New Orleans Saints' opening win sets tone for 2010 season

SmashMouth · 09-11-2010, 07:15 AM

The New Orleans Saints' 14-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night at the Superdome was hardly the most thrilling performance in recent franchise history. But it can certainly be the kind of win that sets a tone for the rest of the season.

Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees said Friday, 'I feel like weâ€™ve learned how to win in a lot of different ways.'
Consider the effect that some of these under-the-radar games had on the Saints in recent years:

A "ho-hum" 19-14 victory at Cleveland in the 2006 opener, which gave the rebuilt Saints confidence and eventually allowed them to head into the Superdome with a 2-0 record for that unforgettable Monday night Dome opener against Atlanta.
A disastrous 16-13 loss at home to Carolina in the fourth game of 2007, when the Saints missed countless opportunities, including two missed field-goal attempts by Olindo Mare. That dropped them into a deep 0-4 hole that they ultimately couldn't dig out of.
The 48-22 victory at Philadelphia in Week 2 last season and the 27-7 victory at Buffalo in Week 3, both of which were close at halftime before the Saints made the plays that broke the games open. Coach Sean Payton often referred to those two victories as important signs that the eventual Super Bowl champions had learned how to win.
"It's huge. It's huge, " Saints quarterback Drew Brees said of winning these kinds of close games early in the season. "Because at the end of a season where you don't make the playoffs, you miss it by one or two games, you look back and there's easily three or four games where you say, 'Man, one play here or there, maybe two plays affect the outcome.'
"And the good teams, the great teams, they find a way to win those. And I feel like we've learned how to win in a lot of different ways. And I think we continue to ... not surprise ourselves, but continue just to win in ways that maybe we haven't won in the past."
Offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb added that there's "no question" the Saints are in a much better place today than if they had started 0-1, especially considering they now have an 11-day stretch between games.
That would be an awful long time to dwell on a near-miss heading into a challenging Monday night game at San Francisco on Sept. 20.

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09-11-2010, 07:15 AM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,554 Blog Entries: 29	New Orleans Saints' opening win sets tone for 2010 season The New Orleans Saints' 14-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night at the Superdome was hardly the most thrilling performance in recent franchise history. But it can certainly be the kind of win that sets a tone for the rest of the season. Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees said Friday, 'I feel like weâ€™ve learned how to win in a lot of different ways.' Consider the effect that some of these under-the-radar games had on the Saints in recent years: A "ho-hum" 19-14 victory at Cleveland in the 2006 opener, which gave the rebuilt Saints confidence and eventually allowed them to head into the Superdome with a 2-0 record for that unforgettable Monday night Dome opener against Atlanta. A disastrous 16-13 loss at home to Carolina in the fourth game of 2007, when the Saints missed countless opportunities, including two missed field-goal attempts by Olindo Mare. That dropped them into a deep 0-4 hole that they ultimately couldn't dig out of. The 48-22 victory at Philadelphia in Week 2 last season and the 27-7 victory at Buffalo in Week 3, both of which were close at halftime before the Saints made the plays that broke the games open. Coach Sean Payton often referred to those two victories as important signs that the eventual Super Bowl champions had learned how to win. "It's huge. It's huge, " Saints quarterback Drew Brees said of winning these kinds of close games early in the season. "Because at the end of a season where you don't make the playoffs, you miss it by one or two games, you look back and there's easily three or four games where you say, 'Man, one play here or there, maybe two plays affect the outcome.' "And the good teams, the great teams, they find a way to win those. And I feel like we've learned how to win in a lot of different ways. And I think we continue to ... not surprise ourselves, but continue just to win in ways that maybe we haven't won in the past." Offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb added that there's "no question" the Saints are in a much better place today than if they had started 0-1, especially considering they now have an 11-day stretch between games. That would be an awful long time to dwell on a near-miss heading into a challenging Monday night game at San Francisco on Sept. 20. read more Attached Thumbnails