GumboBC

No, No, No!!!!!!!!!! Not this time!!

I ain't buying it. I'm not going to let myself believe we are going to the playoffs. And why shoud I?

Let's review:

1. The year was 2001. The result was a late season colllapse.
2. The year was 2002. Couldn't happen again, right? Wrong. Another late season collapse.
3. The year was 2003. Was that a real NFL team I was watching?

Now the year is 2004. We've got the same coach. We've got basically the same players. Oh, you think some of the new guys are going to make that much of a differece? OK, Ok.....

Brian Young, perhaps? Was he the guy that was on top of your wish list heading into the offseason? I didn't think so.

Jason Craft? Did you have him above or below Brian Young on your wish list??

Then there's all the other free-agents we signed that should really help, right?

Oh, that's right. Free agents is not mantra for Haslett this year. I think the "pitch" this year is "continuity."

Haslett is telling us that having the same players returning on defense is going to create "continuity." Perhaps.

But, didn't we have the same guys that returned on offense in 2003? I saw every thing from the offense but "continuity." So, what's the excuse there?

Injuries? Wasn't that the excuse on defense too? And what the hell happened to our special teams last year?

Bumbling, Fumbling, Stumbing!! That's what I think of the Saints. Did any team play worse last year than our Saints? You do remember some of those AWFUL games?

Yet, we finished 8-8. Two more wins and we COULD have won the division. We even got cheated out of one or two wins.

Hmmmmmm....

Come to think of it, we will have a lot of injured players back at key positions. That could be good for an extra win or two.

Hey, if Brooks cuts down on the fumbling, we'll have one of the best QB's in the league and that might be worth a win or two.

Michael Lewis might return a couple of returns for TD's. That's could change the outcome of a game of two.

A healty Stallworth? Whew.... I think that could help. All the guy does is score TD's.

OK, Haslett. I'm sold.

Lead us to the promised land. You've even got WhoDat opitmistic about this season. So, I can't look that foolish this year if I'm wrong.

Should I predict a 13-3 season, Whodat??? LMAO!!

lumm0x

I think Jim Haslett put it best when he said that this team will never be a contender until they realize that this game comes down to 1 or 2 key plays that make the difference every day. Until we get 60 minutes of consistency and 110% focus and effort we will be middle of the pack.

GumboBC

I tend to agree with that, lummOx. What I\'m going to have to see is all the players play as a team and hold one another accountable. And Haslett has got to set the example through his actions and not just by hollow threats!!

Last year I said preseason doesn\'t mean that much and I still believe that for the most part. But, not this year. Preseason should tell us plenty. Doesn\'t matter who wins or loses, but it\'ll tell us a lot about focus, intensity, consistencey, etc.,etc..

I think Haslett bears most of the burden for most of the problems. This year there shouldn\'t be any excuses. Am I right or wrong? Good coaches get teams to play over there talent level and so far all I\'ve seen is this team underacheive.

Hell, any coach can do that. I think I could coach this talented team to an 8-8 record.

Right now everything is PURE SPECULATION and I\'m optimistically wondering what\'s going to happen.

I think the main question is: Will the players buy into the coaching staff this year and when push comes to shove, how easily will they lose faith.

lumm0x

I\'m one who thinks pres-season is very important. Not the scores of the games, not the performances of the starters, but the competency shown by the second stringers and those trying to solidify a roster spot. I don\'t care how well Deuce or Brooks look in pre-season. I know that first quarter is to experiment with a couple of plays and judge the execution of them, and for the starters to stretch their legs with a little contact play.
It\'s the back-ups that I like to see. We all know injuries are a reality of this game. It\'s imperative the team can judge the reliability and effectiveness of the second tier players.
I don\'t care if we win games in the pre-season, although success breeds confidence among the team.

GumboBC

I agree with you lummOx. If you remember back to last preseason, I think you\'ll agree that the ENTIRE team looked lost out on the field. They looked very sloppy in all phases of the game to me.

So, like you, I\'ll be looking at the rookies and the backups. But, don\'t you think the 1st teamers need to show they\'ve got their act togetther?

IMO, I think Haslett needs to DEMAND consistency from the starters in the preseason and do whatever it takes to get them focused. I do NOT want to see what we saw last preseason out of the starters. I think how they perform in the preseason is gonna carry over to the first few games.

Unlike past years, I think there\'s some young guys that have a legit shot at making signifcant contributions. I\'m looking very foward to seeing them on the field in preseason. Hopefully, Haslett can pull this team together quickly.

Lastly, I\'m gonna be paying extra attention to the preseason this year. I won\'t necessarily be looking at the potential a player possess, but how we play as a team and Haslett\'s coaching style.

kenpersons

Billy, you couldn\'t be more spot on. Our lax approach to preseason has contributed to the \"we don\'t have to get up for this team, they\'re not that good\" mentality.

The curtain rises soon.

CheramieIII

I bet the team gets up for all of the preseason games this year. Haz just needs to keep walking the talk and all will be well in Saintland this year.

So Gumbo, a 13-3 record is not out of the question for sure, although I think they will end up at 11-5 and win the division. I hope your right.

We all think this is the year, don\'t we? You damn right we do!!!!!!