Saintly Things 2000 Archive by Jan L'Hoste

'00 Archive


04.15.00 Offseason Commentary The malignant growth know as a Ditkuharich has been removed. The Saints will make a full recovery. The new regime has taken the bull by the horns and made MAJOR upgrades through free agency. It didn't take Mule long to instill a glimmer of hope and mountain of excitement. Mule addressed the offensive picking up: Blake, Horn, Reed and Glover. The defensive got a shot of youth and talent in the LB core with the signing of Clemmons from the Rams, as well as two DBs whose names escape me for the moment. Hopefully, DE N. Smith will make his decision to finish his career at home. That surely will help a D line lacking any quality depth and still has a big ?? waiting to see if Joe Johnson can come back 100%. Sadly though W.Martin opted to "retire" than take a cut in pay, but I'm hoping Mule told him if wants to finish here (which I believe he does) to wait and see how much money was left after the Mini Draft and further FA signings. He very well may be back. All of the FA additions improved the talent of the team and eased the sting of the Ricky trade a little. Speaking of that lil' brat, what was he thinking?!?! The SI article is very disturbing and says a lot about the type of individual he is. He throws half eaten food on the floor??? What a pig! He doesn't think the line respected him cause they, as a group, didn't rush over to pick him up?? What did he think this article would do to help that....not that his statement even close to accurate. The bottom line of the article....the most disturbing thing??? Ricky doesn't think this team (mainly HIM...OF COURSE) has fan support?!?! The fans didn't support him!?!?! What a self centered prima donna! Are his dreds impairing his eye sight and his hearing. This city and Saints fans across the world took this kid in and treated him like a god! But hey, that is probably the main problem. He has always been treated as a deity. At Texas he was reported to have actually walked on water once. ( I believe it was in order to avoid a bath and hair washing). He has been pampered and babied his entire, very short, life. So when Ditka was done blowing smoke up his and ours, the floor fell out of the season and RW spent the majority of the year doing something he had never done before nor had every had to deal with.....adversity. RW did make one move to show he has begun growing up and maturing, he hired a new agent, Dean somethingoranother. Bottom line is the team WILL perform better this year. We finally have an OC, a GM with a clue and a coach with a plan. I'm pumped!! I'm sitting here listing to the draft waiting for the 33rd freakin' pick! THANKS DITKUHARICH! As it stands now....all things considered (weak schedule, FA pick ups, NEW and IMPROVED TEAM ATTITUDE, the WCO, etc.) I can say with confidence this team should be between 7-9 and 9-7 by Xmas day......maybe even better than that. With the addition of Blake and other assorted offensive weapons, Ricky will have PLENTY of room to run...NO DOUBT!! Hell, who thought the Lambs were going to win the damn Super Bowl at this time last year??? I will update during training camp and make my "impartial" ;) judgement of the Saints' strengths and weaknesses. I may even be going down to training camp to watch them on Saturday, July 22nd...I think. 08.30.00 And away we go!!! Jump to Saints vs Lions Preview Mueller is a maniac! I mean that in the best way possible. I love the fact that he is ALWAYS scouring the wires for a good young player. . someone with potential. Granted they may not amount to an NFL Pro Bowl player but at this stage in the Saints rebuildingthey are the baby steps towards building a sound foundation of talented NFL caliber players. Mueller is like a shark, always on the prowl looking for a morsel to satisfy his and our hunger to win and succeed. Ditkuharich were bottom feeding catfishhardheads at that! It was great to finally get the ball rolling for the 2000 season and training camp was hopefully beneficial to the players' development. I say hopefully because the preseason games gave no real indication that this team has come together. I knowI know it WILL take awhile for the offense to gel but the preseason games were full of dropped balls, they came up short on a number of 3rd and short, and I won't get into the lack of TDs once we get into the redzone. These have NOTHING to do with timing. Let's hope that it was a case of nerves and not an indication of things to come. Let's think it was a case of the coaches holding back on the play calling to see who should start at_______(fill in position here). The Saints were very very vanilla on both sides of the ball during the preseason games and that is fine by me.save it for the real season and catch the opposing teams off guard. Heck, the bottom line is that there was so many warm bodies in camp trying for a roster spot that the game plans were kept very basic, the coaches were more concerned with who was a keeper and who was a camp body than winning a game. I truly believe the Saints will look much better on offense once a real game plan is installed. Both starting lines look good and I think with the addition of Blake, Horn, and Reed.not to mention the overall athleticism of speedy Chad Mortonthe offensive will surprise many! The BIGGEST let down in camp on the offensive side and for the season was the loss of Cam.DAMN that hurt! When will he and the Saints get a breaka little good fortune? Can Cam remain healthy for an entire season??? Unfortunately we will have to wait until 2001 to find out but I believe IF he can he WILL be a ProBowler! The D had its ups and downs. The front seven looked good and they will turn it up a notch for the real thing. Howard will adjust to the NFL speed of things and the line will be a MAJOR force in the NFL! It is going to have to in order to help a secondary perceived as a major weakness. The DBs will be challenged often. It will be amazing what pressure from the line can do to make the secondary look good. There maybe some surprises in the secondary and they just may rise to the challenge. What about that hit by Sammy in the Miami game!! Good to have you back where you belong, Sammy! Go get'em. I love to see a good pop on an unsuspecting WR by a bull rushing safety. Well, I guess I need to narrow my prediction for the year from "6-10 or 10-6time will tell". I honestly believe they will land somewhere in that range..obviously the realist says 6-10 BUT the diehard Olga ( and Bob) Saints' Fan in me says10-6 to the playoffs. So, WTF! It's only a game and my reputation as a football prognosticator isn't on the line, right? So, until they prove me wrong; based on their very weak last place schedule; based on the fact that last year's team was terrible and really should have been 6-10 had some late losseswell you know; and based on the element of surprise (We WILL have some teams looking like Danny Abramowitzyou knowa deer caught in the headlights of an on coming Mac truck): The Saints will go 10-6. Now, on to Week 1! Saints vs Lions Preview The Lions are a little banged up and I truly hope Batch does not play for his sake! The Saints D will be opening a big ole' can of whoop ass on the unsuspecting Lions and Batch may get knock out for the seasonthen where will the cowardly lions be? The league has no idea what the NEW New Orleans Saints O will look like. I CAN NOT WAIT to see Morton AND Rickey in the backfield. Who the heck is the defense going to key on? Ricky?good, hit Morton with a swing pass out of the backfield..Morton?good hit Ricky with a swing pass out of the backfield. I CAN HARDLY CONTAIN MY SELF.. This weekend the Lions will be fed to the Christians. Saints 24 Lions 13! 09.06.00 Saints 10 Lions 14 Recap OUCH! I hate to lose a game like that! The D puts in a class A performance but by the class D performance of the O ...we score only 3 offensive points. Lowlights: The WRs continue to drop catchable balls and are having a hard time getting separation from the DBs. Blake seemed tentative and over threw some balls and/or made the wrong reads. He went to the primary receiver, failing to progress to the next target who was open. This is for the few times he had time to do something. Where were the deep pass routes? In Spite of the missed block in the back on Detroit, the special teams let a man run 95 yards! That should NEVER happen. The offensive line in addition to still being unable to open running lanes consistently, seem to have loss the ability to pass block. Blake was hurried often; however I do realize Detroit has one heck of a D line. TURNOVERS and PENALTIES! Not the BS pass interference on the two point conversion but, lining up in the neutral zone, illegal procedure and HOLDING on a running play....TWICE negating long runs by RW. Mental errors from a team trying to learn, remember and play at the same time....they can fix that. McCarthy's vanilla game plan. The reaction of some fans...what did they expect, miracles??? Some idiots are calling for Haz's head, Mule's resignation, Blake's benching, etc. IT'S ONLY THE FIRST GAME!!! GIVE IT TIME! All of the weaknesses are things that can and hopefully will be corrected over the next several weeks. Highlights: Ummmmm....... Let me see......I know there was some...... Oh yeah, The DBs covered well and defended many passes.....coverage was good. The D line put pressure on Casey and stopped the run as well as anybody could hope. ONLY 187 TOTAL yds allowed! No major injuries. The fan support...the noise was good until the end. Overall a good game but also at the same time very disappointing.....it was a game we could have easily won. 09.07.00 Week 2 Preview Saints @ San Diego As I stated last year, I will never predict a Saints loss. So, get over it! Unrealistic optimist??maybe, but I choose to think of it as an application of the old adage: Any team can beat any other team on any given Sunday. Sunday on the west coast the Saints can come away with a win. SD is a team that has a solid D, like the Saints and Lions, and at best a marginal offense like the Saints. I believe that RW will be able to put up some yards (100+) and score a touch. The Saints however must get the ball to him and Chad on the swing pass. If Blake is able to find the time to hit the secondary receivers , he will throw a TD and open the lanes up for RW. The D will be able to maintain their A+ performance and will pressure Leaf into at least one temper tantrum and a couple of picks. Saints Win!! Saints 20 Chargers 13 09.13.00 Saints 28 Chargers 27 Recap Man oh manwhat a game. How many times have we been there before? "Trying" in vain to drive down and score a TD in the final few minutes to go up. LOTS! I, like most others no doubt, was waiting for the play that would end that drive and kill our hopes, but uncharacteristically, the play to end the drive was a TD! Then it was the D's turn to step up and boy did they ever! Two sacks then a pickthe D is awesome and will continue to get better.can't wait for Clemons to make it back. A few comments on the events that led up to the final drive. We should have never had to do that.if JJ falls on the fumblefor all intent and purposes the game is over. Our turnovers, like last week, kept the opposing team in the game and a the back breaker in both was a SERIOUS breakdown in (not so)special teams. WE HAVE GOT TO STOP ALLOWING RUNBACKS FOR TDs!!!!!!!!!! Blake looked better in the pocket and with his readshe hit the 2nd, 3rd and 4th receiver on a number of occasions. The O line protected him when it counted, but we still have not been able to open holes for RW. In defense of the O lineboth the Lions and Chargers have very good lines so time will tell if this is a major concern or not. I feel if we hit RW or Chad on swing passes more often it would loosen up the backers and possibly open some running lanes between the tackles. The D is #1 in the NFL!!!! Not bad but it's only week 2 and we haven't played any offensive powerhouses. We WILL finish the year in the top three! 