The biggest complaints from Saints fans for a couple of seasons now has been Aaron Brooks, Jim Haslett's awful coaching and lack of discipline, and Rick Venturi's suckiness. Well, guess what, we've gotten rid of all three of those problems. We've righted the ship in my mind, and now it's just time to start building that ship back up into a contender. Yes, the Brees signing is risky, but I think with the reports I've heard from the doctors, and the fact that the Saints' orthopedic team actually watched DVDs of the surgery, makes me feel that we weren't just going to hand this $60 mil so he can sit on the bench. I believe he'll be ready. He also wants to be ready, and really wants to be the face of this franchise.

So, in 2006, what would make me happy, like BMG said, is not finishing with a great record. I understand that we don't exactly have the kind of team that is good enough to go 12-4. However, I think this team has enough of some of the pieces to at least make a run at the playoffs. But I really could care less what our record is. I don't mind getting beaten because the other team is better, that's just life. But I do mind getting beaten when we have more penalty yards than rushing yards, or more turnovers than AB had brain cells. Beating ourselves is the most frustrating thing to watch, and daaaaaaaaang we were good at it the last few years. I just want hard, determined, intelligent football this season.

Whodi, who couldn't be happier now? The question wasn't Are you happy? It was what will make you happy? Hell yeah, we are happy for a new day. Most of us felt the same way when anyone new appeared after Ditka. Unfortunately, that happiness only lasted a year or so and became even more prolonged agony. With all the discussion about FAs and the draft I was prompted to consider this- I do not care if they do not get another significant FA I think will be the perfect fit... if it works! It is refreshing to have sincere hope for solid play as Deuce and I expressed... but I want more. Hope is only desire coupled with expectation. Faith is a worthy team motto but is another step beyond. I'll like that even more come December even if they buck my draft recommendations. LOL

Benson selling to a Louisiana group would fininsh getting rid of Venturi and Brooks....

What? The question was what will make me happy, and I said I couldn't be happier than I already am, hell, unless you wanna hear something like "Us winning the Superbowl next year would make me happier." I would think that stuff like that would be understood. lol But probelms I and others have been screaming about for the last 2-3 years have FINALLY been addressed. Besides the obvious, there is not a thing this team could do now to "make me happy," they already have.

I'd like to take the time to say this....

http://www.prescotthats.com/images/4W-20420.jpg

She would complete my offseason program...
http://news2000.libero.it/img2/fg/20...silvstedt2.jpg

Okay, that second pick WOULD make me happier. lol

... I'm going to have to ditto Whodi on this one...

..can't be any more satisfied or happy than I am now with the team because:
1.- They are still in New Orleans
1.- Haslett is gone
3.- Venturi is gone
4.- Brooks is gone
5.- New coach comes from the Parcells tree
6.- FO took a gamble on someone with heart and leadership rather than a gamble on a 40 yard dash time.

.. as for FA signings, I always thought that there was just enough talent in the team to win, so I am more than willing to give the new coaching staff a couple years to see what develops with what they got...

What if Oakland drafts V. Young?
With him and Brooks they 'd have the smallest playbook ever. It'd have 2 plays:
1- "hand it to the guy on your left"..."no, your other left"
2- "Chunk it to Moss, chunk it to Moss, hut hut!"

You forgot.... Time Out and I'll run for my life.

Well this is a good questionI think I'll chime in on. First, I'd like to see a little more FA activity. Particularly in the DB and WR department. I say this cause I feel we are like one or 2 players away in each area from having a respectable recieving core as well as solid coverage. The draft should be used for OL purposes and LB purposes. To find a group of stud rookies is great. To have them play and grow togetheras a unit.....now we are talkin. And finally....as I posted in another thread I started a while back....NEW UNIFORMS. Lets face it...its been 40 years of futility with the GOLD helmet. I say invert. Black helmet...gold fleur...gold home jersey with black pants....and white jersey with gold or black pants for away. Leave the black jersey available for those "special" primetime games. :saintsfan:

I'll be happy if we draft a quarterback who's body parts aren't being held together by duct tape and chewing gum.

