Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

OK, there's been a lot of negativity around here, and rightly so. In the interest of lightening the mood, however, let's pick out some bright spots from Sunday's game. I'll start with a few:

1. Karney is a beast (already mentioned).
2. Deuce is able to play well after his injury.
3. The Saints have very few serious injuries (so far, knock on wood).
4. Defensive rookies seem to be doing well.
5. Charles Grant is a force.
6. Special teams are very good.

Anybody else?

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

McAfee is a gamer who just keeps proving he can play.

Despite being beat a few times, McKenzie is big and strong and fast and was always around the ball.

Joe Horn\'s still got it.

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

Brooks continue to play @ a high level ;)

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

Im not sure Horn still has it... He def. got it more than Stallworth, but Horn needs to prove he got it all year not just in one game...

Just wondering where is Devry Henderson?

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

As I recall, Henderson has been knocked for his inability to catch the ball with his hands (he uses his body too much). This is a serious problem at the pro level. I also recall people noting that his route running needed work. Also a serious problem.

Do we need another guy who can\'t get open and will simply drop the ball when he does?

Pathon looked good last game and so did Horn. Why bring in another guy who gets few practice reps to throw Brooks\' accuracy off more?

Agreed, Stallworth needs to catch the ball. WTF mate - you\'re a WR!

If we really want to see Henderson, I suspect it would be on ST. However, the team, for the best, thought that an aging McAfee would be better and Lewis looks pretty good this year. I would be surprised if Henderson is ready to contribute significantly for another year or two.

Also, Henderson is short as I recall. He is suited mostly for speed, not possesion.

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

Yeah - he\'s 9th in the NFL in receiving and is on pace for 100 receptions, 1200 yards, and 11 TDs. You\'re right, he\'s lost it. He is the only CONSISTENT top 10 talent on this team. If Deuce can just stay healthy, he should be a consistent top 5 talent. Right now, NO ONE brings it every week at the same level Joe Horn does.

Just so all you people who are talking about getting rid of Joe know - assuming things continue as they have gone so far this season, you would be willing to give up:

78 starts in 80 games, nearly 450 receptions (90 a year), 6,100 yards (1,200 a year), and 45 TDs (9 a year).

I know Joe\'s contract is going to hurt against the cap, but I would bet that getting a comparable WR would cost just as much against the cap. People say Joe lost something last year, but he was hurt. He was still a top 15 WR. If Joe has another 90 rec, 1200 yard, 10+ TD year, I wonder if you will all think he\'s still \"slowing down\". B/c personally, I don\'t see it at all.

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

So...oh, Wait...there\'s one more:

So, lemme get this straight. An injury IS an excuse for Deuce if he doesn\'t perform well. An injury IS an excuse for Joe\'s numbers last year, HOWEVER, we can loose half the defense to...umm, you got it...INJURIES, last year, and you don\'t think it\'s reason to give the HC a break? Agenda...much?

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

I agree WhoDat, THANK GOD FOR JOE HORN. It\'s amazing how soon people forget. Get rid of Horn, leaving us Stallworth and Pathon?? Geez.

Saintfan, no slander here, but you sound like a broken record:

Agenda this, agenda that, wanna see my agenda?? Don\'t get into an agenda-benda.....enough dude.

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

Im not saying Joe isnt the most consistent WR we have, but how many passes has he dropped this year? And BTW who do we have challenging him for catches? At least Horn catches 8 out of 10. Stallworth gets about 5 out of 10 so who would you throw to more? Conwell 6 out of 10? We deffinantly have issues at the WR spot. We keep drafting speedy WRs with no hands. Then we have a QB who throws it harded than most... making it you guessed it even harder to catch... Blame that on the brilliant talent evaluation we have had the last few years. What kinda team are we building here? They have no clue... I think they listen to much to Mel Keipler Jr. I would love to keep Joe Horn around if we cant find anyone else who can contribute, but we should at least look for other options. He is still the best WR we have in a pass happy offense... However in my opinion he isnt a top 10 WR in the league. His numbers say he is only cause we pass alot more than most teams and he is our top guy. I think he is a good WR, but not great. Look what T.O. did for Jeff Garcia\'s career! You think Joe Horn could do that for some average QB? Thats what a top player does he makes an average player that much better... What is Jeff Garcia doing now? T.O. is in Philly lighting up things... Maybe Joe is better than most guys, but I just dont think of him as a superstar top 10 WR type. Like I said thats just my opinion... I know most of you will not agree...

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

Wow. I mean wow. This is a good argument. No Saintfan. For me it was not a valid excuse. I had seen enough. The injuries did not, IMO, play a big part in our record last season. It was the same old mistakes, same old inconsistent play, same old stupid decisions.

But you\'re right, he got another chance. Tom Benson apparently agreed with you. How\'s that working out?

\'03 Defense ranked 18th.
\'04 Defense ranks 32nd. Dead last in the NFL.

Time out - wasn\'t it injuries that made the defense so bad? Had nothing to do with coaching, right? The Saints had no starers out to injury on Sunday and even got an apparent shot in the arm with McKenzie. They played the worst game a defense has ever played in SAINTS HISTORY. And there have been some BAD Saints teams.

So if injuries were what really kept the defense from performing last season, why are they the worst defense in the league this year? Can you riddle me and my agenda that?

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

this post just irks me. We were up against a defense that was as bad as ours... so hard to evaluate them as good blah blah blah... we suck we suck we suck. Specail teams we looked good and the coaching on those units also stood out but everywheres else suck.

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

I feel the same....deuce has played well injured but I dont see the 9 100 yard (consecutive game) player....I love deuce but I see a lack of desire.............we suck...(Ill be at the game on Sun in my Saints gear)..............

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

Amen, brotha.

Bright Spots vs. Vikings
 

He may not run for 9 consecutive 10o yard games, but he\'s got 200 in the last 2 - injured. The announcers were saying that he told the line, oh well, I\'ll settle for 1,500. I love it!

I agree about how Deuce appears. I think there are players on this team who have been fed up with the way it\'s coached for a while now. This isn\'t just Deuce. Horn\'s spoken out, Brooks and Grant are fighting, players have left and slammed the org, etc. etc. etc. Of course, none of them used the exact phrase \"Mickey Mouse\" so you know that means everything is really OK. This is all just in our agenda-controlled imaginations. ;)