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Each and every time a New Orleans Saints player mumbles something these days about going undefeated this regular season, it's headline news. The wisdom of the proclamation is debated and the arrogance-versus-confidence angle comes into play, and a big to-do commences.
And you have to wonder: Just what, exactly, is Reggie Bush, or Pierre Thomas, or Drew Brees, or any other Saint, supposed to say?

That he sees a loss on the horizon? That a future opponent is a better team? That the Saints are playing with house money, on borrowed time, and can't possibly navigate the regular season without emerging blemished?

The truth is, athletics overflows with bravado, false and justified. Football, probably more than any sport, is built on machismo. The day when a team doesn't believe it can enforce its will upon an opponent probably is going to be a long day, because the game exponentially is more about the forcing of will rather than the practice of deception.

Think about it: In defeat, players are more likely to blame themselves than to credit the opponent.

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Just as Giants and Dolphins players this season wouldn't just ladle credit all over the Saints in lopsided losses, and offered that they're own mistakes did as much damage as did New Orleans' execution, Saints players in past - less successful - seasons haven't rushed to heap praise on the opposition when they were on the bottom side of some of the punishment the 2009 team is administering.

That's the way of the athletic world. It's a universe of they-played-well-but-we-shot-ourselves-in-the-foot reasoning.

So, based on the mantra that a team believes it mostly controls itself, it stands to reason that the Saints this season truly would believe they can win their remaining nine games. If they'd believe it - and probably be willing to say it - with a 4-3 record, why in the world wouldn't they believe it and say it at 7-0?

I know, I know.

Often, fan preference is subterfuge. Fans, on most days, want their team to creep under the radar, to be the underdog every week, to sneak up on opponents. They want all that on the days when they aren't complaining that their team isn't getting enough national respect and certain announcers aren't lavishing enough praise.

Heck, team executives and coaches aren't all that bothered about flying under the radar, either. The better to play the no-respect card for all it's worth.

But no fan - or coach - wants a team full of players who don't believe they can win every game. No fan or coach wants a team full of players who are afraid to say what they believe, either.

So a Saints player or two has intimated that, yes, he believes New Orleans can win all its regular-season games. There's no news there. That's what he's supposed to say.

The worry should be if he says anything else.

New Orleans Saints players absolutely should believe team can finish undefeated | New Orleans Saints Central - - NOLA.com

SaintPauly

Exactly my point. There is a big difference in saying, "We CAN win every game this season," as to saying, "We WILL win every game this season."

I don't like to lose. AT ALL. I don't go to games thinking, yep, this is the one we are going to lose. Even when we had terrible seasons, A-HEM,,, DITKA.... I always thought, yep, we are going to win this one, and this one, and this one, and this one..... Now, to make it completely clear, I NEVER look over any team we play, EVER. From Detroit, to St. Louis, to the freaking Steelers, I NEVER count a win before we get it. That's just insane.

What's popular is not always right, and what's right is not always popular.....

Saintsfan4ever

This is what eats at me; When the Patriots were on a winning streak in 2007 did we hear Patriot players singled out when they were asked about possibly going undefeated? NOOOOOOO! Instead it was more like "What will this mean to you if you go undefeated?" and stuff like " Do you think if you go undefeated it's more special than the Miami undefeated season because you play more games?"... ect. and so forth. It was never a question about Patriot players being over confindent or being cocky. But fast-forward to 2009 and all of a sudden it's an issue if a Saints player acknowledges the possibility of an undefeated season. Besides that, do you see microphones in Peyton Mannings face challenging him about a possible perfect season? NOOOOOO you don't.
I'd be thrilled with a 12-4 season. I'd be doing the 'snoopy happy dance' with a 13-3 season, BUT NOW I'M PRAYING FOR A 16-0 season JUST SO THOSE WASHED UP COACHES AND PLAYERS now wearing suits and hired to sit on a panel of so-called NFL EXPERTS and making issues out of non-issues WILL BE FORCED to STFU if we go 16-0! WHODAT and do mean WHODAT!!!!!

Saint4

SmashMouth

It would be kinda cool to serve a big tall drink of STFU to the class of '72.

....as long as we're dreaming ...

Saint_LB

It's only 7 games. I wonder if the Pats were talking about going undefeated after only 7 games?

SaintFanInATLHELL

In that season, the Pats had not played the up until then undefeated SuperBowl Champion Colts. The undefeated talk didn't really get started until after the Pats won that game.

BTW IMHO the correct answer to any undefeated talk is "it's possible only because the Saints haven't lost a game yet."

SFIAH

Rugby Saint II

Sure, we can go undefeated...but will we? Every player on this roster truly believes that we can win any game. It might be early to be talking about this, except for the people who have been talking about it for 6-7 weeks. There are 3 teams that we need to beat Atlanta, Patriots and possibly Dallas. . If we beat then then we'll see.
BTW, how did that undefeated season pan out for the Patriot? Now, just win baby.

QBREES9

I think the Saints can. Do they really want that pressure. 1 loss just 1.

Saintsfan4ever

Reggie Bush did not call a press conference to announce an undefeated season forecast, neither did he even bring the subject up. This was entirely a sports media created issue that did not originate from anyone associated with the SAINTS.