GumboBC

Friday Football Forecast: Brooks' big moment

Saints fans should hope Aaron Brooks is laughing it up against Carolina. Aaron Brooks said Wednesday that if the Saints make the playoffs, “I’m going to be @#$%^ laughing. We win that game I’m going to laughing. No one gave us an opportunity to be where we are. I hope fans are laughing with me.�


This Sunday’s Saints-Carolina game will be Brooks’ defining moment of his career up to this point. He denied to the media that the Carolina game is personal for him. Don’t believe a word of it. It’s not personal between Brooks and Jake Delhomme; it’s personal between Aaron Brooks and Saints fans.


Brooks has heard all about Jake and his accomplishments going on two years now. Brooks feels the fans don’t root for him like they do for Delhomme.


“The people would love for us to be in the playoffs, but deep down inside they are probably like, ‘I wish Jake was in the playoffs, they could go to the Super Bowl.’�


Brooks has been booed at restaurants, so when he says a lot of fans don’t like him, he’s right. A lot of the fans wrath directed at Brooks is misplaced. Brooks didn’t decide not to play Delhomme at the end of 2002.


Aaron has to know a victory Sunday could go along way to change how fans view him but changing how fans view him isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things. The important thing is that his teammates have rallied around him. The last couple of weeks he’s shown more leadership and been more vocal.

Football players—like anyone in life—want leadership. No one will come out and say it, but the Saints desperately want to beat Carolina so they can stop hearing about the wonderful Jake Delhomme. A lot of Saints players are tired of fans telling them about Jake this and Jake that. They want to move on, and beating Carolina is the step in the right direction.


The Saints may be in the perfect spot to shock the NFL. Aaron Brooks feels like the pressure is on the Panthers.


“We’re the forgotten team. There is more pressure on them than us. If we don’t make it everyone will be like, ‘ah @#$% another Saints team didn’t make the playoffs.’ If they make it, it’s like, ‘wow what a season.’ It’s on them (Carolina). We’re waiting for Sunday.� Brooks summed up why the Saints have developed their “Us against the world attitude.�


“We had the @$%^ GM come at us, we had the $%#@ owner come at us, coach was already on us. We just didn’t give up on ourselves.�


So now the Saints go to Carolina with no one expecting them to win. ABC probably already has the promo for Delhomme versus Favre made. Can they Saints ruin the playoffs for the national media? This game will tell a lot about Brooks and the Saints.


Ok on to this week’s games.


Each week Ralph battles Kevin in a test of football knowledge.

Last week: Ralph: 3-2 Kevin: 3-2



Ralph’s picks


New Orleans at Carolina

Forget the Saints 32-21 loss to Carolina a month ago. This game will be completely different. In that game the Saints basically gift-wrapped the Panthers a 23-0 lead. Now the Saints are playing defense almost totally different.


Brown and McKenzie are playing a lot of man to man and since the linebackers are playing better the safeties aren’t free-lancing to help out so teams aren’t gashing the Saints with the big play. McKenzie match up with Mushin Muhammad will be the most important individual battle to watch.


The Saints need to stop the run and force Delhomme into third and long. The special teams need to keep up their outstanding play. The Saints have a huge edge in the return game.


On offense they need to get Deuce going, which will slow the Carolina pass rush, but most importantly the Saints need to protect the football. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Saints won but I’d wager a grand the team that turns the ball over more will lose.


Haslett will probably revert to the guy in 2000 that had the attitude of anything goes to win including a little lying, cheating, and stealing. Remember the onside kick in St. Louis? Expect the Saints to be very aggressive and maybe pull trick or two.

http://www.wwltv.com/sports/saints/s....63289cad.html

dberce1

This is pure trash. Any fan who boo\'s Aaron in a resteraunt, just shows his intelligence level. I know a lot of people dislike Aaron\'s onfield play, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

RockyMountainSaint

Remember when some (a lot) fans in the dome cheered when Wade Wilson was hurt and had to leave the game a few years ago?
I was there and was disgusted by that.
I saw him the following week in a Winn-Dixie. My father and I were buying flowers for my sister on her birthday.
The clerk called out \"Your flowers are ready Mr. Wilson\". I thought it was me (my last name is Wilson).
I looked to my right and saw Wade Wilson.
I tild him that I was there and was embarrased by the display a few days earlier. He thanked me but I saw in his eyes and by his demeanor that he would rather be anywhere but New Orleans.
He wasn\'t a great player and was at the end of his career by then but he didn\'t deserve that. No one does.
Look at the P. Manning commercial. Let\'s go insurance adjusters let\'s go!
Would we all enjoy having them show up at our place of work and scrutinize us? I know the salaries are different.
The point is they are people too.

I'm no one.
Who are you?