My personal opinion is the NFC South looks weak this season.

poydras · 08-02-2007, 10:36 AM

The thing that worries me most is the timing of games. We open AT Indianapolis and then travel TO Tampa Bay before entertaining the Titans on Monday Night Football. It's going to be tough to get on a roll like we did last year and gain the confidence that carried us through the season. The test will be to see how we recover from early season adversity.

SaintFanInATLHELL · 08-03-2007, 05:36 AM

Originally Posted by poydras

The thing that worries me most is the timing of games. We open AT Indianapolis and then travel TO Tampa Bay before entertaining the Titans on Monday Night Football. It's going to be tough to get on a roll like we did last year and gain the confidence that carried us through the season.

If this were last year I would have agreed with you. But not this year. In 2007 the Saints are the frontrunner. The contender. They are the team that already has the players, the coach, and the system in place.

There are no questions that Brees is healthy and is a top 3 QB in the league.

Remember last year when many thought that the Saints would have the wost OL in the league. No questions about that this year.

Last year Reggie was a talented but unknown quantity. Colston was simply an unknown. No doubts about either this year.

Last year there were new players and a new scheme on defense at every level. All three LBs were new guys and Harper was a rookie. Now there's only a hole or two that will be plugged with really talented guys (Clancy at DT, David at CB, possibly KK at safety) with the LB being pushed by talented playmakers like Simmons.

Oh yeah, I forget about Deuce.

In short the Saints are the team on the roll. There's no doubt in my mind that we'll roll up 30 spots on each of the three teams that you named above. They are going to have a tough time keeping up. You should plan to see a lot of games like the 42-17 steamroll over Dallas last season.

The test will be to see how we recover from early season adversity.

I doubt there will be early season adversity. We'll come out of that stretch 3-0 or 2-1 at the very worst (and that would probably be a loss on some fluke).

We saw all the adversity we needed to see last season when the Saints turned the ball over 3 times in the first half of the GB game and was down 14-0. Actually we saw the same in the NFC championship game. The team recovered both times. In January the only mistake Payton made was abandoning the run. I doubt he'll make that mistake again.

SFIAH

poydras · 08-03-2007, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by SaintFanInATLHELL

I doubt there will be early season adversity. We'll come out of that stretch 3-0 or 2-1 at the very worst (and that would probably be a loss on some fluke).

SFIAH

I'm afraid 3-0 is a little optimistic. I sure hope that's the case but I don't think Indy is just going to roll over in their season opener.
I agree that we're going into this season with more confidence but that kind of thing is so fragile. There are a lot of people who remember that Haz had a good first year also and how that turned out.
Don't worry about me though. I've been a Saints fan for a long, long time and I always temper my optimism.

SaintFanInATLHELL · 08-04-2007, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by poydras

I'm afraid 3-0 is a little optimistic. I sure hope that's the case but I don't think Indy is just going to roll over in their season opener.

It's going to be a shootout for sure. You have the two of the top NFL offenses duking it out. The Saints had the better defense during the season last year, while Indy's defense put it together for a fabulous playoff run.

But the difference is what happened in the off season. Indy's defense got stripped. We got David. Cato June is gone. Indy lost their other starting CB.

OTOH the Saints acquired David, Clancy (a starting DT in this league) and valuable depth at LB with Simmons and Jones. More importantly we resigned all of our free agents.

The Saints defense really wasn't bad last year. 11th in total defense and 3rd against the pass. However, the run defense was suspect, turnovers were like squeezing blood from a turnip, and Fred Thomas was the GameShow, giving up the long ball at every possible turn. But the key is that the organization took positive steps to address each of these issues.

Let's not forget that Indy's defense was 32nd against the run last year and we have arguably the best running back tandem in the league.

I agree that we're going into this season with more confidence but that kind of thing is so fragile. There are a lot of people who remember that Haz had a good first year also and how that turned out.
Don't worry about me though. I've been a Saints fan for a long, long time and I always temper my optimism.

The NFL is full of flukes and injuries. That's a given. But all things being equal the Saints are currently the class of the NFC and has sufficient firepower on offense and filled enough holes on defense to compete with elite AFC teams like the Colts.

SFIAH

08-02-2007, 10:36 AM	#1
poydras Team Doctor Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Deep South Posts: 856	Re: My personal opinion is the NFC South looks weak this season. The thing that worries me most is the timing of games. We open AT Indianapolis and then travel TO Tampa Bay before entertaining the Titans on Monday Night Football. It's going to be tough to get on a roll like we did last year and gain the confidence that carried us through the season. The test will be to see how we recover from early season adversity.