09.13.00 Week 3 Preview Saints vs Seahawks Whatayano! The Saints get another victory on the left coast! Seattle is weak at stopping the run and guess whatthat's our bread and butter. Oh it won't be a cake walk but our D will prove toooo much for them and our O will continue to mature. RW's has a chipped bone and had to wear a protective boot vs the Chargers.let's hope this injury is just a small bump in the road for RW this year..I don't want to go through another year like last year. In addition we are thin at the RB position. The grass in San Diego helped but we play the next two (in Seattle and @Home) on artificial turfthat might aggravate the injury. But then comes the bye! The injury didn't "seem" to bother RW last week but time will tell! Let's hope the game is a good one (from OUR perspective) and injury free for all. Key to the victory..pressure Kitna into mistakes (NO PROBLEM!) and stop Ricky Watters! The D will get a score (Weary) as well as RW and Reed.a FG comes off another Kitna interception! Saints 24 Seahawks 3 09.22.00 Saints 10 Seattle 20 Recap What a disappointment! I figured we could sweep the left coast but alas, our D couldn't stop the run. GOTTA STOP THE RUN!!! Of course, the offense deserves some of the credit as well for not being able to sustain a drive when we did get the ball. Don't know if McCarthy is calling plays based on the talent out there or if he hasn't figured out how to make due with the loss of Cam. Seems to me that hitting RW or Chad out of the backfield is going to keep the secondary tentative and thereby opening up the deep routes (Almost had one this week). Time will tell but I, like most others, had a different picture of what our new WCO was going to look likehaven't come close YET. I expect it to develop as the season progresses.starting this week! RW has been doing a solid job and still shows he is a tuff SOBplaying with a nicked foot. My main concern is the increase in East-West running. Seems like he's trying to put moves on the defense like Chad Morton. In last week's game he was in the secondary and came upon two wittle DBs trying to tackle him.... I'm thinking, "Great! He'll bowl over these two pins." What does RW do? Slows to a near stop and tries to put a move on them! Same kinda stuff he seems to be trying more of when he's hitting the line........RW is a power runner and needs to put his shoulder down and bull through these tackles/"holes" in the line. RRR.knock the snot out of those guys! That last desperation drive was a sliver of hope, especially based on the come back win in San Diego, but 10 points was a lot and VERY unlikely. It did make it exciting though.typical nail biting Saints game. I for one didn't even think FG on 4th and 3 until I read it the next day in the paper. You have got to punch it in at that pointwho's to say that we would make it down there after recovering an onsides kicks? I feel two VERY catchable balls were DROPPED by Horn and Wilson with Wilson having an EASY TD if he makes the catch!!! Granted the balls weren't perfectly thrown, but if it hits you in the hands you catch it; otherwise you have no business being on the field. Speaking of being on the field, it was good to see Poole up to his old tricks again (TDs!) and it is just a matter of time before he works his way back where he belongsin the top three WRs! He was in on that last gasp drive but due to TV coverage I couldn't tell if he was open and Blake went with the first read or what. I will be keeping my eye on that kind of stuff this week in the dome. Blake's reads, that is. I also expect to see much more of Poole in there starting this week. Bottom line to the losswe were out coached in the second half , in addition to the big killer: D giving up too much running yardage. 09.22.00 Week 4 Preview Saints vs Eagles Guess what??? Saints WIN!!! The players had a meetingwhy???cause they want to win! The players on most faltering teams call meetings to pump up the team spirit and motivate players.what's so different here?????.the "NEW" New Orleans Saints called their meeting after the THIRD week! They don't accept losing! They are pissed and I LOVE IT!!! The theme for this week?? SNOT! Are we going to lose????? 'SNOT going to happen!! Are they going to go out and knock the snot out of the Eagles Sunday???  YES!!!! Do you think they expect more!?!? YES! Do you think they will get MORE?? .YES! Do they believe in the coaches, the new system and their ability to win some ballgames???. YES!!! Will they run all over the fairly solid Eagle D???.. YES!!!! Will we sweat EVERY kick return by the Eagles???YES!!! I get the feeling the offense is on the verge of something special. Blake's roll out and deep ball ability have got to be utilized. The success of our passing game will open up HUGE holes for RW and Chad. Have we heard that somewhere before? Ricky needs to bull over these guys instead of trying to be a finesse runnerwhich he snot! Knock the snot out of them and make them think about it next time the TRY to tackle you!!! I look for the intermediate to deep balls to open the running lanes. The swing pass to both RW and Chad better be and should be cooking this week. Come on McCarthyopen it up!! The D MUST contain McNabb. He can scramble but I don't expect a problem here. We will confuse him with our zone blitzes and some of the snot on the turf will be his.5 sacks! Weary will get his pick this week for the TD. Sammy??? Well Sammy will be Sammy.look for the ball and there you will find Mr. Knight. Big game from him. Look for an OVERALL BIG game from the D. The O will put things together in front of a near sold out Dome and it will be a rockin'! It is going to be a VERY physical and hard hitting ballgame! Saints move to 2-2 going into the bye. What the heck am I going to do next Sunday?? Family or AoK or study....hmmmmm? Saints 24 Eagles 6 10.08.00 Saints 7 Eagles 21 Recap Saints 7 Eagles 21 Man oh man! I'm sitting here the morning of the bears game hoping for a good performance from Blake. With the bye week and a devastating loss at home to Philly, I've had no motivation to update my page. Suffice it to say that the Philly loss was a team loss...Blake being the leader of that team. He looked horrible! Happy feet, indecision and poor choices. RW with fumblitis and the special teams playing consistently. Consistently BAD, TERRIBLE and over all nauseating ...let's not look back..k? K! 10.08.00 Week 5 Preview Saints vs Bears Saints vs Bears Let me say I feel that the Saints have let some VERY winnable games get away and the next six are also ones we can get! So, let's start today and get a W in the house that Ditkahead built...well actually Sweetness built it, but I'm sure Mr Classless Crotch Grabing, Finger Flipping Ditka would think otherwise....man what a loser that guy is....but I digress. The week off has allowed the team (coaches included) to get their act together. Blake had better start TODAY to exhibit his talents and stop looking like the rest of hand me down QBs that always seem to make a pitt stop in Nawlins. He will come around and setttle into the WCO...man Cam's loss has hurt! RW had better believe that the Chi D will be trying to strip the ball ....So here's some advice #34....."HOLD ON TO THE BALL!!!!!! It's going to be COLD...lick your fingers when you grab the ball, maybe then it won't hit the turf (EzF's excellent suggestion)" RRR Special teams???? Yeah uh huh, sure. With Freddie Mac back, and some added speed from players coming back from injury....let me say this....PLAY WITH PRIDE AND TACKLE! Reminisce about the days as a child when you played the game for fun not the almighty buck. remember "tackle the man with the ball?" JUST DO IT! I am sick and tired of holding my breathe on EVERY return....expecting a run back and praying someone, anyone, can get down there and tackle the man with the ball! Knock the snot outta the SOB! The D?? Bent last week but did not break......Step it up a notch and knock the snot outta those bear cubs! We can and WILL win this game to begin a 6 game win streak! Maybe more ;) Saints O will have a coming out party...RW gets two TDs, Morton runs one back, Blake passes for one! Saints win!!! Saints 31 bears 6 10.12.00 Saints 31 Bears 10 Recap WOOOOHWOOOOOO!!!!! Saints WIN 31 - 10 What a great all around game! The offense scored points, the defense turned in a stellar performance AGAIN!.and the "special" teams didn't all fall down on kick returns! Granted this Well, it seems McCarthy finally put the missing piece into the game plan. In order for Blake to be effective and see over the line..roll him out! He is obviously MUCH more effective on the move than sitting in the pocket. Well, actually it appeared to me that by him rolling and scrambling the opposing D could not stack the line and rush (like others have successfully done) .closing the pocket QUICKLY! In addition to Blake being able to see the field better on the move, the Bears D had to back the LBs off the line in order to watch for him possibly rolling and running. Blake's scrambling opened up the running lanes for RW.not to mention Ricky ran with LOTS of heart and determination. He has seen the light! Horn continues to perform well and son of a gun a TE actually caught a pass..for a TD no less. (Damn the loss of Cam has hurt this year!) Blake remained focused and calm after his initial gift of a TD to Chicago and guided the team for two long drives.GREAT! Keep it up.PLEASE! The D continues to DOMINATE opposing offenses and knock the snot out of anyone who dares to catch on over the middleand the flat for that matterwho was the poor guy who got knocked out by that hit from Weary??? Howard, JJ, Glover, Hand.what can I say.possibly the BEST DL in the NFL. They make the rest of the D that much better. They did NOT allow a TD! AWESOME!!! "Special teams"????? Well, while no TDs were scored, Gowin had TWO tackles.the kicker should NOT be the guy bringing down the returner.COME ON GUYS! Go down there and take some heads off! Now I realize we didn't beat the Rams or Vikings or Ravensbut this was a MUST game that we got in a hostile stadium. The Bears are dinged a little but a win in the NFL is a good oneno matter who the opponent is! Now, let's build on this win.make it the FIRST in a string! The next five games are very winnableall against fair to midland opponents and will be a test to see how "gelled" the Saints have become. I feel that we should take most if not all of the next five..IF the offense can continue to put some points on the board..say an average of 24. 