The 2006 Offseason Excuse Thread

WhoDat · 08-05-2005, 12:52 PM

LOL

No, I'm not really that negative... yet... but I do enjoy predicting the next year's offseason excuses at about this time of year to explain why, once again, the Saints were 8-8 and didn't make the playoffs.

Before we start, here's a recap of the actual excuses the last few years:

2001 - Locker Room Problems, Fatigue (Solution: Get rid of Pro Bowlers and trusty veterans like Roaf, Glover, Johnson, Williams, Knight, Blake, give Brooks a new top 5 contract. Build a new practice facility)

2002 - Youth, Injuries, Fatigue again. (Solution: Cut more veterans - that helps the youth problem, lol - especailly the fat worthless ones in the middle like Hand and Jackson. Draft Jonathan Sullivan. Sign and draft for speed, b/c fast defenses will work better. Promote Rick Venturi)

2003 - Injuries, Time Playing Together, Professionality - (Solution: Don't to much, the injuries hurt the defense. They really just needed time to jell before they could reach their full potential. After that, just look. Their defense was the highest ranked in the league... wait, you mean the highest number doesn't mean best? Draft and sign "character" guys. )

2004 - O-line, key injuries, Minnesota. (Solution: there really isn't a problem, b/c if Minnesota had just beat Washington the Saints would have made the playoffs. Otherwise, it's all the o-line's fault and Deuce's for getting hurt and coming back out of shape. The 32nd ranked defense played well for a few games, so they're OK. Sign and draft offensive linemen, injury-prone WRs, and another talented QB that you'll let leave through FA in a few years).

OK, so after the 2005 season, what will be the excuse for 8-8? LOL

My first idea: Kicking (which, PS, was kind of the excuse after 2003). Carney will show his age this year and miss some kicks. The Saints will go 8-8 and say, if we only made those few extra kicks, we'd have been to the playoffs. Solution: We sign a "hecuva" kicker in 2006 to fix the problem.

4saintspirit · 08-05-2005, 12:56 PM

If -- and I say if -- we are 8-8 the excuse will be the following :

Fan support -- nobody in the stands -- season ticket sales down -- but it was not the team or the team's talent

WhoDat · 08-05-2005, 01:03 PM

Ooh that's a good one. I like that.

Kicking, Fans, Bad Stadium. I think that might be my new guess for the 2005 season.

ScottyRo · 08-05-2005, 01:07 PM

Carney may be a scapegoat, but the fans will definitely bear the brunt of the blame - especially from Benson. He lready started it this summer and then approves an ad saying we gotta have faith. I've got faith alright...8-8 here we come.

yasoon · 08-05-2005, 01:07 PM

First year in a new, scaled down offense with new terminology

ssmitty · 08-05-2005, 01:13 PM

Actually, wd, i can sum up why there were all the excuses in 6 words,
THEY DID'NT HAVE THEIR SHIZ TOGETHER..............
as i've said the past 2or3 yrs, if we win the opener, look out.......
and, further, no one puts a lot into the preseason, but i disagree.....
this is where you see what the 1st unit and more importantly, the 2nd and 3rd units can do if anything happens to the first.........
i put a lot more in preseason faith as most probably do because this is where you'll actually see if they have their shiz together......smitty

WhoDat · 08-05-2005, 02:28 PM

I agree ssmitty. The preseason is very important, and I think it tells you a lot also. A lot of people (e.g. the poster formerly known as Billy Baloo) mistake the "experts" when they say preseason doesn't matter. I think the better statement is: Preseason Record doesn't matter.

Others claim that the playbooks are totally scaled down and that the "vanilla" schemes that you see aren't representative of what you'll see in the regular season. That may be true, but BOTH teams are likely using the same vanilla schemes. What that means is you can evaluate talent and performance.

If your 1st team QB is throwing balls in the dirt - that does tell you something. If the opponent rushes for 45 yards on 2 series against your 1st team defense, that signals a problem. Winning or losing the game isn't important to me, b/c coaches are experimenting, pushing guys to see how they'll do in different formations or different levels of pressure and situations. But how your first team plays against opposing first teams does tell you something.

All that said, you're far too serious. What the excuse going to be next year ssmitty? Bad turf? Too many fights on airplanes? What?

