blacksaint

by John DeShazier, sports columnist,
The Times-Picayune
October 15, 2007

SEATTLE - These guys, we recognized.

These Saints who were daring, fast, exciting and efficient, who were able to take a Ginsu knife to Seattle on Sunday night at Qwest Field, are the Saints we've expected to see all season, the Saints who were picked to run away with their division.

These Saints -- who so thoroughly dominated the Seahawks that Seattle's celebrated "12th Man" fan constituency sounded more like 12 angry men, booing the home team as vigorously as two sellout Superdome crowds have at the Saints -- are the Saints who were expected to be capable of winning the NFC title and representing the conference in the Super Bowl.

The Saints joined the party late, their 28-17 victory over Seattle being their first this season, after opening with four consecutive losses. But now, at least they seem to know there's a party going on and that they, too, are welcome to partake of the fun.

"You've got to start somewhere," defensive tackle Hollis Thomas said. "We'll relish it (Sunday night), then it's on to the next opponent."

That would be Atlanta, and that would be the right approach because getting one win doesn't provide enough ammunition for anyone to become giddy.

There's more than a little work to be done; the Saints didn't make up a single inch of ground on NFC South Division leaders Tampa Bay and Carolina, who improved to 4-2 with victories on Sunday. They didn't turn any corners.

"There's no corner," Coach Sean Payton said. "We're 1-4. It's a right step."
But, too, there's no avoiding how relieving, and refreshing, it was to witness for the first time this season a game in which almost everything that could go the Saints' way, go the Saints' way.

New Orleans scored on a botched punt attempt by the Seahawks. Drew Brees threw more touchdown passes in the first half (two) than he'd thrown all season (one).

Receiver David Patten caught a pass, was hit from behind and fumbled, and a Saint (tight end Eric Johnson) managed to steal the ball away from a Seahawk on the ground and take possession. Reggie Bush was as explosive and dangerous as he's ever been as a pro, often making it look as easy as we imagined he always would make it look when he was drafted.

The defense blitzed and covered and created confusion, the one blemish being a blown-coverage touchdown pass it allowed to a wide-open Ben Obomanu. The Saints converted on fourth-and-1 from their 29-yard line in the third quarter - yeah, their 29.

"This feels so good," tight end Eric Johnson said. "The weight just lifted off of us. This game was just a must-have for the rest of the season."

It would've been just shy of perfect if receivers hadn't had a handful of drops in the first half, with even the reliable Marques Colston contributing two drops before he caught a touchdown. And after the ball slipped out of Colston's massive right hand before he could spike it, it seemed the perfect time for Payton to consider ordering a Code Red on his receivers, because extra work on the JUGS Machine apparently is too genteel of a penalty to solve the problem.

Still, the way things have gone, we'll toss that in the "small stuff" pile. And today, for a change, we won't sweat the small stuff, not when it finally feels like the kind of Monday it always has supposed to feel like this season.
"It's been a long time coming," center Jeff Faine said. "It's definitely good to break the ice, to hopefully get something started. They made a big mistake early (with the botched punt attempt), which shifted momentum in our favor."

The Saints took it and ran.

They ran the way they were supposed to, the way we have been expecting them to.

"It was an important win for us," Payton said. "We certainly needed one."

These guys, we recognized. They did, too.

"We put a good game together," Thomas said. "Hopefully, we'll continue to do that."

DeShazier: Saints finally show up - New Orleans Saints Beat - Times-Picayune NFL - NOLA.com

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