10.12.00 Week 6 Preview Saints vs Panthers Well, well, well.. The panthers are coming to town. BIG game for both teams: both are 2-3 and hoping to move up to .500 and 2nd place behind the scoring champs of the NFL this year. Who will prevail.which version of each team will show up?? This will be a HARD fought game early on but the superior Saints D and the rowdy home crowd will tilt the scales in our favor. I truly hope McCarthy allows Blake to be Blake. McCarthy must continue to call what seemed to work so well last week. I have my fingers and toes crossed that what the offense accomplished last week was a prophetic performance of things to come and NOT a temporary up on the bumpy road to cohesiveness. Ricky will continue to run well and look for Poole to nicely complement Horn on the other side! The D must and WILL continue to knock the snot out of ALL who dare not submit and just punt on 1st down. The "special" teams???? In addition to my fingers and toes.every other crossable appendage is crossed that they will continue an upward swing and finally start tackling.if not it could be BIG TROUBLE! Ricky will gain another +100 yds on the ground (let's say 137yds and a TD) and 69yds and a TD through the air. While Horn will catch his fair share he will draw most of the defense's attention and will allow Poole to gain over 100yds proving why he should have been in there all along. The D will scoop up a JJ (with assist from La' Roi) forced FUMBLE! and Howard scoops it up for his first TD! Come on SaintsWIN ONE FOR THE HOME CROWD .string some wins together (foregone conclusion) and WATCH THE DOME SELL OUT I was pretty close last week  let's see how I do this week! Saints 27 panthers 6 10.18.00 Saints 24 Panthers 6 Recap What an AWESOME game!! The Saints did what they had to do and are now in the early season race for a possible playoff birth at 3-3. I know, I know.too early to talk playoffs, but like I've been saying since the Philly loss.with our schedule and the way we're playing, we could be 7-3 by the time Oakland comes to town..hmmmmmm. The dome was rowdy, noisy and fun place to be! It hasn't rocked like that in a long time! If the Saints can pick up two road wins ( no problem!)the dome will be SOLD OUT for the dismantling of the whiners on November 11th..CAN'T WAIT!!!! Well, it didn't look like it was going to be fun at first; when Blake had two fumbles in the redzone in the first quarter ..EGADS!!!!.points down the drain! Flashback , flashback..RED ALERT.RED ALERT!!!!!!!! He has shown signs of being a very good solid QBbut he MUST not have the errors! We aren't that good to be able to overcome those types of mistakeswell not against a Rams or Denver team.well then again maybe that remains to be seen. ;) The GREAT thing about Blake is he remained calm and overcame the errors with a solid error free game from that point forward. He is coming along just fine in the new system with all the new faces! On Turley's web page (see Players' Pages ), he related a very interesting comment by Blake. Turley relates: "Jeff said the biggest difference that he has to get used to is that he is getting protection. He's not used to that. He used to getting nailed in the pocket and scrambling all the time. He's not used to sitting in the pocket and throwing the football. " RELAX Blake.Roaf's got your back! Man the loss of Cam is stifling our offense.Glover had TWO catches Sundaywoooooowhooooooo!!! Can you imagine what a HEALTHY Cam could do week-in week-out??? I would have liked to have seen McCarthy roll Blake out more and I loved the halfback pass McCarthy calledeveryone and I mean EVERYONE on D had their eyes on Rickyallowing Poole to slip behind the DB for a big gain. If only Poole had been able to pick up some yards after the catch, the play wouldn't have been for naught.Blake fumbled the next play! Ricky looked fantasticAGAIN! He is the complete back! He gained 144 yds on 38 carries, 1 for 1 in pass attempts and 3 catches for 35 yds . What a CRUCIAL catch he made on the sidelinesBlake scrambles on third down, trying desperately to fine someone to throw two for the first and there's Ricky making a GREAT catch! Ricky keeps getting better week after week! He's having fun now and so are the fans. The special teams actually tackled this weekthey have improved immensely since the addition of McAfee, Kelly and a few other speedy headhunting bodies. The special teams had the play that killed the panthers and locked up the game for the rapidly improving Saints. And of course I was chatting to the guy next to me and had to watch it on replay.who knew they would run a fake punt..certainly not the Panthers ;) And last but certainly not leastthe DOMINATING DEFENSE!!!!! Let's see: 8 sacks, 10 yds rushing, 141 TOTAL net yds! We truly have the BEST D in the NFL and by far the best D line. La' Roi Glover with 3 sacks for the second week in a row was named the NFC Player of the Weekfor the second week in a row. Why does he get all these sacks? Well besides his motor revving at 4000rmps continuously, we've got BIG Mr Hand in the middle and bookends JJ and Howard (Rookie Defensive Player of the Year?). The LBs have turned their game up a notch , Mitchell most notably and the DBs are there when they need to be! This a very smart group of guys, having fun and kickin' ass! Bring on the Falcons!!!!! 10.18.00 Week 7 Preview Saints vs the hated Falcons This is going to be fun! The string of consecutive losses to the Falcons ends this Sunday!!! The Atlanta curse will be broken.MARK MY WORDS!!! The Falcons have played the Rams close (early) both times but let's face itthe Rams have a bad D! The Saints on the other hand have the number 1 D! heheheheheheh.ooops sorryI'll try to contain myself. The Falcons just plain suck all around and the Saints have been playing SOLID football on both sides of the ball. (Check out the stats! ) The Falcons can not run the ball so they will be forced to try and throw it.have you every seen Chandler get rattled??? YesI thought solook for it to be very long and painful day for him. See Ricky runRUN Ricky RUN see Blake rollROLL Blake ROLLsee Horn catchCATCH Joe CATCH!!! heheheheheheh.ooops sorryI'll try to contain myself. watch La' Roi sack...SACK La' Roi SACKwatch Sammy hitHIT Sammy HIT..watch Weary pickPICK Weary PICK!!! Barring any MAJOR mishaps (special teams breakdowns or turnovers), the Saints will win this one easily. Of course we still will be chided in the "Power Rankings" because of the caliber of teams we have played thus far. That's ok..sssshhhhhhhhhlet's keep the Saints a secret as long as possible. Time will telllet's take it : One Game @ A Time! Ricky will get close to 200yds on the ground and the D will rack up 6 more sacks. Look for a defensive scoreI PROMISE this time! SAINTS WIN!!!!!! heheheheheheh. Saints 30 Falcons 3 10.29.00 Saints 21 Falcons 19 Recap YAAAAAAAHHOOOOOOOOOO! The monkeymake that falconis off the Saints (and their fans) back! They didn't play a great game but still came away with a win. Didn't everyone see Morten trotting onto the field to beat us??? Ricky is AWESOME and is showing us all that he IS worth an entire draft! He cannot be denied the endzone this year.diving in for two of his three TDs. LOVED the pass to pick up the first and kill the clock! Tooooooo often we have ran between tha tackles, been stopped, punted, played soft on D and lost to the FGbut NO MORE!!! Thank you Mr Benson for hiring Mule and Haz! 10.29.00 Week 8 Preview Saints vs Cards Is everybody getting really excited???? Can we start using the "P" word??? Everyone else is! I say let's take care of the next three VERY winnable games (Cards, panthers, and the whiners) the caliber and character of this Saints team will then be tested (at 7- 3) against the Raiders (I always hear and try to say that like Chris Bermanso insert his version here). Saints in the desert and playing a team in disarray and banged up. Will the firing of Tobin and battlefield promotion of McGinnis be enough of an emotional lift to push the Cards pass our beloved Saints?????? No.I don't think so! Haz will have the team fired up guarding against a potentially dangerous Cardinal team. The Saints are the better team all the way around..plain and simple! Isn't it strange to be concerned about over confidence? When was the last time WE had to be concerned about overlooking a lesser opponent???? Long live Mule and Haz.down with Ditkuharich! Ricky WILL have a field day!!!! The Cards have trouble with the run and Ricky spells Trouble with a capital "T". The D will be able to contain a slippery snake in Plummer and will get a few picksreturning one for a TD! Ricky breaks the 200 yard mark! Blake plays well and error free throwing two TDs..one to Poole! Saints WIN!!!!! Saints 28 Cards 10 10.29.00 Saints 21 Cards 10 Recap WHEEEWWWWW! What a BEAUTIFUL ugly game that was. The Saints found a way to win while playing sub par! The Cards kept Ricky's running in check but overlooked his catching abilities! ;) Poole dropped a TD (the one I called) and the D had a difficult day with Pittman and the receiving corpsdropping from #1 to #2 with the effort. I think the combination of the Cards getting a new and improved coach in McGinnis and the Saints maybe taking them too lightly made for a closer game in the first half than was necessary. But like Haz keeps preaching and the team keeps emulating his philosophywin no matter what it takes! This TEAM BELIEVES in itself and the coaches. A player or squad always seems to step up to get the Saints what they need for the W. In this instance, it was Keith Mitchell!!! His pick for a TD turned the game around and sparked the team. I can honestly say that I was VERY disappointed in the teams overall performance in the first half and expected the worstthat damn little SoS (Same ole Saints) voice spoke up and began speaking untruths about my (our) team! She said, "Here we go.you knew it would happen.it's all been a dreamPHSYC!" But after the Mitchell pick for a TD the b%ch went to Kmart to mess with the poor unsuspecting group in the service department. Bottom line is the Saints got out of there with a W.one they should have gotten! 11.2.00 Week 9 Preview Saints vs whiners This is going to be a real test of the D. Can they contain and pressure Garcia ?? Will the DBs hold their own vs their lanky WRs? Will Garner be shut down??? Of course! The dome is SOLD OUT and the noise will be deafening! The D will feed off of our energy like turkey vultures on a fresh road kill. I don't think the O will have any trouble doing what they wantthe whiners don't have much on the defensive side of the ball and Lil' Mora is the coach! He spouted off that the Saints offense is over rated and shouldn't be a problem to keep in check! Who says the apple doesn't fall far from the tree??? He could use some of his father's smarts!! Look for Glover and Howard to have a couple of sacks each and Garcia to be running for his life most of the day..being wrapped up soon after he scampers out of the psuedo-pocket. Garner will be a minor factor but nothing to worry aboutthe Saints will wrap him up with one Hand! The whiner's D has trouble with EVERYONE! They may think they can mimic the Cards' game plan, but they don't have the players on the field to accomplish that; and besides the Saints aren't playing the Cardsthey are playing the whiners, the team they were looking towards while looking past the fired up Cards! Ricky will have his usual solid game.running for 120 and catching some passes for 50yds. Blake must be able to hit his WRs and TE (Hall)the whiners are really weak in their secondary. Sooooo, that means Poole will finally get that TD (he dropped the one I predicted last week) and Horn will get one as well to top off his 100+ yd. day. The Saints D will gather up 6 sacks.2 apiece for Glover and Howard and one each for Johnson and Fields. The D will DOMINATEthey must and WILL knock the SNOT out of Garcia!!! Saints WIN!!!! Saints 31 whiners 17 11.10.00 Saints 31 whiners 15 Recap What a wonderful day in the dome. The dome rocked! The crowd never quieted even in the fourth when the game was in handwell I did have to get on a group of bumps in my section for being quiet but they were the only ones! ;) The Saints came out firing and never let up until it was 31 - 0. The defense let the whiners pick up some yards in the fourth making the game appear closer than it was. ;) Blake was HOT! He was firing on all cylinders firing for three TDs to three different receivers: Glover, Jackson, Horn. Now I am hoping to hope that the high octane performance of the passing game will continue and was not merely a by-product of a Yugo-esque whiner secondary. I know that had something to do with it but I truly believe, like I and everyone else has been saying all alone, that Blake & Co. have used the first half of the season to polish and hone the offensive execution..to a level unseen in these parts for a coons age. Teams are stacking the box trying to minimize Ricky's effectiveness but the will now pay the high price of a gelling passing attack.I LOVE IT!! The D looked solid! They didn't get any sacks.the whiners have great pass protection allowing only 7 sacks this year..but they harassed Garcia all day. He was so jittery back there it was funnyI actually LOL on one play he looked like as nervous as a hmmmtime for a clichcat in a rocking chair factory.turkey on ThanksgivingNO.. he was as nervous as a QB facing the Saints DEFENSE! The Saints shutdown the whiner offense though most of the game.it was BEAUTIFUL!! This was one of the most of the satisfying victories I have witnessed in the dome in a long time .. KEEP 'EM COMING!!!! 11.10.00 Week 10 Preview Saints vs Panthers We owe the panthers  they shocked the Rams Sunday night. The Saints are now 1 game out of first and in control of their own destiny. To briefly peek into the future and things that may come to pass things we as Saints fans would never have dreamed of at the beginning of the season and have rarely realistically speculated about in the Saints 34 year history. Let's say the Giants beat the Rams and, of course, the Saints DOMINATE the panthers.Saints lead the NFC West at 7-3 (we win tie breaker with the Rams). The Rams have a tougher schedule than us for the remainder of the yearplaying Washington, Minnesota, Tampa, Carolina and the Saints TWICE. The Saints play the Raiders, Denver and Atlanta all at home .the whiners and Rams twice. The Saints destiny is in THEIR CONTROL! If we can get Ws from Carolina, Oakland and one or both of the Rams game...then yes....start talking. The way this team has been playing...if it continues (and with Haz at the Helm..I believe it will), I don't see anyone remaining on the schedule beating us. The BIG tests will come against the Raiders (hear Berman's version), Rams and Broncos....if we win 2 outta four of those games (with one being a Rams win).... Saints = NFC West Champs! But .as the Wiseman says.ONE GAME @ A TIME!!!! Carolina this week is going to be TOUGH! They are coming off a BIG win, have the revenge factor for the thumping we gave them in the Dome and despite their record are a good team.BUT we're better! Nothing will change in the trenchesthe Saints will win these battles. Our DOMINATING defensive line will, alone be able to pressure Beuerleinsacking and harassing ALL DAY. This will allow the Saints' LBs and CBs to concentrate on covering the panthers' dangerous WRs. Their running game???..fawgitaboutit! Ricky, as before, will find running room on the panther D gaining 150+ yards and running pass the 1000 yard mark by week 10! The panthers like many others will try to stack the box with 8 to stop Ricky but Blake & Co. will make them pay dearly.carving the panthers up for 270 yards passing! The offense has begun their second half gel and will continue to get better..not relying solely on Ricky's running. Saints WIN!!!!! Saints 28 Panthers 10 11.17.00 Saints 20 Panthers 10 Recap OUCH!!! Ricky out for 6 - 8 weeks! That hurts but it is NOT a season ending injury for the Saints TEAM!!! This TEAM will miss the Dreaded one BUT the Oline will continue to shine and a RB (or combo) will step in and up!!! MARK MY WORDS!! The playoffs are a near certainty and the NFC West Crown is NOT out of the questionTRUST ME!!! A tough game just as predicted.but it was only tough because of mistakes and TERRIBLE calls by the refs. Howard (though he did carry the ball like a rotten egg) crossed the plane.TD! Brien misses a gimme FG! Weary called for interferenceWTF!!!TERRIBLE CALL..he if anybody was interfered with! Blake INT in the endzone!!! This game should have been a BLOW OUT!! The Saints D took a little longer than I thought to pressure Beuerlein like I knew they would.and it showed when they did. He threw two INTs and had three.THREEfumbles!!!! One of which Mr. Mitchell scooped up and returned for a TDwith the Big Hand running interference for him! Didn't know a load that wide could move that fast! Heck if all else fails (which it won't ) put in Hand at RB! Blake hit Horn with a beautiful strike for a TDthe passing game is coming into it's own and HAS arrivedwatch for it to continue to shine. Bottom line.the D played OUTSTANDING again and the O overcame adversity and poor officiating to SWEEP the panthers. 7 - 3 !!!! Go Saints!!!! 11.17.00 Week 11 Preview Saints vs da Raiduhs (hear Chris Berman's version) Another tough game.or at least at first glance it appears so. Oh no Ricky is out for 6 to 8 weeks what will we ever do?? He will be missed but the offensive line will still open the holes. Who will run through them???? .MortonMooreAllen????? It doesn't matter who's back there! Really!! The NFL world, for the most part, has written off the Saints now that Ricky is out.how do you think the Oline will react to that???? Curl up in a large fetal lump on the ground and grimace with nervous anticipation. This group will step it up a notch or two and knock the Dline back five yards!!! Turley is going to kill'em! I can't wait!!! Turley, Roaf, Fontenot, Williams and Naeole are playing for pride! They are PO'd and it will show!! Morton around the end, Moore between the tackles, Allen (at some point) powering his way for 6! I can't wait!!! McCarthy will utilize the talent back there to the best of their abilities! How do you prepare for the Saints now??? You don't have Ricky to key on so..play back a dare the Saints to establish a running game! And establish it they will.Do anyone see the speed Morton had on the run vs Carolina??? He is going to kill them on the passes in the flat. Once he gets pass the lineWATCH OUT!!! TD!!! Look for a long one for the SaltmanMorton! So, what do you think Blake, Horn, Jackson, Poole and Glover will be doing all this time??? RIGHT!! Da Raiduhs double Hornhit Poole on a slant.streak.TD!!! Jackson has picked up his game from earlier this year and is a great possession receiverhe may even score on a hitch route!! Blake rolls right who does he throw to??? Morton in front of the LBs ??. Horn racing down the sidelines??. Poole coming back ??..NO!!! He scrambles for 20!!! I am truly excited (more so than usual if that is possible) to see this O in action!! I Can't Wait!!! The raiduhs have yet to face a D like the Saints'. Gannon is good. The WRs are one of the best if not the fastest around and they got a descent running gameso did the whiners.The D dominated them and I expect the same thing this week, especially in a loud sold out dome! You can not make your reads and throw a completion (to your team ;) if you have no timeand time will not be on Gannon's sidehowever, the dome floor will be. I CAN'T WAIT!!! No one.let me say this againNO ONE has a better front 4 than the Saintsand the LBs are kicking ass as well. The D as a whole plays with reckless abandonment they do what it takes to win and this week will be no different than the last 6! If Gannon makes it through the entire game, he will be an ineffective basket case which will render the threat of the potentially deadly Oakland passing attack as limp as aummm..over cooked piece of linguini. Look for a score from Mr Knight on a pick and another pick from Molden. I CAN'T WAIT!!! Wheatley is most likely not going to playTWO badly sprained anklesouch. Napoleon Kaufman is a speedy back much like Morton but after a few