Hater. :P

That's the best cat you've posted so far foreverfan.

Honestly an 8-8 season would make me happy... lol! A playoff appearance wouldn't be so bad either.

:)

I hope that Brees is phenominal and Lienart sits on the bench for two years learning the game. But I've learned that what I want and what I'll get are disappointingly two different things. Yet if we've got Lienart, it would mitigate the disappointment somewhat.

Winning...Plain and simple Winning

Wow, no wonder this franchise has been horrible for soo many years, its fan base is happy with mediocrity. If we want a winning franchise we have to start acting like one, that means we need to be satisfied with a super bowl championship and nothing else. Being a Yankees and a Saints fan, the biggest difference is the expectations, if you demand more from your franchise they will respond. We as Saints fans need to step it up a notch and start demanding more from the team. If there's one league to go from worst to first in, it's the nfl. So, for me, the only way I will be satisfied is if we are super bowl champs next february!

the pic has been e-m'ed to your wife with your response.............smitty :wink:

You should see the screen saver on my phone. Vida Guerra. Trust me, the Mrs. ain't worried. :D

..no, the biggest difference is that MLB has no salary cap and the Yankees spend more money than everyone else to buy the best talent...

.. "we" don't have to do anything, btw...

You obviously haven't been on these boards long enough.

and here i thought the only difference between the Yankees and the Saints was about $400 million in payroll......

I'm happy with the moves so far this off-season, the future might be really good.

just give me a team that plays with determination. man i could take some losses the first season but what i couldn't take is the same crap we had under haz. the bs penalties the losing too teams we should never lose to. just the absolute look of a team that could win or lose any week and you have no idea which one you will be watching. just make them play hard and i will be happy. if the wins don'ty come this year but the team is competitive well i can live with that for a year. can't be any worse then some of the others i have seen lately. what i would love is a shot at the playoffs the last few weeks. a real shot to get a spot.

No the biggest difference is HISTORY. The NYYankees have a tradition of winning that spans nearly a century. The Saints don't have that.

Tell that to the Phillies, I'm from that area and EVERY year there an expectation for them to: One, win the division (Hasn't happen in a decade); Two, win the world series (Hasn't happens in over two decades). This from a city dubbed by sports writers as the most critical in the U.S..

Now on to the actual subject of the post...

I'd be satisfied with an 8-8 record. I'll be happy with a 10-6 record and a Wildcard spot. I'll be estatic with a 12-4 record, Division Championship, and A playoff win. I'll die in orgasmic bliss with a SuperBowl win.

spkb...playoffs could happen within 1-2 years

LTF if were making progress i could take that

A Super Bowl win and Bo Derek asking me to marry her!!!!! :D

Joe..would you say your pushing it a little?

Joe..wouldn't you say that your putting the cart ahead of the horse?

hey joe how old are you. that is some feline that has been around. jesus my man it isn't 20 years ago

Does that make Joe the cart and Bo the horse? I'm confused ;-)

At my age you can't push enough. Besides.............she's rich!!!!!

hey joe roll with it. i will bet it still smells pretty good. of course i am talking about dinner

I am very happy with what the team has done so far. I'll wait for the draft to get happier and take the babe foreverfan to keep me company until then!

Bo Derek and the Saints....A Winning Combination!!!!!!

And here I've been holding out for BnB to say, "NFLDiva".

BnB--"I'll have Diva for 200 Alex."

Diva--"I'll break my heel off in BnB's _______ Alex"

FatiusJeebs-- :popcorn:

What are you implying BMG?!?!?!? Are you insinuating that I would enjoy watching Diva break her heels on BnB's ______? C'mon now BMG?

<Jeebs whispers>: "you know that would make a hell of a show!"

More popcorn please! :blueshock: