The day after the Saints came up short in San Francisco, the headline on the sports section of the Times Picayune read “DEFLATED”.  Though not fit to print, “PISSED” would have been the more apt headline.  Sore losing is not the core of the sentiment, as Saints fans have been leavened by plenty of losses over the years, which is part of the franchise’s heritage, as evidenced by the gallows humor of the old ‘Aints bags.   No, the sting of this one is knowing that this team was quite capable of winning it’s second Super Bowl in three years,  and was better than the ’09 outfit.  In his season closing press conference, coach Sean Payton laconically called it a “missed opportunity”.

Souls Of The Saints would gladly trade all of this year’s individual and team records on offense to just match one; the last team to commit 5 turnovers and win a playoff game were the New York Jets in 1982. The Saints spent the entire game digging themselves out of this hole, and eventually inched their way unto the lead.  In the second half, until the frantic finish, the Saints outclassed the 49′ers in every way.  San Francisco was doing absolutely nothing on offense and resembled a pen of fortunate pigs.

Regardless of who one was pulling for, the last 4 minutes was wildly entertaining, at least. Is that what California wildfires are like?  Does anyone remember the Water Wiggle, the plastic toy on the end of garden hoses manufactured by Wham-O ?  Maybe ‘Dat’s what was needed to extinguish San Francisco’s comeback.

It’s best for all parties that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has parted ways with the Saints.  He has done  a good job here and has a ring to prove it. And coaches don’t commit turnovers, or drop interceptions, or fail to recover fumbles. But down the stretch, why Vernon Davis was not aggressively double covered in Williams’ scheme of things was nauseating.  He was the only receiver who had done any significant damage to the Saints in the game, and was a mismatch in man to man coverage for Malcolm Jenkins, or any defender that size, as Jimmy Graham of the Saints would be.  Did ‘ya notice on Graham’s go ahead TD that he was covered by three red shirts?   If there were two white shirts shadowing Davis, he may not have been thrown to in the split second reads that Alex Smith had to make, and not to mention, one of the white shirts may have been able to make a play, or prevent a run after catch.    Aw well, more material for the Woulda’  Coulda’  Shoulda’ Collection…..

Much of defense is about philosophy and attitude, and it’s best that the Saints renovate defensively at this juncture. In his tenure here, Williams’ constant  blitzing was part compensation for his front four’s inability to put pressure on the passer.  So familiar names on the Saints’ defense may no longer be, and not only along the front.  The bottom line why a facelift is needed?  In the past two playoffs, on the road, the Saints have scored 36 points in charlatan Seattle and 32 points in San Francisco, and been eliminated by both. That’s absurd.

Misery has some company in the way the season ended for the Saints. After going 15-1 and being many pundits’ choice to repeat, the Green Bay Packers looked like just another mediocre team at home against the New York Giants, no world beaters themselves,  and were promptly eliminated.  So the two most prolific quarterbacks and offenses in the conference will be watching it’s championship on television. As it turned out, had the Saints held on, the Giants would be visiting here for the right to play in the Super Bowl. The last two times the Giants have come here, they were routed by twenty something points and looked like Jayvees scrimmaging  the Varsity.  The turn of events does does jam one thing home though, that offenses win games and defenses win championships  still isn’t just a cliche.

Yet there may not be enough Road Home money in the Saints coffers to invest as much as they’d like to in defense.  Contracts for the likes of Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Tracey Porter, and Jonathan Vilma are up for renewal, to mention a few. And that’s all we want to say about the eternal Next Year at the moment.

Last week’s post intimated Candlestick Park was not a particularly pleasant place for Saints fans to watch their team play. Below are some excerpts of experiences by a few New Orleans natives who live in San ‘Fran.  The impressions don’t speak well for the Bay Area Tourist Bureau.

Mick Behre

I can give you the scoop of what it was like as a Saints fan inside Candlestick. It wasn’t pretty at all. Not many Who Dats to begin with. 49′ers fans were horrible. Throwing peanuts at me the whole game, hitting me with their red towels. And then when they won, they continued to rub it in, but more taunting, shouting out “Saints suck!” often, as I’m walking away. What’s the point? The won. Why try to rub it in my face?  

   It’s one thing if I was there with a few hundred people. It was just me and one other fan by ourselves, for at least fifty yards before you found any others.

   Before the game, I hated the 49ers fans. Now I have no respect in the least. Foul mouthed (profanity was flying the whole game “f… the Saints”!), inhospitable, even physical confrontation (peanuts being thrown and slaps from towels are not OK.)

   Friend told me afterwards they went to games before, but refused to go now. Perhaps that’s why there were not many of us in the stands.

   I would like to think that we treat our visitors with a sportsmanlike, southern, hospitable welcome inside the Dome. 

Don Moses’ experiences were published in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle. A link to it is below.

http://blog.sfgate.com/opinionshop/2012/01/17/should-49ers-fans-be-concerned-about-hooliganism/

Familiarity has not bred contempt for the Saints, as they have scored 45 points in their last three games at home in front of an adoring fan base that can help make life miserable for the opposition.  Last weekend’s dismantling of the Lions was a bit roughshod but accomplished it’s purpose.

Life in the Luxury Suite officially ends Saturday afternoon in San Francisco, where the right to play in the NFC Championship is on the line. A promo on the 49′ers website says Wear Red, Get Loud. Saints’ trainers should pack plenty of Advil.

The 49′ers present more matchup problems for the Saints than ballyhooed Green Bay. Their defense is among the league’s best, far more physical than most New Orleans has seen, particularly lately, and the Saints may be all out to score in the high 20′s. San Francisco’s defense resembles Baltimore’s, who the Saints did not look very will against when they visited there in 2010.  Raven head coach John Harbaugh will be sharing film room secrets on the phone with his brother Jim, who makes the calls for the 49′ers. Former Saint and 49′er center Jonathan Goodwin will also be passing along what he can.

As difficult as it will be to run on them , it is a necessity to some extent, so Drew Brees does not have too many 3rd and longs to look at. The Stones of The Saints offensive line is on call, not only to protect Brees, but to provide some creases for Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory, and Darren Sproles. Swing passes to the running backs could ward off the pressure that will come. If  #43, Mighty Mouse,  has a good day, on the ground or in the air,  it’s likely the Saints’ offense will.

The good news is that the weather is anticipated to be reasonably good, making the main challenge for the Saints in these environs having the right size cleats screwed on to maneuver across the uneven sod of old Candlestick Park.  The place is rickety, a little surreal, and watching a game there for visiting fans with a hangover is not recommended, as the hoards from the redwoods gag  Niners!  during the entire contest.  There is no such thing as a time out for Saints fans in Candlestick.  Got any Advil?   

In search of a pre-game angle, some stuff in the media was floated about some animosity among the teams’ coaches from the first exhibition game here, when the Saints blitzed mercilessly. That some gentlemen’s agreement was violated, or the like. For goodness sakes, the 49′ers will be motivated by plenty other than whatever transpired from pre-season.

When head coach Jim Harbaugh decided to leave Stanford for the NFL, he had options where to go. His decision was swayed by what was on the depth chart in San Francisco, more than just staying in the Bay Area. They have a stockpile of talented players, high draft choice types,  seeking success they haven’t yet attained in their careers. Running back Frank Gore has quietly been one of the league’s best for several years, whose  power and speed resembles Steven Jackson and Ray Rice, who have given the Saints headaches. Tight end Vernon Davis is a beast, and no doubt has some envy for the type of happiness that Jimmy Graham has had with New Orleans. Michael Crabtree is a fledgling wideout, as is Tedd Ginn, Jr., who was given up on by Miami, but is dangerous as a returner too. Quarterback Alex Smith  played with Reggie Bush in high school, and wants his career to resemble Jim Plunkett’s more than Jamarcus Russell’s.  Harbaugh has been his savior. On defense, Patrick Willis out of Ole Miss is as quick and good a linebacker as there is in the league.  Defensive tackle Justin Smith is an older player making all kinds of noise against offenses.

The deeper the playoffs get, the more fundamentals and physicality matter. Inevitably Sean Payton has been reminding his players of this in meetings, goading them into thinking the 49′ers feel they have that upper hand  as motivation. There is less and less a margin for error for things like missed tackles,  penalties, and turnovers.

All in all, New Orleans has quite a challenge on their hands Saturday, but one has to believe the Eleven Saints have not peaked yet.  For longtime Saints fans, this game is role reversal from the Jim Mora era, when it was the Saints who had a stronger defense and had to ward off Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Jerry Rice, sometimes with success, but it ultimately was not enough. For longtime 49′er fans, they want to re-taste the wine of victory that often came against New Orleans, and have the Saints go affably into the night.

Amidst the Sea Of Red, the Saints will have their supporters. San Francisco resident and New Orleans native  Mick Behre (Metairie Park Country Day, Class of  ’75) may possibly be leading a delegation of Black & Gold at the Voodoo Lounge.  Ah yes, Marie Laveau may be in the vicinity too.

On the heels of Drew Brees’ passing records, the Saints concluded the regular season scoring more points and totaling more yards than Kurt Warner’s Rams, “The Greatest Show On Turf”,  from about a decade ago.  Which makes New Orleans having had the most prolific offense, statistically speaking,  in league history. Ever. The Saints? Who’da ever thought ‘dat would happen?

Though impressive on a resume, the post season could care less about statistical records. In fact, graveyards are filled with record breakers, such as those Rams getting upset by the Patriots in the Super Bowl, and New England losing to the Giants to spoil their unbeaten season in ’07. Nevertheless, we’ll take it.   

This is setting up to be a grueling playoff tournament for the Saints. Ideally it will go four rounds, and it starts Saturday night at home against Detroit, who lost here 31-17 on December 1.  In that game, the Lions helped beat themselves with stupid penalties that indicated lack of control, or discipline, as the media likes to call it.

The Lions are an ascending team, and have improved each of the 4 seasons that Jim Schwartz has taken over as head coach, going 10-6 this season.  They were built with a typical modern pro template, a young quarterback, a star receiver (nicknamed Megatron), and high draft picks for the defense.

Like the last 8 opponents thoughout the Saints’ winning streak, Detroit will do things against New Orleans,  particularly early in the game. The Saints’ trend has been to trade scores with opponents, like they did against Carolina last week, until about the middle of the 2nd quarter or halftime, and then pull away. They have simply had more high grade fuel in the tank than their opponents as the games have wore on, and when getting scored on, the Saints have not lost significant momentum, which is unique. Indeed, in the first half at least,  Saints games remind one of Sly Stallone and Clubber Lang stagingly trading punches in Rocky.  But we know who is going to win.

Though it lacks getting the turnovers like the ’09 bunch, their defense tends to play better in the second half.  The most points they have given up in the last half of the season is 24, and many of those have been meaningless late scores.  It’ll will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the finality of a single elimination contest.

A surprise from the ’09 team in the post season was them discovering a pass rush from their front four, it having been negligible that year. The Saints abused Kurt Warner and Brett Favre in their title run.  The Saints haven’t put much pressure on the quarterback again this year, but non-household names that are candidates to make themselves known in rushing the passer (can’t stand “step up”, such a cliche) with this year’s defense are  ends Junior Gallette (#93), Cameron Jordan (#94), and Turk Mcbride (#90), as well as rookie linebacker Martez Wilson (#95), a rangy type who gets after it.  If these guys get their names called periodically on the loudspeakers this post season, it’s really good news for the Saints. The key for New Orleans’ defense is holding opponents to field goals rather than touchdowns when they are in scoring territory.

Offensively, well, as the stats indicate, the Saints are simply better than the ’09 unit, largely because of the addition of Jimmy Graham, Darren Mighty Mouse Sproles (another record breaker for total all purpose yards in a season, ever!), and Chris Ivory at running back. Drew Brees’ greatest attribute is not his records, but his ability to quickly read coverage and find the open man, whoever ‘dat happens to be.

In 2010 the Saints defended their title well, only to slip on a banana peel out in Seattle in the first round. Because of that experience, the likelihood of the Saints being emotionally flat or looking ahead on Saturday night are remote.  All Systems Geaux.

A worrisome variable is Detroit defensive tackle  Ndamukong Suh. He was suspended the first time these teams played because of dirty play, and has made more headlines for that rather than his talent, which is considerable. If he somehow puts a cheap shot on Brees…..oh, never mind.

The media coddles traditional franchises like the Packers, Steelers, and Patriots in the post season.  NBC TV’s Rodney Harrison broke the ice when he commented the Saints are going to the Super Bowl on Sunday Night Football. Now, Peter King of Sports Illustrated thinks the Saints are headed there too, to play New England. King’s handicapping has been known to be off though; he picked the Saints third or so in their division in ’09, with a 7-9 record or something.

Whatever is said about them, or not, what’s encouraging about these Saints is that not much seems to bother them.  It’s a confident, seasoned outfit.  ‘Dat’s as much a reason to be optimistic about their title chances as anything, despite the long, winding road it will take to travel to get there.

As far as the Saints are concerned, New Orleans always loves firsts. After all, it took 20 years after their inception for the Saints just to have a winning season. So the mood remains festive here after Drew Brees broke the all time passing yardage record set by Dan Marino in 1984.

Though what does the record really mean? Drew Brees deserves accolades that come his way; indeed when he came here, New Orleans hit the Lotto as to the kind of player and person he is.  In his Monday after commentary, Jim Henderson on WWL TV  rightfully noted that this city cares about both.

Brees averaged 339 yards over 15 games to set the record. Glance at weekly passing stats, including  from numerous losing teams piling up trash yards in losing efforts, and you will see most quarterbacks in most games pass for between 250 and 300 yards – on average. A quarterback passing for less that likely is not considered good enough to play in the NFL. Brees is a model of consistency, but the bottom line is this has become an air it out league – by design.

Such was not the case, establishing the run was still paramount, when Marino set his record, which makes his perhaps  having greater impact. Hall of Fame coach Don Shula did an admirable job of adapting his “system” to Marino’s talents, but the coach, oddly, never found a sturdy enough defense to surround him with, and all Marino has on his championship resume is a Super Bowl blowout at the hands of a balanced San Francisco team.

New England’s Tom Brady is only 190 yards behind Brees, and could conceivably catch him when they play the Bills on Sunday, particularly if Brees were to sit in part of what will amount to a meaningless host finale with Carolina.  If Brady does catch him, at least #9 got there first.

But Sean Payton has announced “full speed ahead” for his team for Sunday’s game with the Panthers.  Unlike when they won it all in ’09, the Saints are apparently not looking for a rest by sitting starters before the tournament (unless Payton is using rhetoric, which is possible). It’s unlikely a win Sunday will improve their seeding, as the odds of San Francisco losing to the lowly Rams are infinitesimal. The Rams are a garbage pail of a team, and the players’ cars will be running in the parking lot so they can leave for the off season as soon as possible when the clock mercifully expires on their season.

And Brees can still stay on pace for Johnny Unitas’ record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass (47). Brees is in the low 40′s.

Yet all of the above may provide some circumstantial, trivial distraction from what’s the ultimate in the game, pursuit of a a championship. Nobody knows this better than Sean Payton, and one guesses this is a “good” problem for him to have. But he could have multiple headsets to listen to on Sunday in the Superdome, one for the Panthers, one with Brady’s passing stats, and another with the score of the 49′ers versus Rams.

Passing Records?  Dan Marino may like to trade places with Trent Dilfer, an ugly duckling of a quarterback who led the Ravens to a title at the turn of the millenium.  Dilfer was considered to be so pedestrian in ability, he wasn’t even invited to training camp the following year.  Why head coach Brian Billick went in that direction bordered on coaching arrogance. The Ravens never returned to  the Super Bowl, washing out with somebody named Elvis Grbac. For Marino, a ring would have lasted longer than his record.

In summation,  this record is – momentarily – a mixed blessing.  Lots of sidebars.  Unless it involves Fantasy, most football fans aren’t stat freaks like baseball fans – and general managers – can be. Come February, which would contain more glee, the record, or having beaten San Francisco and Green Bay in their places to get back to the Super Bowl?  Knocking off those two teams consecutively would be a more meaningful accomplishment than 5,000 yards, not only for Brees, but for his team.

Souls Of The Saints wishes everyone a Happy New Year…

Usually at this time of year, many top teams in the NFL are scheming how to schedule in a rest for a stretch drive to the Super Bowl. Not this year, as even the Green Bay Packers have to still play for keeps, for one more week at least, to clinch their top conference seeding, on the heels of a beating in Kansas City. The Chiefs exposed a formula to beat the Packers; namely, do not fall into a deficit early, keep it from becoming a track meet,  and keep running the football down their throats.   The video of this game will be spliced and diced by coaches of opponents of the Pack in January, which may include the Saints.

As the regular season winds down with only two weeks remaining, the stage is set for blanket finishes  for a few division titles and numerous hopefuls clamoring for a few wild card slots.   The NFL designed its league for parity and democracy, and they have gotten it.  Because of the late energy surge being required, it will be interesting to see how it affects teams in the post season.  This season has become extra long for all concerned.

Things have been going well for New Orleans, as they have now won 6 in a row, not having lost since  since losing in St. Louis, in a bizarre episode of As The World Turns.  Over the past several weeks, they helped the Lions beat themselves here, and notably, survived a wild and woolly finish in Tennessee. In that contest, Titan  quarterback Jake Locker showed he has enormous potential,  having a rifle of an arm and accurate with the football,  being surprisingly quick on his feet for his size, and has the right Basic Instincts.  He may prove to be the best of his rookie class, which includes Cam Newton and  Andy Dalton.  The Titans fumbled since by not starting him over the flimsy Matt Hasselbeck. Why are head coaches sometimes the last ones to see the obvious?  Meanwhile, Drew Brees is flirting with all time passing records with the likes of icons such as Unitas, Marino, and Favre.

The Saints’ feet needs to stay on the accelerator when Atlanta’s Dirty Birds come to town Monday night. They will be all out to win and hold onto their currently 3rd seeding, hopes for a 2nd dashed when Pittsburgh’s gimpy Ben Roethlisberger stupidly kept throwing interceptions into multiple coverage out in San Francisco on Monday night. Perhaps the momentary power outages during the game hindered his vision.

The Saints’ hopes for a 2nd seed, and an all important rest before the playoffs, ironically hinge, besides themselves, on the Seattle Seahawks, who ignobly ended their run for a Super Bowl repeat in January, as Seattle hosts the 49ers this weekend.  Like sundry pretenders though, the Seahawks can claim they are “hot” right now, primarily relying on the running of Marshawn Lynch, and their perceived  ”12th Man” home field advantage, them being the only pro team to claim such.  Anywhere however, Lynch will find San Francisco difficult to run on though, as the 49ers have now proven they have one of the steeliest defenses in the league. Indeed, in the post season, the 49ers may prove to be the worst possible match up for Green Bay or New Orleans.

Yet what’s at stake will  not provide any extra gris gris  for  when the Saints and Falcons play.  These clashes are historically kinky, with close, aggravating finishes. Often the best team that day does not win, and the refs have a major say in the outcome with shaky calls – without rhyme or reason – on both sides.  Fans in the stands should be prepared to duck when bare boned chicken wings come  flying.  And if the refs stink it up Monday night (they have been abysmally inconsistent more often this year in general, it seems), they will need NOPD escorts to safely exit the stadium.

When the Saints nipped the Falcons in Atlanta about a month ago, it was surprising how much  Jabari Greer et al  blanketed dangerous Falcon wide receiver Julio Jones, who had come off minor injuries. He has been on fire since, and minimizing his damage will be critical if the Saints are to win. But the Falcons present all kinds of problems for the Saints, including a bulldog of a running back, Michael Turner, and tight end Tony Gonzalez, who basically is a prototype of what Saint Jimmy Graham has become.  Their quarterback, Matty Ice  Ryan is never spectacular,  but is often a good manager who gets more effective as the game wears on, much like his team.  In November, in overtime, the Falconies  went for it on 4th and inches and failed, which led to the Saints win. It was a decision their head coach made that was blasted in the media afterwards, but most significantly in these parts, it was about the first time all year the Saints’ defense showed some teeth,  and fortunately, more of their soft gums have been covered up ever since.

Saints vs Falcons?  Don’t plan on anything, and expect a little of everything.  Be aware of heart palpitations, as a preventive.  Hopefully, New Orleans will end up on the right side, and can rest starters the final week if their seeding is set. A cloudy forecast is that the Saints may have to face Hotlanta again in the playoffs, and a three game winning streak is highly unlikely with these teams.  That is a dilemma for another day. But they are going to need rest at some point if they are to keep playing until the final whistle blows right before Mardi Gras.

Souls Of The Saints wishes you and yours a sincere Feliz Navidad, courtesy of Jose Feliciano on Youtube;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMtuVP8Mj4o

After Sunday night’s 49-24 drubbing of New York on Monday Night Football, two things are obvious. One, the Saints are on fire on offense. Secondly, the Giants do not match up well with the Saints.  The Giants are a respectable team that tries to lull their opponents to sleep, wait for them to make mistakes, and take advantage. The Saints were not sleepy, they were electric, and were a tempo mismatch for their guests, with the result similar to when they had previously played with some stakes on the line in the title season of 2009.  Which was all good  déjà vu  for New Orleans. 

Giant coach Tom Coughlin stood helplessly on the sidelines with his hands on his side, looking as if he were a teacher who could not get the attention of his class. If he doesn’t get it by the end of what remains of a difficult schedule, this season may be his last in New York.   

Everyone Knows It’s Slinky… The Saints had almost 600 yards of total offense, represented with 49 points. The Giants had almost 500 yards themselves, the discrepancy not representative of a 25 point smother. Also, Eli Manning had completed twenty something consecutive passes and was on the verge of an NFL record, hardly the profile of a quarterback under duress. What gives? The game was a stat and Fantasy freak’s feeding frenzy. 

Soul Brothers  Detroit returns this week to New Orleans for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, for the first time since ‘09, when they provided the fodder for an opening day romp by the Black & Gold. Like New Orleans, the Lions, to their fans, represent a team to pull for with the imagery of much that is wrong with urban decay, patience for the easing of intransigence, resilience, and a cause better than self, all somewhat known as faith here. But this year’s model delivered fromDetroit may not be as user friendly.   

The young, rebuilt Lions got hot at the end of last season and won five in a row to open this one, only to go into something of a tailspin, and are a 7 – 4, second tier team. They blew out the Tebow Miracle phenomenon in Denver in Week 8, 45-10 (Tebow’s only loss as a starter to date), and all 4 of their losses were to NFC playoff contenders, most recently not being able to slice Green Bay’s turkeys on Thanksgiving. But Deee-troit is a capable group, and the Lions remain a playoff contender, though their developing quarterback, Matthew Stafford, seems married to nagging injuries.    

Vernacular  On Sunday night’s ESPN  telecast, snippets of Drew Brees and Sean Payton in a meeting room going over the game plan for the Giants provided viewers with NFL style street slang. We heard plays to be called with something like “X 88 Y 92 Slant Z Go, Weak Cross, Right Fade, Pumpernickel…”. Brees added some commentary in English, such as Coach, I really like this from the right hash. Payton would nod in approval to his engineer, both looking as if they weren’t enough room in the Christmas stockings to put all they wanted in them.   

But Detroit’s huddle should be much plainer. Calvin Johnson is an elite receiver who towers over, runs through and away from opponents. One highlight had him snagging a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone with three professional defensive backs rolling off him like little children falling off Santa’s knee. His contribution to their offense is similar to the crème de la crème that tight end Jimmy Graham provides to the Saints. Matthew Stafford’s directive in the huddle can often be OK line, block, the rest of you find something to do, and stay the hell out the way, I’m throwing it to Calvin. On two…ready?

A Boy Named Suh  Their talented defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was suspended for stomping on the arm of a stricken Packer after a play was over, not his first such personal foul, in a bad reality TV version of Championship Wrestling. You hear these pro players in interviews say how they look forward to showing highlights of their careers to their kids and grandkids; what will he have to say about these? Sadly, it looked like he was struck by uncontrollable offshoot symptoms of performance enhancing drugs, or had a case of ‘roid rage.  Since the explosion of the game’s popularity in the 1960’s, pro football fans (and players) have always been attracted to the controlled violence of the game, but not Suh’s variety.

Speaking Of Which…Saint Isa Abdul-Quddus, a rookie from Fordham, unleashed a vicious but clean hit on a Giant receiver coming over the middle, for which he was penalized. There was no helmet to helmet contact violation. The receiver, thankfully, was not hurt and was walked off the field. But the point is, the refs in this league need to get it right and not penalize a player or team for playing the game at a textbook level. Since the league has tried to increase player safety, the refs have been too quick to pull the trigger in applying rules. League fines add to the relative injustice. Take the football instincts away from a football player and what you have left is a glorified version of Smurfball. In essence, this is why former all star defensive tackle Warren Sapp remarked recently that the league has gotten “sissified”.

Who Was ‘Dat?   Early in the game Monday, linebacker Will Herring, a free agent acquisition fromSeattle, made the best play by a Saint at that position – perhaps in this millennium. He tracked a receiver down the field, covered, anticipated, and turned around to play the ball perfectly to intercept Eli Manning when the Giants were in scoring position.  The game never got as close.

This Saints’ defense has its idiosyncrasies, but if unknown quantities with last names like Abdul-Quddus (can we call him “Que”?) and Herring continue to pitch in, it is only a matter of time before New Orleans challenges Green Bay for supremacy in the NFC. And offensively, no other team in the conference is as capable of doing so.      

Souls Of The Saints hopes everybody had a nice Thanksgiving, and a Happy Holiday season….    

I glanced out of the office window on a drab November morning, only to see a sleek, white stretch limo pull up onto the street curb. Glittery, miniscule lights shaped like stars lined the passenger windows. After a pause, I saw the chauffer walk around, open the door, and out skirted a man with a dark robe and a beige dunce’s cap. But this was no dummy. As he meandered his way towards the office door, to avoid tripping, he lifted the bottom of his robe over his patent worn leather sandals. Distracted by the unexpected imagery, only then did it fully hit me: Nostradamus was paying us a visit!  

While sauntering in, he tilted his head below the door to avoid clipping his hat. His hand felt as weathered as an art canvas as I shook it. His eyes were beady and piercing, but non-threatening. I waved at the chair opposite the office desk as he settled himself in it, the air within his robe deflating like the sifting sound of truck tires at a service station. His long, gray beard reminded me of Spanish moss as he smiled slightly back at me.