RockyMountainSaint · 08-05-2005, 02:56 PM

Gumbo the mascot ate my playbook!

papz · 08-05-2005, 03:01 PM

Players ate too much fried chicken before games.

ssmitty · 08-05-2005, 03:05 PM

i'll stick with the same one.........it tells it all...............smitty

08-05-2005, 12:52 PM	#1
WhoDat 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 5,631	The 2006 Offseason Excuse Thread LOL No, I'm not really that negative... yet... but I do enjoy predicting the next year's offseason excuses at about this time of year to explain why, once again, the Saints were 8-8 and didn't make the playoffs. Before we start, here's a recap of the actual excuses the last few years: 2001 - Locker Room Problems, Fatigue (Solution: Get rid of Pro Bowlers and trusty veterans like Roaf, Glover, Johnson, Williams, Knight, Blake, give Brooks a new top 5 contract. Build a new practice facility) 2002 - Youth, Injuries, Fatigue again. (Solution: Cut more veterans - that helps the youth problem, lol - especailly the fat worthless ones in the middle like Hand and Jackson. Draft Jonathan Sullivan. Sign and draft for speed, b/c fast defenses will work better. Promote Rick Venturi) 2003 - Injuries, Time Playing Together, Professionality - (Solution: Don't to much, the injuries hurt the defense. They really just needed time to jell before they could reach their full potential. After that, just look. Their defense was the highest ranked in the league... wait, you mean the highest number doesn't mean best? Draft and sign "character" guys. ) 2004 - O-line, key injuries, Minnesota. (Solution: there really isn't a problem, b/c if Minnesota had just beat Washington the Saints would have made the playoffs. Otherwise, it's all the o-line's fault and Deuce's for getting hurt and coming back out of shape. The 32nd ranked defense played well for a few games, so they're OK. Sign and draft offensive linemen, injury-prone WRs, and another talented QB that you'll let leave through FA in a few years). OK, so after the 2005 season, what will be the excuse for 8-8? LOL My first idea: Kicking (which, PS, was kind of the excuse after 2003). Carney will show his age this year and miss some kicks. The Saints will go 8-8 and say, if we only made those few extra kicks, we'd have been to the playoffs. Solution: We sign a "hecuva" kicker in 2006 to fix the problem.
WhoDat 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 5,631	\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. ThatÃ¢Â€Â™s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans SaintsÃ¢Â€Â™ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse \"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

08-05-2005, 12:56 PM	#2
4saintspirit 500th Post Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 690	If -- and I say if -- we are 8-8 the excuse will be the following : Fan support -- nobody in the stands -- season ticket sales down -- but it was not the team or the team's talent
4saintspirit 500th Post Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 690

08-05-2005, 01:03 PM	#3
WhoDat 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 5,631	Ooh that's a good one. I like that. Kicking, Fans, Bad Stadium. I think that might be my new guess for the 2005 season.
WhoDat 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 5,631

08-05-2005, 01:07 PM	#5
yasoon 500th Post Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 594	First year in a new, scaled down offense with new terminology
yasoon 500th Post Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 594

08-05-2005, 01:13 PM	#6
ssmitty 1000 Posts + Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,879	Actually, wd, i can sum up why there were all the excuses in 6 words, THEY DID'NT HAVE THEIR SHIZ TOGETHER.............. as i've said the past 2or3 yrs, if we win the opener, look out....... and, further, no one puts a lot into the preseason, but i disagree..... this is where you see what the 1st unit and more importantly, the 2nd and 3rd units can do if anything happens to the first......... i put a lot more in preseason faith as most probably do because this is where you'll actually see if they have their shiz together......smitty
ssmitty 1000 Posts + Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,879

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08-05-2005, 01:07 PM	#4
ScottyRo 1000 Posts + Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Williamsburg, VA (ugh, the food here) Posts: 1,704	Carney may be a scapegoat, but the fans will definitely bear the brunt of the blame - especially from Benson. He lready started it this summer and then approves an ad saying we gotta have faith. I've got faith alright...8-8 here we come.

08-05-2005, 02:28 PM	#7
WhoDat 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 5,631	I agree ssmitty. The preseason is very important, and I think it tells you a lot also. A lot of people (e.g. the poster formerly known as Billy Baloo) mistake the "experts" when they say preseason doesn't matter. I think the better statement is: Preseason Record doesn't matter. Others claim that the playbooks are totally scaled down and that the "vanilla" schemes that you see aren't representative of what you'll see in the regular season. That may be true, but BOTH teams are likely using the same vanilla schemes. What that means is you can evaluate talent and performance. If your 1st team QB is throwing balls in the dirt - that does tell you something. If the opponent rushes for 45 yards on 2 series against your 1st team defense, that signals a problem. Winning or losing the game isn't important to me, b/c coaches are experimenting, pushing guys to see how they'll do in different formations or different levels of pressure and situations. But how your first team plays against opposing first teams does tell you something. All that said, you're far too serious. What the excuse going to be next year ssmitty? Bad turf? Too many fights on airplanes? What?
WhoDat 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 5,631	\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. ThatÃ¢Â€Â™s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans SaintsÃ¢Â€Â™ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse \"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

08-05-2005, 02:56 PM	#8
RockyMountainSaint Mmm That Smell! Join Date: Oct 1998 Location: Metairie Terrace Posts: 3,073	Gumbo the mascot ate my playbook!

08-05-2005, 03:01 PM	#9
papz Problem? Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: New Orleans Posts: 11,744	Players ate too much fried chicken before games.

08-05-2005, 03:05 PM	#10
ssmitty 1000 Posts + Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,879	i'll stick with the same one.........it tells it all...............smitty
ssmitty 1000 Posts + Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,879