08-03-2007, 05:36 AM	#2
SaintFanInATLHELL The Professor Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Lithonia, GA Posts: 2,783	Re: My personal opinion is the NFC South looks weak this season. Originally Posted by poydras The thing that worries me most is the timing of games. We open AT Indianapolis and then travel TO Tampa Bay before entertaining the Titans on Monday Night Football. It's going to be tough to get on a roll like we did last year and gain the confidence that carried us through the season. If this were last year I would have agreed with you. But not this year. In 2007 the Saints are the frontrunner. The contender. They are the team that already has the players, the coach, and the system in place. There are no questions that Brees is healthy and is a top 3 QB in the league. Remember last year when many thought that the Saints would have the wost OL in the league. No questions about that this year. Last year Reggie was a talented but unknown quantity. Colston was simply an unknown. No doubts about either this year. Last year there were new players and a new scheme on defense at every level. All three LBs were new guys and Harper was a rookie. Now there's only a hole or two that will be plugged with really talented guys (Clancy at DT, David at CB, possibly KK at safety) with the LB being pushed by talented playmakers like Simmons. Oh yeah, I forget about Deuce. In short the Saints are the team on the roll. There's no doubt in my mind that we'll roll up 30 spots on each of the three teams that you named above. They are going to have a tough time keeping up. You should plan to see a lot of games like the 42-17 steamroll over Dallas last season. The test will be to see how we recover from early season adversity. I doubt there will be early season adversity. We'll come out of that stretch 3-0 or 2-1 at the very worst (and that would probably be a loss on some fluke). We saw all the adversity we needed to see last season when the Saints turned the ball over 3 times in the first half of the GB game and was down 14-0. Actually we saw the same in the NFC championship game. The team recovered both times. In January the only mistake Payton made was abandoning the run. I doubt he'll make that mistake again. SFIAH
	Super Bowl Championships: New Orleans Saints:1, Carolina:0, Atlanta Chokers: STILL ZERO Only Atlanta choked in an unchokable situation... Life is definitely good. Last edited by SaintFanInATLHELL; 08-03-2007 at 05:39 AM..

08-03-2007, 07:22 AM	#3
poydras Team Doctor Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Deep South Posts: 856	Re: My personal opinion is the NFC South looks weak this season. Originally Posted by SaintFanInATLHELL I doubt there will be early season adversity. We'll come out of that stretch 3-0 or 2-1 at the very worst (and that would probably be a loss on some fluke). SFIAH I'm afraid 3-0 is a little optimistic. I sure hope that's the case but I don't think Indy is just going to roll over in their season opener. I agree that we're going into this season with more confidence but that kind of thing is so fragile. There are a lot of people who remember that Haz had a good first year also and how that turned out. Don't worry about me though. I've been a Saints fan for a long, long time and I always temper my optimism.

08-04-2007, 02:33 PM	#4
SaintFanInATLHELL The Professor Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Lithonia, GA Posts: 2,783	Re: My personal opinion is the NFC South looks weak this season. Originally Posted by poydras I'm afraid 3-0 is a little optimistic. I sure hope that's the case but I don't think Indy is just going to roll over in their season opener. It's going to be a shootout for sure. You have the two of the top NFL offenses duking it out. The Saints had the better defense during the season last year, while Indy's defense put it together for a fabulous playoff run. But the difference is what happened in the off season. Indy's defense got stripped. We got David. Cato June is gone. Indy lost their other starting CB. OTOH the Saints acquired David, Clancy (a starting DT in this league) and valuable depth at LB with Simmons and Jones. More importantly we resigned all of our free agents. The Saints defense really wasn't bad last year. 11th in total defense and 3rd against the pass. However, the run defense was suspect, turnovers were like squeezing blood from a turnip, and Fred Thomas was the GameShow, giving up the long ball at every possible turn. But the key is that the organization took positive steps to address each of these issues. Let's not forget that Indy's defense was 32nd against the run last year and we have arguably the best running back tandem in the league. I agree that we're going into this season with more confidence but that kind of thing is so fragile. There are a lot of people who remember that Haz had a good first year also and how that turned out. Don't worry about me though. I've been a Saints fan for a long, long time and I always temper my optimism. The NFL is full of flukes and injuries. That's a given. But all things being equal the Saints are currently the class of the NFC and has sufficient firepower on offense and filled enough holes on defense to compete with elite AFC teams like the Colts. SFIAH
	Super Bowl Championships: New Orleans Saints:1, Carolina:0, Atlanta Chokers: STILL ZERO Only Atlanta choked in an unchokable situation... Life is definitely good.