bone jarring hits from the dogs and he will be looking for Elba. This game will be the Saints one finger salute to all the naysayers in the leagueyou know"The Saints haven't played any one" groupwhat will their mantra be on Monday after the DOMINATION we lay on da Raiduhs! SAINTS WIN!!!! Saints 31 da raiduhs 16 11.24.00 Saints 22 Raiduhs 31 Recap EGADS! How much adversity does one team have to go through??? We lost Cam, Clemons, Byrd, Reed, Ricky and NOW Blake!! I just knew when he went out the Saints were going to fold up and call it a day.but ya know what???.they didn't!!! This TEAM NEVER gave up! Brooks came in and preformed well after he got that one pick out of his system. The interception was costly but forgivable for a man thrown into the deep end and told to sink or swimBrooks swam! He threw two TDs and ran the offense well for a psudo- rookie that was getting only 10% of the snaps in practice..that pump fake WR screen, TD pass to Jackson was beautiful..a preview of things to come no doubt. Blake will be missed! His loss in conjunction with Ricky's has the potential to bring this Cinderella season to a screeching halt.that remains to be seen however, because from the looks of Brooks, he can run this offense an offense masterfully and repeatedly retooled by McCarthy in order to overcome numerous injuries and rookie insertions. The loss of Ricky was overcome by the skillful use of three backs. Morton, Moore and Terrell worked in tandem to combine for the Saints standard 130+ yards per game. The line is the cornerstone of the offense!! It will be fun to watch the QB of the future learn and grow behind this great front five.a front that is opening holes for ANYONE to run through. The defense did an admirable job of slowing down Oakland's speedy and dangerous WRsthe pressure on Gannon helped. This D was questioned before the season as to the quality of the secondary and whether they could stop passing teams. Well they have faced two of the best ( the whiners and Raiders) and performed EXCELLENT as a wholethe defensive front seven help the DBs play and vice a versa. Contrary to popular belief, this secondary can cover due in large part to the zone packages developed by Zook. The really BIG test comes next Sunday versus the offensive juggernaut know as the Rams. The keys to this loss.it hurts to type thatafter all, it's been six (that's SIX6) weeks since the Saints last loss.was one on each side of the ball. 1) Penalties on the offense killing drives. It happened too often and MUST be remedied. 2) Gannon scrambling for long gains and keeping drives alive. This one loss is NOT the end of the Saints' season nor the end of life as we know it. The Saints will overcome. Haz has these guys ready to go EVERY game and EVERY snap! 11.24.00 Week 12 Preview Saints vs Rams Can everyone say HUGE! How about GIGANTIC! ..COLOSSAL?? ENORMOUS??? ...."RAM"-bunctious!!!!! In Spite of the Saints loss last week to the Raiduhs, the Saints can take the lead of the NFC West this week. All they have to do is beat the defending world champions in their home stadium! Impossible you say??? Not really (two of the Rams three losses have come @ homeone to a Panther team we have DOMINATED this year), a Monday night loss to the Redskins put the Saints in position to surprise the football world and take the West lead with six games remaining. But how can we beat the Rams without Ricky and Blake??? How will we ever stop the potent Rams' offense??? The answer isHaz! In addition to being the best at motivating his team to play to win for the entire 60 minutes he has brought together a GREAT coaching staff. The Saints play every down of every game as a TEAM that KNOWS it can win! I LOVE IT! Though we've only seen Brooks play for about a half a gamedid you see what I saw??? He came in and gathered his composure and ran the offense well. He is 6' 5" much taller than Blake and has a cannon for an arm. The rest of the season is going to be fun watching him grow and develop into one heck of an NFL QB. The running game as a whole hasn't missed a beat. The Saints can still run the ball! Teams have to respect it! The big question mark is how will Brooks deal with game plans designed to confuse and befuddle the newbie.time will tell. I believe he will perform and will be the talk of the NFL by season's end. OKI won't admit this often so pay close attentionthe Saints may lose this week in St. Louie. But guess whatifthat's IF, that does occur, IT AIN'T THE END OF THE WORLD! But I'm getting ahead of myself.here goes: The Saints will be a fired up TEAM! They are playing for the NFC West lead! This alone is motivation enough but add in the fact that they loss last week and they are going to be looking to take some heads off on D and beat the opposition into submission on offense. The Saints will pound the ball with the runthis group can do it! And of course with the running game working, the never before seen Brooks will shine. They may double Horn but that's OKBrooks has been practicing more with Poole and Jackson so these two will have a great game.picking up the slack. The Rams defense is their weak link! The Saints WILL score points, the question is can they stop the Rams! The Saints' defense WILL punish Green! In the Rams' two losses at home it was shown that if you can pressure Green, the Rams can be slowed on offense. LOOK FOR THAT TO HAPPEN THIS WEEK! I will not be shocked and even expect that Warner will make it into the game at some point.against doctors' orders. The Saints' defense has shown ALL YEAR long that they can get to the QB and this will be the difference. Faulk is back and he poses a MAJOR challenge. He may still be a little tender and if he gets a few good licks on him, he may find it safer on the benchrun away to fight another day.;) I don't wish to see him hurt (or any player) but the hard hittin' Dawgs will beat him like the Saints have a tendency to do to opposing teams! Saints WIN!!!! Saints 35 rams 27 Let me get back to my point about a loss this week not being the end of the season. I talked about this in my Week 10 preview. Best case scenario the Saints get a HUGE W this week, take possession of the NFC West and NEVER relinquish it! We have a very favorable schedule.Denver @ Homefired up team, fired up domeW, whiners anywhereW, Falcons.pleaseeasy W, Rams @Homeanother Christmas Eve present.W a tough one but still a W! Saints finish 12-4....PLAYOFFS.... NFC West Champs!!! Another scenario a loss in St. Louieouch! But the new New Orleans Saints, even after two confidence shaking losses can close the season out with 4 Ws as above.11-5PLAYOFFS! If the Rams drop one to Minnesota or Tampa.. NFC West Champs!!! Other scenarios. 1) The Saints drop two out of their last 5putting them @ 10 - 6 and hoping they don't lose a playoff spot to tiebreakers with Philly (hope Philly wins the East) or Detroit. The Saints will have one heck of a NFC record sothey would probably make the playoffs. 2) The Saints drop three of their last 5putting them @ 9 - 7. A GREAT season and probably not going to the playoffs unless lots of other stuff happens. 3) The Saints lose more than three of their last 5NOT GOING TO HAPPENbut if it did.the Saints' would still have had a good season a very respectable season considering the last few years under the clueless Ditka and inept Bill Kuharich. 11.28.00 Saints 31 Rams 24 Recap SAINTS LEAD THE NFC WEST @ 8-4 !!!!!!!!!* What a phenomenal game!! I was on cloud nine until Tuesday morning! I am still walking around with a big grin on my face .I will continue floating and grinning but it's time to look ahead to next weeks' big game vs the Broncos. But a brief recap of "The Game", as it will come to be known as, is in order. What can I say that hasn't already been said! Brooks looked GREAT in his debutcalm, cool and collected.not your average Billy Joe. He had two picksone he forced on the flea flicker instead of taking the sackthe other was arguably not his fault, a tip by the defender. Other than that, he was near perfect in his inaugural startmade beautiful reads, got the ball into tight places with his strong arm, scrambled well and even made a GREAT recovery on a muffed pitch and picked up a crucial first down. He ran in a TD on a perfect play fakejust hold onto the ball with BOTH handsand later scored the winning TD on a dive. On third down Brooks threw a dart to Wilson on the sideline for the first! It was a great play by Brooks. But Brooks wasn't the only one making big plays. What's up with Jackson! He looks like a different receiver from the one that took the field earlier this year. His running after his catches was pure heart and soul! I LOVE THIS TEAM!! Milne makes his first catch since 1998 ..result...his first TD as a pro! Moore looks like Mini-Ricky and Morton is a lightening fast slippery blur! Hornthat man is showing his stuff it looks good! I LOVE THIS TEAM!! What is the foundation ????. the offensive line! The line is strong, tuff and MEANthey are a force to be reckoned with and are a CHAMPIONSHIP unit. Now onto the DEFENSE!! This is a CHAMPIONSHIP quality unitget it??? They will get us to the Promised Land! Glover is UNBELIEVABLEto the pro bowl with him! Joe Johnson (who I just talked to at Smoothie King) is wreaking havoc! Hand is a huge load! HowardRookie of the Year??? The front four is the best in the NFLno ifs, ands or butts! They make the defense as a whole the best at doing what needs to be done! The Saints got twothat's TWOturnovers with the Rams within spitting distance of the endzone. The Saints have the lead with a little over three minutes and the potent Rams' offense has the ball....OH SHIT!!....but the SAINTS' defense, playing with a patchwork secondary due to a season ending injury to Weary, STEP UP! On a fourth down play Fred Tomas makes a great open field tackle on Hakim and keeps him from picking up the first down!..We get the ball back...Brien misses a FG (What's up wit dat ??)