 “Greetings lad! Long time no see. Have an afternoon layover at New Orleans International and thought I’d hop on over to see you, to touch base about your Saints…..”

“Glad you did! Where you headed?”

 Silence.  I need to remember to never ask Nostradamus where he is going, or where he has been.

 Coffee? There’s a fresh pot…..

 Nah, gave up the stuff. Even decaf. Some say it’s bad for your heart. Got any prune juice?

 Um, no, but there’s a store down the street….your driver could….

 Water’s fine.

 OK, not too much time, so I’ll get right to it…..

 First of all, I think you people are nuts to be Saints fans. I’ve been watchin’ them on TV the past month. You never know which team is gonna’ show up. And these needlessly close finishes! Do portable heart monitors come with season tickets?

 You beat the Colts, setting records, 62-7, and the faces of their owner in the press box, the head coach, Jim Caldwell, Peyton Manning in civvies, and Reggie Wayne, all look on as forlorn as any I have ever seen on human beings at a football game. It looked like they were state officials, dutifully sitting in behind windows to witness a capital punishment about to take place. You humiliated a proud franchise. How do you think fans in Indy felt watching that, the memories of the Super Bowl 44 still fresh in their minds?

It didn’t look like the Saints were running up the score, though Brees should have been pulled earlier. Peyton and the Colts tore up the Saints here, in the ensuing season opener in prime time, after the magical title run in ’06. Nobody felt sorry for us then, so to speak.   

Then, the next week, you go to pitiful, winless St. Louis to play the Rams, and you are there only in uniform. The Rams had led over their opponents for only six minutes ALL SEASON, and they never trailed against you. Your team looked like the post Katrina Saints of ’05, sleepwalking in an abyss. It was so bad, I am surprised rumors of a fix being in did not surface. Glaringly, it looked like there were serious problems in your locker room that nobody in the media had a clue about. You had an offensive lineman fighting with his position coach on the sidelines. The risk at that point was implosion. Your team shrink had to have a case overload in his appointment book. You had potential material for a new book on your hands, A Tale Of Two Weeks, Penthouse To Outhouse…..

It was a head scratcher for sure, and that following Monday was a redo of S.O.S. blues from the past. But the Saints have always mesmerized us like this, and we are kind of conditioned for it, those of us old enough to remember. Regarding the locker room, there was buzz that Drew Brees’ agent lives in St. Louis, had met with Saints’ brass that weekend, but that no new long term contract got done, and that this was a distraction for #9…and not helping team morale, since he had been so prominently player supportive during the lockout.    

Yes, what’s up with that? The guy’s not going to go hungry, but that isn’t the point. Brady got redone after a year off to injury, as did Peyton Manning, bad neck and all. What do the Saints want Brees to do for an encore, fly to the moon and back? The front office is pushing the envelope with this.      

He is at the age where stuff happens, a big liability for the remainder of your season, so keep knocking on wood. Backup Chase Daniel seems like a good kid, well versed in Sean Payton’s system, but is woefully untested. Tossing a few TD passes on Friday nights in August has zilch to do with needing a long drive in the last two minutes to win in December.

Agreed. Over the past few years, there have been several instances where Daniel could have gotten more playing time in a regular season game, even if the outcome was already decided.   

Anyway, your last two outings over Tampa Bay and Atlanta were workmanlike, professional efforts, and critical wins, though you almost gave it up with a lackadaisical last five minutes against the Falcons, making it closer than it should have been. Though the Atlanta coach made a bad decision to go for it on 4^th and inches in overtime, somebody had to penetrate their offensive line and stuff fullback Michael Turner, who is a load.  

After two division wins, your season has been saved from mediocrity. At 7-3, you are still a top third tier team, poised for a stretch run, and the timing for a bye and rest this week is quite good.

I could see Nostradamus eyeing his limo through the window on the street, the hazard lights flashing. I felt inclined to ask the question of what would become of the Eleven Saints, but he pre-empted me.

Your Saints will go as far as an improving defense will allow them to. In the past two games, I noticed you made crucial stops on the ground on 4^th and short, found some teeth in the unit. This looked impossible earlier in the season. Cornerback Jabari Greer was outstanding in blanketing Falcon wide receivers on Sunday. And Roman Harper wreaked havoc around the line of scrimmage. You miss the productivity of a healthy Vilma at linebacker, but Dunbar can have an impact. And maybe all your new defensive linemen will jell better. Get the rookie end Cameron Jordan out there more! But these defensive lapses that result in vacuous ground and big plays have to be minimized. Lack of turnovers get the ink in your papers but the kety to your defense is playing good in the red zone, like you did on Sunday. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams may be too blitz happy considering your defense is not particularly fast.   

On offense, expect opponents to pay more attention to the budding superstar Jimmy Graham, but that should open up more for secondary wideouts like Lance Moore and Devery Henderson. You need to get Chris Ivory back at 100% physically, and work him into the fold in a major way, though I like what I see of the rookie Ingram, he having upside to do more damage inside. Darren Sproles has been a plum of an addition, without whom you’d already be an also-ran. Your offense does have lots of choices, and in the press box or not, the head coach continues to do an admirable job in managing them.  

We like Coach Payton. And like seeing him gesturing with his crutch on the sidelines, as in ‘first down Saints’.

Your schedule is favorable, having the two most important of the six remaining games, against the Giants and Falcons, at home. The Lions are fading, but your team’s slippery psyche seems vulnerable to drifting on the road against a team like the Titans. But you should finish no worse than 11-5, which should be good enough to win the division, though not as a 2^nd conference seed behind the Packers, as San Francisco may have already stolen that. You will need three wins to get to the Super Bowl, one at home, and maybe, just maybe, a hot wildcard such as a Dallas might upset the Pack after a week off, but don’t bank on it. If you make it to Green Bay for the NFC title though, and it’s cold and frozen in January, Coach Payton needs to remember to practice his team outside the week before, not inside, as was the case when the Saints went to Chicago and lost in ’06, when it showed they were not as primed for the conditions. And pray that the Packers, like the ’07 Patriots, will have peaked in mid-season. You have shown that you can hang with them though, and their defense can be scored on.  

As he pressed the arms of the chair in getting up to leave, I had to pose the question:  Are the Saints going back to the Super Bowl?    

I have a reputation of predicting the future, but what I really do is crystallize the possibilities. I wouldn’t have wasted the gas to come see you if I did not think the Saints were not a top contender to make it back to the big dance. The Saints have a veteran team with many players in their prime, the core of them having done this before. You would be wise to keep the faith. The Saints just have to keep their heads screwed on right and play for 60 minutes; when they don’t, they become their most formidable enemy.

