It's difficult to fully understand the New Orleans Saints.

On one hand they they found a way to beat the Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice last season and averaged 24 points in doing so (the Bucs defense gave up just 10.5 points per game against their other opponents). On the other hand they lost their last three games of the year to Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Carolina -- all teams with losing records.

Strong finishes have not been the Saints' strong suit and they aim to change that in 2003. Another thing they must change is their lack of a home-field advantage. With a 4-4 home record last season, the team played to a chorus of boos on a regular basis. What puzzles me is the negative reaction the fans have for quarterback Aaron Brooks. Here's a young QB who averaged 3,700 yards and 26 touchdown passes in the past two years. Let me remind Saints fans that those were his third and fourth years in the league.

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