..Rams get the ball back..OH SHIT!!!!..Oldham makes a spectacular INTThe Saints go 3 and out ....Rams get the ball backOH SHIT!!..but the D comes through AGAIN! Howard sacks Green as time expires. The Saints DOMINATING D had the Rams offense (Green, Faulk, and the entire receiving group) scared to touch the ballhow many dropped passes and hurried throws did YOU see??? I LOVE THIS TEAM 11.30.00 Week 13 Preview Saints vs Broncos Onward and upward! The Saints play the broncos Sunday and that only means one thing BAD NEWS for the broncos! The Saints have to maintain the level of performance we witnessed in St. Louie (did I mention that it was a phenomenal game!). The broncos are coming to town and they have a very potent offense but a suspect defensesound familiar?? They have the #2 offense..the #1 still belongs to the Rams even after the Saints held them to a season low 279 yards. The bronco D is very doable! This is the same D that Corey Dillon of the Bengals broke the NFL record for rushing yards in a game ( 278 yeards) andallowed the then winless Chargers to rack up 37 points. The broncos' defense is ranked 21st overall..yum yum! Do you see the similarities?? This is going to be another tough game but one that is winnable! We will win because the Saints have the better defensive AND offensive linesPERIOD! The broncos have yet to play against a defensive unit as good as the Saints! Gus Frerotte has thrown more INTs than TDshe will know PAIN this week when the NFL sack kings put a hurtin' on him. I just love watching the effect that the fearsome and relentless Saints' pass rush has on QBs! Look for another big day from the front fourracking up 7 sacks and forcing a fumble. In spite of more injuries to Saintly starters, the "step-up" Saints will rise to the occasion and put the brakes on the broncos potent pass attack! With Gus scared and unsure of what to make of the Saints defensive schemes he'll throw three picks.one run back for a TD by Sammy. The WRs will be kept in check for the most part..hitting the deck after catches for fear of life and limb! RB Anderson for the broncos is having one heck of a year! The broncos can definitely run blockbut not vs the Saints. Anderson needs 29 yards to break 1000 he may not get it! The broncos have a weak D! The Saints Oline has continued to open holes for the RBs! Moore has a stinger but should be ready to go. He looked strong vs the Rams! If not, the Saints other power runner, Allen, will step upno problem! Morton mixed in with the power runners will help to rack up over 200 total rushing yards for the Saints! And with that kind of yardage on the ground, you can expect Brooks to be VERY effective through the air. He has a cannon for an arm and runs like a gazelle, throwing and scrambling his way to a BIG game. Morton in the flat, Horn streaking, Jackson on the slant.Brooks throws and runs for 3 TDs. SAINTS WIN!!! Saints 35 broncos 20 The Saints control their own destiny now! Keep winning and win the West! Haz & Co. are not going to allow this group to let their win over the rams go to their headthis team is on a mission.a mission of destiny! Keep the confidence Saints and take it..One Game @ A Time! The playoff picture will become clearer as the weeks pass but one thing is for surewe want the Panthers to whoop ass on the rams this week. I, being the eternal Saintly optimist, see the Saints finishing strong and winning out .going 12 - 4 that means we need to play for home field throughout the playoffsthe Vikes and Eagles have the inside track on that .so I will be rooting for the Lions this week..if the Panthers can't help us out by keeping the rams downthen we may have to root for the Vikes vs the rams in two weeks.if the Vikes slip and get two Ls between now and Xmas (Indy, Detroit, St. Louie or even GB) and Philly drops one to the Titans.home field throughout!.Ifs, Ifs and more Ifs. Time Will Tell! 12.07.00 Saints 23 Broncos 38 Recap WAKE UP CALL!!!! Hello!?!?!! I'll tell ya, I really need to write these summaries on Sunday eveningsMonday at the latest. Because win or lose, by the middle of the week I've said all I can say (in person and on forums.using up all my good stuff). So, taking that into consideration in conjunction with the fact that I am ill and fried my brain studying for a final exam (blew it!), I will keep this short and sweetmake that sour. I said that the Saints would win because we have the better lines on both side of the ball and THAT is where games are won and loss! Well on Sunday, the Broncos had the better lines and the Saints loss! The Saints could not establish the run and could not stop it! END OF STORY!! And the lack of tackling by the Saints was a major contributing factor. After the Saints abandoned the run and tried to outscore the Broncos but came away with FGs (the ones that Brien could make.whatzupwit him?).the game was over! The Saints are (were) the #1 D in the redzone.guess who was #2.the Broncos! I'm not going to sit here an harp on the bad things.but what, pray tell, was good about that game!?!?! Not much! Brooks looked good and is continuing his growth as a QB. He read the D well and racked up 441 yards passing! Another GREAT thing about last wee is the Panthers came through and beat the Lambs for us!!!! That was a BIG help considering the outcome of our game. 12.7.00 Week 14 Preview Saints vs whiners and NFC West Championship talk The remaining three games are HUGE! This weeks game is making me VERY nervous. The whiners have the revenge factor and have been scoring some points latelyheck even their D has stepped it up a notch.BUT look at the teams their last 3 Ws were against : KC, Atlanta and San Diego!! Need I say more??? Yes???? OK, in spite of who they have played they STILL rank 30th in total D and a questionable 5th in O. But for Pete's sake.this is the whiners IN whinerville! Let's just say I'm cautiously optimistic! Hand is fighting injuries to BOTH feet and his absence will be the most important and difficult to overcome.we need the BIG GUY in the middle! Whitehead and Chase should be able to fill in nicely the next two weeks. The whiners run a lot of 4 WR setsand Hand normally doesn't stay in on those.so his absence in this game will not be as big a factor. Both Moore and Morton are dinged, both say the can play. Morton's separated shoulder will limited the speedster to passes in the flatso he can find the out of bounds if dirty play Norton is up to his old tricks. IMO, Moore should rest it this week.don't mess around with nerves! Besides, I believe Smith & Allen will be able to carry the load vs a suspect whiner D. I say Allen will be able to but let's face it, we really haven't seen him much, so this will be the game.HIS game.to proves he can still play! The whiners STILL have a VERY WEAK secondary. They lack the talent on the field and off.JL Mora being the coach. The leading tackler on the whiner D is the safetyand he is out as of last week..did you get that..the LEADING tackler is their safety! That tells me the RBs make it past the line of scrimmage. J ( Note: Sammy leads the Saints in tackles but he's da Man!) A weak secondary means Brooks should have his way! Just like the first game between these two teams, look for a big passing attack! With Wilson and Jackson coming into their own, they will take some of the heat off off Hornall three will have GREAT games. I look for Glover to catch a few of his own! The defense has a statement to make and the NFL will hear them loud and clear! It will come at the expense of the whiners in the form of the dismantling and desimation of the "potent" whiner offense! The injury to Hand is, IMO, more of an impact than Ricky and Blakes. BUT, the Saints are facing two teams in the whiners and the falcons that are having difficulty running against lesser Ds that the Saints. So he MUST rest it the next two weeks and get ready for the playoffs! Weary's absence may be a potential problem as well versus the lanky whiner recievers but between Hawthorne and Oldhamwe will survive! Saints WIN!!!! Saints 35 whiners 17 LET'S TALK NFC WEST CHAMPIONSHIP and PLAYOFFS!!! Man what a year! After finishing 3-13 last year and starting over from scratch, who could have imagined that the Saints would be leading the NFC West with 3 games remaining! Well the Panthers helped us out by beating the Rams.I had hoped but hadn't factored them into the equation. The Rams now face a red hot Vikings team and then the Bucs, a team picked to go to the Super Bowl but now fighting for a playoff spot. The Saints have a psuedo-surging whiners team away and the faltering falcons @ home. Can you feel it??? Can You Dig It!!! The Saints MAGIC NUMBER is 3!!! That's it.3!!! Any combination of Saints' wins and rams' losses totaling 3, CLINCHES THE WEST for the Saints!!!! Allow me to explain: IF #1..Saints win next 2, Rams split next 2, SAINTS WIN THE WEST! IF #2 .Saints split the next 2 and the Rams lose the next 2, SAINTS WIN THE WEST! IF #3 .Saints and Rams both go 1-2 down the stretch, SAINTS WIN THE WEST! As you can see, the odds are the SAINTS WIN THE WEST!!!! Go Vikes! Go Bucs! And as always. GO SAINTS!!!! Let's get the next two!!! Win out and the Saints may be able to get a bye..BIG maybe! 12.12.00 Saints 31 whiners 27 Recap OK.you can breathe now! Man what an exciting game. I thought the Rams victory was a nail bitter! This one was crazy and very very sweet! Screw the whiners and their attitude! They cried all week long that the Saints showed them no respectJL Mora was the loudest crybaby! Then Baby Mora has the nerve to guarantee a whiner victory! What a nimrod! After all the years of slaps in the face, punches in the gut and kicks in the groin that the whiners have delivered to the Saints and their fans.this W was the start of a long string of paybacks! Well, the way the first half wentit didn't look good, but typical of this TEAM this year, they hung together and hung tough! Brooks is unbelievable! He made things happen and avoided the sack on numerous occasions. It could be said he won the game! His 4th down scramble in the 4th quarter was the backbreaker for the whiners. The Saints would have been in deep trouble had the whiners sacked Brooks! Unable to find anyone to throw to, the pocket was collapsing rapidly.Brooks seemed to have been wrapped upbut POOF.out he slipped and off for a 10 yard gain! And what OL was running along side???? Da Man .TURLEY!!! Visit his site after most games (link located in the Players Pages section to the left) for his from the hip honest critique, views, and commentaryit's worth the visit! I can't say enough about Turelyhe is all over the fieldblocking downfield, the "Enforcer" of Saintly justice and picking up RBs after hard running! This guy is awesome, and this is going to hurt me more than you butummm.well.Thanks Ditka! T. Allen and T. Smith, now known as TnT, came around and did what needed to be done to establish the run in the second half. Allen showed he still has some stuff and Terrell is a great blocking back....did you see the lick he laid on a whiner LB on that Brooks improvised roll and run around the right side??? BAM!! The guy never saw what hit him and was heard asking fellow whiners the number of the bus that laid him out! The Saints got crucial plays from so many different players on both sides of the ball at critical timesI can't name them allBrooks, Turley, Roaf, Oldham, Mathis, Morton, T. Allen, T. Smith, Canty, Poole, Jackson, "Me So Horn(y)" Glover (BOTH), JJ, Whitehead, etc. ..all I can say is Thanks! I LOVE THIS TEAM! The calls at the end of the game were fine examples of the way things that were have morphed to the way things are! We got them in whinerville! That kind of stuff never use to happen! Great game guys.on to the falcons! IF WE WIN.... WE'RE IN!!!!!! GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!! 