With that, Nostradamus nodded goodbye and scurried out the door. As the tail of his black robe fluttered out, I noticed a myriad of haphazardly stitched gold sequins on it. One was of a fleur de lis.   

The book A Tale Of Two Seasons, Katrina & A Super Bowl, was accepted by the curators of the Saints Hall Of Fame as an exhibit in the Superdome. At this year’s Saints Alumni Gala, orchestrated by Ken Trahan, it was fun meeting up with former Who ‘Dats like Vaughn Johnson, John Fourcade, and Rickey “City Champ” Jackson, as well as the Saintsations. The sundry restaurants that catered the event did quite well for the attendees.

Kudo Cajuns  Metairie Park Country Day’s girls’ varsity volleyball team just won its third straight state championship, and the boys’ varsity football team concluded another successful season by participating in the state playoffs.  

Coach Sean Payton would have taken 15 yards from the refs for the late push that sent  tight end Jimmy Graham rolling onto his knee on the sidelines early in Tampa Bay last Sunday, tearing it up in the process, and reducing him to a pent up stance at the far end of the bench for the remainder of the half.  Payton, though in pain, did not miss a beat in handling his duties, yet the sight of him sitting there looking out onto the field beyond a cleared out sideline was a bit bizarre, foretelling a spooky afternoon for the Saints. You had to like it, though, when Coach pumped his arms in celebration while prone on the bench, after a touchdown catch by Marques Colston.  In the second half, when Payton had to remain in the locker room and watch the game on television,  assistant Joe Vitt assumed the head coach position, mildly reminiscent of the awkwardness when Alexander Haig once told the White House press corps, after an assassination attempt on President Reagan,  As of now, I am in control here….

Drew Brees and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael handled the offensive play calling smoothly, though the 4th and 2 call at under 4 minutes to play was every bit as loathsome to the eyes as a couple of similar situation calls in the opening loss against the Packers. The Saints Eleven have struck out on 4th down thus far this year. Former Saint running back Fred McAfee, somehow at the game in some capacity, shuttled notes in the second half back and forth from Payton in the locker room to coaches on the sidelines, earning this page’s Who ‘Dat Of  The Week award.

It would have been preferable to connote the award to somebody on the current roster, especially on defense. A cadre of no name, mediocre receivers from the Bucs roamed through the Saints’ secondary all day, as if taking candy from a a baby. ‘Dis was pitiful, embarrassing even.  And nobody hardly got within breathing distance of Tampa quarterback Josh Freeman, to decipher if he might need some Lavoris.  Toss in a 109 yard rushing day by a Tampa veteran back who hadn’t done as much since 2008, and the Bucs’ offense, which had scored 3 points the previous week, in losing by 45 to the 49′ers, suddenly looked like a well oiled machine.  If someone could bottle the antidotes that the Saints have historically provided to opposing players and teams in desperate need of a remedy, they’d make a fortune. Overheard in a coffee shop somehwere in South Louisiana: Yeah, the Saints got their asses kicked, even ‘da coach got knocked out….

What’s with this defense, anyway? On paper it obviously looks a lot better than when the whistle blows. Sure, the Saints committed 4 turnovers (more than LSU has all season), but ‘dat’s no excuse for the defensive backfield resembling green space in an open pasture, or near the end of the game, needing to get the ball back to Brees to have a shot to win it, they allow up-the-gut runs for 10 yards a pop, as if cleared out by a Mack 18 wheeler rolling along over speed limit.  It’s not like the players don’t know they are not getting opposing offenses off the field when they really need to  either, as several after the game commented and lamented as much.  And speaking of turnovers, namely the Saints inability to get any, (they rank 30th in the league in the turnover ratio category), if there were a stat for dropped interceptions, the Saints would lead it.

Hopefully as the season rolls along, coordinator Gregg Williams will find some answers (or perhaps a player or two before the pending league trade line), or this could be a long one, keeping a good team mired in mediocrity.  The Saints are currently a two loss team, one of nine in the league, no better or worse.  They blew a golden opportunity in Tampa to open daylight in their division, which is now a dogfight, and has them in second place. Most disturbingly, though the team has it’s share of resilience, it seems to play up and down to the competition, and lacks a good old fashioned killer instinct, inviting close games. Guys, put some bums to sleep early, so you can get some extra rest!  Hopefully, the national pundits won’t start referring to New Orleans’ team as The Big Teasy.

The defensive personnel?  Up front, the acquistion of Shaun Rogers at tackle as a reconstruction project yielded all kinds of media positives in the pre-season, yet here it is October and the big guy has hardly had his name announced over the loudspeaker (the media that covers the NFL is perpetually guilty of over-hyping new acquistions by teams in the pre-season, for an extreme example, see the Philadelphia Eagles). Rookie Cameron Jordan appears to have ability at end, but a step behind at this early stage. At linebacker,  Jonathan Vilma has been nicked up thus far and is beginning to show signs of some age. Jo Lonn Dunbar is lightning in a bottle material attitude wise and physically, but is still green.  Scott Shale appears adequate, if the objective of the position is to occupy space and make a tackle every now and then. Jabari Greer is as solid as and NFL corner can get, but the Saints seem undecided about who is best on the other side, young Pat Robinson (woefully left unassisted early in Green Bay), or Tracey Porter, who carries nagging injuries in his briefcase. Malcolm Jenkins is having an All Pro season at safety, but why the front office gave a gargantuan contract to Roman Harper is a real head scratcher, unless thay have plans to have him gain 25 lbs. and stay up close at outside linebacker, as he is often quite vulnerable over the top. Perhaps, as a group, the personnel is fine actually,  and Coach Williams’ schemes are questionable relative to optimizing the individual physical talents of his players. Souls Of The Saints cringed when it saw the defense playing more zone than man to man coverage when Cam Newton converted a touchdown pass from the 5 yard line on 3rd down in Carolina, when Tracy Porter was standing right there, when all he had to do was cover the damn guy. It’s not a fast defense, but it doesn’t have to be to be effective. We’re pulling for ‘ya to get it figured out, Coach…hopefully while standing up…   

Nobody is sadder about Peyton Manning being gone for the year more than the execs on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, who otherwise had a Super Bowl Redux to tout in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this weekend.  Somehow, that name isn’t fluid, as none of these corporate stadium cash-ins are.   What about Benzdome? Or SuperMerc?

The Colts are one of three winless teams in the league, and are the greatest symbol that football, NFL style, has officially evolved into Quarterback Central.  In relief against the Steelers several weeks ago,  when young  Curtis Painter came in for 39 year old retread Kerry Collins, predictably,  passes started falling several yards on the ground in front of Colt receivers, though he made enough plays to keep it close. The Colts have been close in several of their encounters thus far, despite the kill-all-hope handicap under center.

