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Christmas Eve in New Orleans began with a plea from Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

"It seems to me that, in our world today, we are as much in need of hope as were the Israelites of old, 2,000 years ago," Aymond said in his annual holiday homily to New Orleanians. "We need hope."

A few hours later the New Orleans Saints did their part, delivering some much-needed hope to their frustrated fans in the form of a 31-24 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Considering the quality of the opponent and the circumstances, it was one of the Saints' most complete performances of the season, a second consecutive impressive effort after their season slipped away in back-to-back losses to the Lions and Buccaneers.



And yet, with little to play for other than pride, the Saints again played with passion and poise, a ringing endorsement of Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff.

"We've been resilient," Payton said. "This group, I'm proud of how they've prepared."

Hope can be a powerful elixir. When misused, it can also be a dangerous opiate.

Just one week removed from the offseason, the Saints brain trust must determine if indeed there is legitimate reason for hope, if this team is truly close to turning the corner and becoming a playoff contender, or if they are simply deluding themselves and falling victim to wishful thinking.

These are the kind of sober decisions Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis are paid to make, and if they are being honest with themselves they will find plenty of reasons for both optimism and pessimism. That's what happens when you finish around .500 for a third consecutive season.


read more on the ten reasons here

hagan714

The offense is humming along except for a few hick ups.

2. The defense, especially versus the run - on the up swing but far from a finished product in the trenches. Our strong side defense is not nearly strong enough against the run. Beat the drum yet again for a run stopper up front that eats up blockers.

8. The future looks even brighter when you consider the plight of the team's secondary? Some solid camp bodies for 2017 but even with CB returning one issue stood out more than anything to me. Height and/or athleticism is lacking and it is a huge concern that needs to be addressed especially in our division.

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins

halloween 65

Exactly. I would have to go after another DT or NT before I go after a DE and all of our CB are made of glass it seems. I look for us to take a CB real early in the draft and shore the backend up with a good FA. MLB needs to be adressed.

joker-saint

Hopefully Byrd can stay healthy. The dude is a beast if he is playing at 100%. He'd be a good veteran body in the depleted secondary. Who else is available in free agency next year? We need a Clay Matthew's or JJ Watt type player to add to that young D line.

Danno

Good read.

The future indeed looks bright. With no glaring holes and plenty of cap space finally we can make that 1 last push before Brees hangs them up.