12.16.00 Week 15 Preview Saints vs falcons and NFC West Championship talk I forgot what this was like. It's been so long that I didn't remember the emotions and expectations that come along with fighting for a playoff spot and the West championship. What a GREAT feeling this is.It great to be a Saints fan. No matter what happens from here on out, this has been a wonderful year. The Saints are guaranteed a winning record.whoda thunk it after last year??? Well, I did but I always do! The Saints play the falcons tomorrow and that only means ONE thing for the falconsBAD NEWS! The hated falcons limp into the Dome at 3-11 after a bye last weekend. It is always a battle when the Saints and falcons meet, but the only battle tomorrow will be the falcons battling their way to the exit! Reeves gave the team five days off.to ponder off-season vacation plans no doubt! The falcons will play for pride in the beginning but after the Saints smack them around a little they will rollover! Jamal is always dangerous but the falcons have no offensive line to speak of, so he will not be a long term threat. The rookie QB, Johnson, was talking out of his rear in an interview earlier this week: (on what this game means and how you get ready for one where they are out of the playoff chase) "It's going to be a big challenge for us going into this stadium. It's going to be a loud place. We're going to be the spoilers and we're going to be coming into the game with a lot of enthusiasm. A lot's going to be on the line for them. It will kind of be a reverse role from what I'm used to. It will be a fun game to be part of." (on if he knows much about the Saints defense) "Yes, but it's easy to see on tape and watch what they're going to do because they can't really change a whole lot of things because they only have a week to prepare, so we did a lot of tape watching this week and did a lot this week and watched our last game against them to see how they played." Oh he's starting his second (?) game and he's got the Saints' D figured out??? He's going to be a spoiler??? LOL.I can't wait for the defensive to introduce themselves to this guy. Shortly there after he will become very familiar with the turf and smelling salts! Chandler may make his way back into the game after the Saints D confuse, befuddle and knock the snot out of Johnson. Chandler has had some success vs the Saints but no this day. The Saints are on a mission. They have adopted the mantra: WE WIN, WE'RE IN! It's as simple as that. This Saints team is a team of destiny and WILL NOT BE DENIED! They have overcome so much adversity and so many injuries the little lame duck blackbirds will be mere road kill! Brooks needs to be careful with Buchanan and Ambrose in the falcons secondary but that's not to say the Saints won't be able to light up the board versus the #27 defense! As I've stated many times herethe game is won in the trenches and the Saints have the BEST line on both sides of the ball! Allen should be able to rack up well over 100 yards Brooks may as well! ;) Brooks will be able to burn the falcons secondary and Horn and Glover will make the scores. Morton will blaze in for a TD as well! I see a BLOWOUT.. SAINTS WIN and CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT!!!!! Saints 38 falcons 3 Go Bucs!!!! The Saints task at hand is simple: Beat the falcons and we clinch a playoff spot (barring an improbable tie in other games)!; Cheer on the Bucs.If the Bucs beat the rams, Saints Win The West!!!; Win the last two and hope to end in a three way tie @ 11-5 with the Giants and the Eaglesif that happens: the Giants take the East, the Saints get the #2 seed and a first week bye playing the winner of #4 vs #5 in the Dome on New Years weekend! If the Saints win the West but get the #3 seed they will play the #6 seed wildcard team in the Dome. If the Saints make it in as a wildcard.well we won't go there (WE DESTINED TO WIN THE WEST!!!!) The playoff scenarios and who plays who and where are too numerous to go into here.it will become clearer after the Saints game and the MNF Bucs/Rams game. Go Bucs!!!! 12.20.00 Saints 23 Falcons 7 Recap Week 16 Preview Saints vs rams and Seeds Who am I kiddingI'm not going to recap! I'm numb! The Saints ARE the: 2000 NFC Western Division CHAMPIONS!!!! Think about that for a minute Done? Good. Now say it aloud.. 2000 NFC Western Division CHAMPIONS!!!! Man that sounds good! The only comments I'm going to make about the plucking of the falcons is that this D is AWESOME. They shutout the falcons and held them to 160 something yards! The only score was a lapse in the special teams that allowed the second half kickoff to be returned for a TD.but it made no difference. The Saints are on a mission! The fumble inside the 1 and the lack of being able to punch the ball in on a few occasions was a little disheartening but Haz will address those and the team will move on! It's time for reinforcement. 2000 NFC Western Division CHAMPIONS!!!! After the Saints DOMINATED the falcons on Sunday, all that was left was for the Bucs to handle up on the Rams. If you didn't watch MNF, you missed a heck of a football game! LA boys, Dunn and King, looked possessed! The Bucs outscored the offensive machine known as the Rams and showed, as we did, they are beatable. Pressure Warner into mistakes and tangle up the WR at the line to slow them in their routes.BAM.a W! Learn it.2000 NFC Western Division CHAMPIONS!!!! Now the rams come to town clinging to thin and fading playoff aspirations. Now I know you're asking yourself, like I did, "What can the Saints do to help kill those aspirations? " Well, I'll tell you.beat the snot out of them! ;) Live it.2000 NFC Western Division CHAMPIONS!!!! A win by Detroit will knock the lambs out no matter what happens in the Dome Sunday. I sure hope that the PA announcer cranks the volume when he makes the announcement in the 3rd quarter that the Lions are up on the Bears 31 - 6! That should help the lambs motivation. If that doesn't seal it then the D will have to do their best to pressure, hit and sack Warner early and often. When Warner gets hit, he throws picks! The DBs must harass the ever dangerous lamb chop WRs at the line, thereby throwing the timing off and not allowing the ever-pressured Warner to find anyone in a white jerseyhe will find the black jerseys! They match the color of the inside of his eyelidswhat he will see more of as getting snot knocked out of one tends to make them close their eyes. Now that the potent hoofed lamb airial attack as been bagged time to shut down our LA boy, Faulk. The Saints have had success in this area (other than Anderson) and I don't see a major problem here this week. Now, the lamb D how can I put thisthe lamb's D SUCKS!!! A. Brooks will eat 'em up. Running and throwing, it will be as easy as AB C'Ya Later! Ricky got a thumbs up from the Docs but Haz says he's not in football shape.playing head games with Marty???maybe! No matter, I would like to see Ricky in there some to get his game legs under him and his timing down. He can split time with Allen and I believe Moore may be good to go as well! Saints WIN!!!! Saints 38 rams 24 LOVE IT!!!!..2000 NFC Western Division CHAMPIONS!!!! Seeds..it's all about the seed! For those that don't know, there are 6 (six) playoff spots in the NFC. The top two get a bye week and the #1 get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Saints have clinched the #3 seed. They are going to get a playoff game in the rockin' dome, GUARANTEED. The question is when and vs what team? How can we improve our seeding??? The Saints must beat the crap out of the rams and totally demoralize themthat won't help towards a bye, but I sure would enjoy watching it! Now I could spend my time and typing the different scenarios up but why??? They're out there on the wonderful WWW! I've placed them below. It's simple. I would rather not have to play the lambs three times this yearthey may be lambs but hey they can still put up points. A win by Detroit knocks the lambs out as does a loss to the Saints! So, the Saints MUST beat themwe don't want to rely on others! We may live in New Orleans but we're not a bunch of Blanche DuBois'. If not for that then for the simple fact that in order for the Saints to get a bye, they MUST finish 11-5. Then it's up to others . the capable upsetting hands or paws as the case maybe or the Colts and/or Jaguars! If the desire is there these spoilers can do it! ;) 2000 NFC Western Division CHAMPIONS!!!! Here they are the seeding scenarios: NFC East New York Giants have clinched (#3 seed)and the NFC East. They clinch (#1 seed) and have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win (vs. Jacksonville) or a loss by Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis) and a loss or tie by New Orleans (vs. St. Louis). They clinch a (#2 seed) and have a first-round playoff bye with win (vs. Jacksonville) or a loss by Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis) or a loss or tie by New Orleans (vs. St. Louis). Philadelphia has clinched a (wild card #4 or #5) playoff berth. NFC Central Minnesota has clinched a (wild card #4 or #5)playoff berth. They can clinch (#3 seed)and the NFC Central with a win or tie (vs. Indianapolis) or with a Tampa Bay loss or tie (vs. Green Bay). They clinch a (#1 seed)and a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win (vs. Indianapolis) and a loss by New York Giants (vs. Jacksonville). They clinch a (#2 seed) and a first-round playoff bye with win or tie (vs. Indianapolis) or losses or ties by both Tampa Bay (vs. Green Bay) and New Orleans (vs. St. Louis). Tampa Bay has clinched a (wild card #4 or #5)playoff berth. They can clinch (#3 seed) and the NFC Central with a win and a loss by Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis). They can clinch a (#2 seed) and a first-round playoff bye with a win and a loss by Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis) and a loss or tie by New Orleans (vs. St. Louis). Detroit clinches a (wildcard #6 seed) playoff spot with a win (vs. Chicago) or a loss by St. Louis (vs. New Orleans) and a loss or tie by Green Bay (vs. Tampa Bay). Green Bay clinches a ( wildcard #6 seed) playoff berth with a win (vs. Tampa Bay) and losses by both Detroit (vs. Chicago) and St. Louis (vs. New Orleans). NFC West New Orleans has clinched (#3 seed) and the NFC West. They can clinch a (#1 seed) and a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win and losses by both New York Giants (vs. Jacksonville) and Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis). They can clinch a (#2 seed) and a first-round playoff bye with a win (vs. St. Louis) and a loss by either Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis) or New York Giants (vs. Jacksonville). St. Louis clinches a (#6 seed) playoff berth with a win (vs. New Orleans) and a Detroit loss or tie (vs. Chicago). 