We have learned, the hard way, to not underestimate any down-and-out player or team when it comes to forecasting the Saints!  New Orleans is a 14 point favorite, which seems risky given that the opposition gets paid to play, too. But the Saints should be up for the game, if only because it is on national TV.  As will the Colts…and it’s a treat Saints fans will not have to see the rankest looking uniforms in the league of Jacksonville, Carolina, and Tampa Bay like they have in consecutive weeks.

It will be bad news if the home team needs an onsides kick to pull this one out, like a most memorable one in Miami recalled in the link below (yet it would have all been for naught had the Saints not converted it into 7 points).  Some doubloon ‘dat ball was!  In fact, what is already missed in viewing this play is Sean Payton, coaching from an upright position.

The Onsides Kick, Youtube Video, 1 min. 34 sec.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUM0m2q2gN4

Domino’s Or Papa John’s?   In the second quarter on Sunday, Carolina rookie QB Cam Newton ran a basic  option  to his left side, of the vanilla variety he used to help Auburn win a BCS title last year. DeAngelo Williams received the pitch , broke a few tackles downfield, and was gone for 69 yards and a touchdown. The near side of the field where the running back romped looked vacant enough for the construction of a moderate sized single family residence, replete with driveway and a front yard.  Was the defense magnetized to the Saints’ far sideline,  where boxes of pizza were opened ? ‘Dat Was terrible! What The Hell Was Goin’ On Out There?

Culture Shock   In the not too distant past, when the Saints had possession with a dwindling clock, behind and needing a touchdown to win, most fans hoped they could somehow pull off just what it took to do it. These days, they expect that if Drew Brees has the ball in his hands and there is some semblance of time remaining,  it will happen, or at least a venerable bid will be made for it.  More faith, perhaps?  Nope. Just the realization that the Saints have a stellar quarterback who fits this team and city like a glove, and a pretty good football team to boot. Let’s don’t ever take ’dis for granted……while we have it.

Much ado “classless, etc.” was made about former Saint Jeremy Shockey slipping the finger(s) to the Saints sideline in competitive defeat. In post game comments, Drew Brees and Sean Payton had smiles on their faces about the innocuous relevance of this, knowing that this mental bristle is largely what made him The Shock as a player.  Souls Of The Saints only wondered if he was wearing his Super Bowl ring on the fingers he was using.

Head Cases?   The Saints head to Tampa to play another division foe, the Bucs, who were annihilated  48-3  up in San Francisco on Sunday. That was not a typo.  48-3  (and no, Bill Walsh, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice had not risen from the dead). Raheem Morris may be facing the biggest challenge in his young  head coaching career in his preparations this week. What does he say to his team after a waxing like that? Better execution fellas’, we need just a few more plays here and there… Or, when we drafted you, I never imagined you were pigs that could roll over like that…..Or, say, did anyone else have a bad reaction to the food on the plane, or was it just me? Morris would be wise to keep his team out of the film room for review, lest his team has not yet seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  

Regardless, it all plays to benefit the Saints this week, who about this time last year, pummeled the Bucs in Tampa, when Chris Ivory ran wild, presenting a mismatch in the interior lines that you rarely see at the pro level. The Stones Of The Saints offensive line did not have to sing to mow over the Bucs, merely whistle. In Tampa,  the wishful thinking that last year, or last week, was a fluke, is a myth. The Saints may not have all the cards in this matchup that they did last season, but this game is in their hands to deal, especially now. Get on with it Boys…..there is no reason you should be content with another close game. Shoot for a rest by the end of the third. If you do, you may get it….

                                *************************

The passing of Oakland Raider impresario Al Davis generated a slew of memories and impressions.

Wise Guy  Davis was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1929, the year of The Great Crash. Perhaps as a youngster on the playgrounds, Davis did not have much athletic ability, but had the propensity to get other kids to listen to him and get them to do whatever it took to win.  

Later in life, the silver and black polyester, rayon, or silk athletic suit numbers he wore somehow did not intimate he was headed to the gym to work out.

Till Death Do Us Part  Reportedly, Davis  negotiated and obtained complete control and ownership of the Raiders with his majority partner while he lay on his deathbed, in terms not so favorable to the pending deceased’s estate.

In his book Home Team,  Sean Payton recalls that after the hours and hours and days and days he spent interviewing with Davis for the Raider head coaching position before taking that of the Saints, he thought he had the job but still somehow never really knew where he stood, reminiscent of some episodes of The Sopranos, when Tony talked in ….generalities.

Legacy   Davis loved to have his offenses go deep, stereotyped by The Mad Bomber, quarterback Darryl Lamonica and small, fleet wide receivers such as Warren Wells and Cliff Branch. But his stamp on the game was emphasizing up close, in your face, bump and run cornerback play on defense, epitomized by guys like the great Willie Brown and Lester “Stick ‘Em” Hayes (before the green goo on his arms became illegal).  Ironically, in the season of Davis’ passing, one of the best current cover corners that the league has seen in years,  Nnamdi Ashomugha, departed Oakland for Philadelphia. Somehow, one thinks if Davis had his faculties intact, he would not have allowed that to happen.   

Not A Good Instant Replay   In the 1970′s, rival Pittsburgh head coach Chuck Noll referred to Davis’ defensive backfield as a “criminal element” in the NFL. Players like Jack Tatum and George Atkinson had notoriously dirty reputations, and none of it was allayed when Tatum paralyzed Patriot receiver Darryl Stingley from the neck down for life (Stingley died in his 50′s) in a vicious hit, on a crossing route over the middle, in a pre-season game.  Though on tape, the play looked mostly like, well, tackle football.

Showman  As the Dallas Cowboys reaped the public relations benefits of other people considering them America’s Team, Davis adroitly cultivated the latter of a a good vs. evil persona for his team, to the extent he could have gotten an Emmy on Broadway.   

Whose Play Call Was It, Anyway?   The rumor was that Davis was so hands on with his teams from the press box, his head coaches had to have two headsets, one to use for his team, and the other to listen to Al’s meddling. Raider head coaches had to become extra dexterous in using of both sides of their brains.  

Commitment To Excellence   To his credit, before there was a salary cap, Davis did not mind spending considerably more than most of his contemporary owners did on talent to win. Plenty of mediocre franchises were much more interested in fattening profits than tallying up victories. In earlier years, he  struck gold with the acquisition of disgruntled or washed up players like Mad Stork Ted Hendricks from the Colts,  Lyle Alzado from the Broncos, and especially, Jim Plunkett from the Patriots. Plunkett had a been a top draft choice at quarterback, but was considered a bust and over the years seemed one step from the streets. Suddenly, it seemed, he was a Super Bowl winning quarterback. The nice part of the story? On both ends of the spectrum, Plunkett remained humble.