2000 NFC Western Division CHAMPIONS!!!! 12.30.00 Preview Wildcard Playoff Saints vs Rams and Recap Saints 21 Rams 26 Today is game day! The Saints first playoff game in eight years.so I not real motivated to do a recap of a lost the rams. A rams team that thanks to the W versus the Saints and an improbable Lions loss backed into the playoffs. Not my favorite scenario! (as an asidethe Colts came through and had the Saints just wonthe bye was theirs), The rams have a potent offense and now that they are in will play like the defending Champs! Now that the Saints are in the first round (no bye) I expect and hope they will do the same! Well the Christmas game sucked! The D could NOT stop Faulk (220yds rushing) and the offense, especially Brooks. Brooks seemed tentative in the first three quarters. He finally got loose and threw two late TDs. Given how poorly the Saints D played against the run and how poorly the Saints O played for 3 quarters of the game and given the fact that with 2 minutes left the Saints STILL had a shot a winning the game is encouraging. The run was quickly abandoned! Ya gotta dance with the one who brung ya!he rest of the game, could not stop Faulk!!! The night of the game at my family's usual Xmas Eve gathering I was pretty disheartened with the Saints. I really didn't think they stood a chance at beating the rams in the first round of the playoffs! But then I calmed down and my Saints head clearedthe funk of the rams and Faulk cleared. The Saints couldn't play any worse on offensethe rams CAN NOT play any better on Dso what you ask???? So the Saints, out of all the teams in the NFC playoffs, match up well enough against the rams to beat them. The Saints CAN stomp the rams.look for it to happen! This week the team did some talking.trash type.I don't really care for that potential BB material hype but what the hey.it's the Cinderella Saints!! NO ONE is giving the Saints a chance at beating the rams, except for the Saints themselves, you, me, and thousands of Saints believers! The Saints have displayed the vim and vigor that got them here.wishing to sneak up on the naysyers and earn the respect and instill fear. Wishful thinkers (myself included) had hoped Ricky would be able to make this game .but no.he is inactive (unless Haz activates him at game time ;)!! So McCarthy will have to run and run some more.IMO I say ROLL BROOKS!!!! Let him open the game up like he has before..defenses have a HARD time covering a scrambling and running QB, a solid rushing attack led by (fill in name here.. Allen and Moore) and the best Oline in the NFL and very good passing attack anchored by Horn! The Saints D WILL NOT allow the rams to rush like they did last week.bank on it! Warner left the game last week with a concussion.he won't finish this game either! The Saints are MAD AS HELL AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE!!!!!! I look for a fiery game like last weeklots of talking pushing and PAIN!!!! SAINTS WIN FIRST PLAYOFF GAME!!!!!! Saints 30 Rams 28 1.4.01 Recap Wildcard Playoff Saints 31 Rams 28 Did you hear it??? No matter where you were, you had to of heard it.with 1:43 left in the game (approximately 6:15PM CST) Brian Milne fell on the muffed punt and the Saints WON THEIR FIRST PLAYOFF GAME.FIRST OF MANY!!!! Words can not begin to describe the emotions I felt on this day and I won't even try. I can hardly think of anything else. I've relived the game's sights and emotions a thousand times and boy WHAT emotions! All Saints fans know what I am talking about. It was a typical Saintly roller coaster ride. Flying high leading the rams 31-7 in the beginning of the 4th quarter to heart stopping anxiety attacks when the rams pull within 3 points (I thought I was going to throw up!) . The Fumble was the climax of this Saintly playoff saga. The dome erupted as the ball pooped loose and Milne pounced on it.sealing the victoryWHEW!!!! I don't even want to think about what might have happen had Hakim held onto the ball. What a way to seal the W.this is TRULY a year of DESTINY!! I'm STILL flying high. This win was HUGE! The gorilla is off the Saints' back.'BOUT TIME!! After the victory I did what I said I would always doI went to Pat O's and danced on the tables! Well actually I stood on a chair the tables are glass top! The loss of Horn didn't bode well for the Saints however just like a half dozen times beforesomebody stepped upBIGTIME!!!! Willie Jackson became Brooks favorite TD target and the Saints lacking any threat of a real running game parlayed turnovers into quick points. It is obvious the loss of Terrell Smith is huge. The Saints with him but without Ricky, still managed 130 yds rushing per game. The Saints without either is averaging around 60! Milne can't block as well a Smith but he sure looks good falling on fumbles!!! The Saints Das expected.knocked the jocks off the rams, stuffed Faulk and rattled Warner! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.until the 12 minute mark of the 4th.then the D seemed to play backholding onto the leadinstead of playing aggressivelike they had early! It nearly cost them! But Haz, Zook and the players have learned their lessonit will not happen in Minnesota! The Saints got their first playoff win versus the defending Super Bowl champsHOW SWEET IT IS!!! 1.05.01 Preview Divisional Playoff Saints vs Vikings The Saints are coming off a HUGE win. Will the Saints be satisfied and let up ?? A BIG NO!!! Haz will not allow it. This TEAM has its sights set on bigger loftier goals! I believe the Saints will come out focused and FIRED UP! The vikings had two weeks to sit home and think about losing the last three games of the season. Will that additional thinking time hurt or help?? If they sat back a told themselves they got it easy now that the Rams are out and their real challenge is next weekunderestimating the Saints talent, heart and determination.guess whatthe vikes go down! I really feel the advantage here goes to the Saints. They are focused, hungry and confident! The Saints are playing ANOTHER potent offense..egads!!! Culpepper is nursing a high ankle sprainwe all know about those from last year! Culpepper is a DANGEROUS QB but his inexperience (Brooks has more playoff experience!!!) and injury will have him on the sideline before the games end! The Saints D will pressure Culpepper forcing him to move and cut on that weak ankle.OUCH!.soon he will be favoring it and it will affect his throwing..look for 3 INTs! And when Bubby comes in.turn out the lightsthe Saints shut them down. Robert Smith is a great back and is a major threat but I expect his tender knee with a helping Hand from the Saints will not be moving the chains like earlier in the season. This is Brooks second playoff game. The Metrodome is a loud intimidating environment to play for any QB let alone a "rookie".but if Brooks can step in and beat the Rams IN St. Louis in his first starthe can do ANYTHING! This guy is GOOD!! I look for him to be a little tentative early but once he settles in.he will run and throw the Saints to victory! The vikings have a weak secondarylook for Jackson to have a good day. Reed and Glover get in the act.thumbing their nose at the vikes for a TD apiece! Ricky may see some action and his presence on the filed will be HUGE!!! If he can be effective without the aid of Smith's blocks.WATCHOUT!!! Man I hope he is truly 100%.if so.his running and catching will stifle the vikes' D! JUST Ricky's presence on the field will change the vikings' defensive schemes.that will open the pass up! I CAN'T WAIT!!!! This is virgin territory for Saints fans .so, let's make the most of it.ON TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!! Saints WIN!!!! Saints 35 vikings 24 Go Eagles!! A Saints victory and an Giants loss .hence Go Eaglesgives the Saints the NFC Championship game in the dome!!!! 2.06.01 Season Wrap Ok..ok.so I have been negligent in my updates..what can I say?? There was a fire.a terrible storm.a swarm of locust..it was terrible! What a fantastic year this was! So many hurdles .so many monkeys .dead! Just the other day I watched the replay of The Fumble(the copy available on this sitecheck the Fleur De Lis buttons to the left)..anyway, I watched it again and got goose bumps.that was a game that I will never forgetthe emotion of being there and witnessing the first playoff winthe roller coaster of emotions that day..MAN I LOVE THIS TEAM! The loss to the Vikings was tough.the Saints came out flat on D and looked intimidated by the offensive threat of power the Vikings have.but we all saw what the Giants did to them .and we all know the Saints coulda woulda shoulda done the same..no bother. The Saints will be in the post season again.in '01.and will make a run at being the first home team in a Super Bowl.I CAN'T WAIT!!!! Benson didn't wait long to raise the price of tixoh wellwhatcha going to do?? It fits in with the average NFL ticket prices and in my opinion well worth it! Have you seen the price of a concert ticket??? movie ticket???? I remember paying $6 to see Eric ClaptonSIX DOLLARS!!!! Today that ticket would cost $50-$100!!! And besides I guarantee that in spite of the increase cost, the season ticket sales will go up.45K-55K season tix soldmark my words. Benson didn't wait long to make his move for a new dealmo' money! We all knew it was coming! But so many people are running around chewing their fingernails to the quick over this.it's still early in the negotiations.not many level headed rational fans I reckon. It will be OK!!!! The Saints ARE NOT MOVING!!! I will update as time permits. I'm looking forward to the draft.can't wait to see what Mueller has in store. It will be funI CAN'T WAIT!!! The Saints are looking REALLY good at making it a home game in the Super Bowlwould that be something?? This is just the group of guysMueller, Haz, McCarthy, Zook, etc.that can do it! And you know whatif they do make it to the Super Bowl in '01 and become the first team to play at home in the SB..they will win!!! And you know what else.it couldn't get any better than that and if the Saints do abandon us.it won't sting as much! Talk to y'all soon!

The Saints ARE the:

2000 NFC Western Division CHAMPIONS!!!!

Seeds..it's all about the seed!