The Genius  Davis’ assemblage of  “last stop”  players over the years had lots of success in the 70′s and 80′s. In a well written segemnt on NBC’s Sunday’s Night Football, Bob Costas said it was all about him creating an “Us Against The World” mentality with his players, and it was assumed Davis had a keen eye for talent. Yet the reality is that when free agency began in earnest circa 1993, there were far more busts than booms, indicating a crapping out at the tables, and unveiling Davis as more of a Wizard Of Oz.   

Bad Favorite   The Raiders were one of the worst favorites in Super Bowl history in 2003, in which they got blown out by Tampa Bay. That team seemed incongruously un-Raiderlike, with a productive though short pass, rinky dink offense led by veteran quarterback Rich Gannon, opposite a defense that had nothing special.  The only part of that weekend that made sense in Silver & Black imagery was when their starting center disappeared the night before in Tijuana, with mental problems.

Since that time, Davis inevitably had a hard time maintaining his Pride & Poise with his team, as it became one of the league’s worst.  He went through head coaches like candy wrappers, and some could not take any more of his act.  Despite the woeful records, citizens of Raider Nation have continued to be radiant representatives of Halloween year round, though perhaps in need of some counseling.

Trail Blazer  Davis is on record for hiring the first Hispanic and black head coaches, and a woman in a chief executive role in the front office.  Admirably, and wisely, he did not grandstand the sociological implications of these hires in the media, letting them run with that.    

Precedent   He was also the first owner to challenge and defeat the league on antitrust violations, claiming, rightly from a legal perspective, that he had the right to move his team to Los Angeles, or wherever else the heck he wanted. The litigation burned out Commissioner Pete Rozelle, who fought it, thinking unilateral, random franchise movement was not good for the stability of the league. Davis, however, largely thought it was a “conspiracy” to keep him from cashing in on what was assumed to be a most lucrative L.A. market.  After that proved not to be the case, Davis paddled back to Oakland, on his belly.  

If You Can’t beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em  The breed of owners who so vehemently opposed the Raiders moving to L.A. subsequently cashed in big time when moving their own teams; Art Modell to Baltimore, the Irsays to Indianapolis, Georgia Frontiere to St. Louis, and the Bidwills to Arizona.  It is somewhat surprising Davis did not sue for residuals. Thanks, Al…

In Costas’s segment on NBC, there were references to Davis wanting to be respected more than liked, and feared more than respected. Where was the multiple choice test box to check  ”none of the above” about him?

Nevertheless, Davis will be remembered on Souls Of The Saints as a true original, a trait the National Football League, in this day and age, sorely lacks.

Former Washington Redskin Joe Theisman was interviewed  over the summer, in which he remarked, no, that he was not in the school of thought that top draft choice Cam Newton would make a good NFL quarterback. He complimented the rookie’s physical ability but effectively said Newton’s skill set was not best suited for pro ball. Why so soon, Joe?

A quarter of the way through the season, the rookie has looked like a seasoned vet, hitting on about 3 of every 5 throws, averaging about 350 yards through the air a game,  and not throwing more touchdowns than interceptions. He is also finding his way into end zones with his feet, scoring two TD’s against the Bears last week.  Hall of Famer Dan Marino had a fabulous rookie season down in Miami way back circa  1984, and Newton is trying his best to keep pace with it.

The pizzaz he brought to Auburn in wining a BCS title last season is much needed in Charlotte, who, like Jacksonville, has attendance and support issues. Carolina is a floundering franchise, and are banking on Newton to restore it. They are 1-3 thus far, and have played some teams close, though it took a half for Green Bay to realize they were in a game, after which they breezed on by the Panthers. Former NFL linebacker and San Diego defensive coordinator Ron Rivera is a work in progress as a first time head coach.

Newton’s main asset as an NFL quarterback may not be his considerable athleticism, but his height. At 6′ 5″, he sees a shorter mountain ridge collapsing around him while standing in the pocket, making his reads of the defenses and progressions to different receivers more logical. He throws a relatively high arc, soft pass, the kind that receivers love, not only because these are easy on the hands, but make them feel they have lots of time to make last second adjustments to catch it. Newton is also bringing some shine to the twilight of the careers of perenially top wide receiver Steve Smith, and former Saints fan fave Jeremy Schockey. The Saints are going to be seeing lots of Cam Newton over the coming years, and the damage he can cause will not be a pleasant sight.

The Panthers have a few good runing backs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but like the Saints, and pretty much everybody in the league right now, are giving up lots of yards and points on defense. They make for something of an eyesore as their uniforms are amongst the league’s ugliest, new wave gone astray.

They have been a divisional pain in the tush for the Saints in recent years, tending to be very competitive in the first of two matchups earlier in the year, then New Orleans having to surrender ugly losses while resting players for the post season.

The Saints have their bright lights to click on in Charlotte, naturally, on offense. Jimmy Graham is unfurling to be a rising star at tight end, having all the components of a young Tony Gonzales, and an Antonio Gates.  The Saints may miss some of Jeremy Shockey’s grit but not his receivorship, because of Graham. The sky is the limit for him.  If he learns to love to block? Scratch out All Pro and pencil in All World. After the season, Graham’s agent will likely be the first to knock on GM Mickey Loomis’ door, wanting a fat new contract for his client. Loomis would be wise to welcome him in.

Mark Ingram is appeasing to the eyes because he brings a no nonsense, vertical attitude to the running game.  He could – and should – become the pride of The Stones Of The Saints offensive line, who need to start answering the bell with more authority after becoming the league’s best unit in 2009.

And where would the Saints be without Mighty Mouse, a/k/a, Darren Sproles? Likely at 2-2 rather than 3-1, and having been blown out instead of keeping it close in Green Bay.  His rare, swift fluidity can have defenders groping for air and make them look silly. San Diego’s loss is truly New Orleans’ gain.

The Saints will likely need a 4-2 record or better within the NFC South to win their division. With road games at Atlanta and Tampa Bay on the schedule, superior outfits than Carolina, this game is the first important one of the young season. Numerology says they really need it.

This game has the look of a seesaw affair, with turnovers and penalties maybe playing a large role in the outcome. It will be much more lively than last week’s listless day at the office in Jacksonville, but not likely a work of art. It could get a little kinky.

Rookie quarterbacks do have their bad days. Good seasons do not run in straight lines, and the young ones suddenly and inexplicably forget all that they really haven’t had a chance to learn, but have just been able to feel. Perhaps these odds are the Saints’ secret weapon on Sunday.  If Cam turns the ignition key “on”, it could be real close. If Cam gets it jammed in the dashboard, this could be a route. If this is the case it will be interesting to see if their star receiver, Steve Smith hisses a fit and pouts on the sideline, as he has been prone to do in the past. Visting Saints fans could throw him a pacifier as an early Carnival trinket.