Stood Up By The Moment

Pure, unadulterated shock. It was the look and feel of every Saints fan today. If you read last week’s blog, you’d know that I took the Saints Babe to the Saints-Buccaneers game today to see New Orleans clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs. And if you read this blog at all, you’d already know that the Saints lost.

My intentions for today were to do a Time Line documenting the win and the reaction of the crowd when The Moment came. You know, The Moment when 70,021 people cheered and congratulated a team for a feat never before accomplished.

It was a moment that would never come.

No matter. I’m going to do the Time Line anyway. Here, you can see what I saw and feel what I felt. Without futher ado…

11:42 a.m. Welcome to what has been a great morning in the French Quarter and is only destined to get better! We started with a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant downtown before finally making our way to the Superdome. The air is buzzing, and it looks like a banner is going to drop out in front. You can really tell how special today will be when The Moment arrives!

11:54 a.m. We’ve finally taken our seats and the crowd is truly alive. I really, REALLY hope we announce the offensive starters today and blow the roof off early.

11:56 a.m. Well, they did the defense first today. Who cares! (By the way, a nine-year-old just knocked the national anthem out of the ball park.)

12:02 p.m. Bucs won the toss will receive. The crowd is ready to explode.

12:05 p.m. 3rd and 1 for Tampa Bay. Time out, credited to the crowd. Josh Freeman just made the big screens and looks positively frightened.

12:11 p.m. Buccaneers punt. Reggie actually ran forward! Here comes the offense.

12:18 p.m. Very nice balance so far for the offense on the first drive. Mostly run plays. We nearly matched our run total from last week in our first series.

12:19 p.m. And Reggie just hit down on the right analog stick for that juke. What a move. Please be here next year…

12:21 p.m. Pierre Thomas in for the score! 7-0 Saints! Crowd cheering, but The Moment has not shown up just yet.

12:29 p.m. Darren Sharper gets the interception! Superdome explodes. Sharper saves the defense after letting Tampa Bay run wild.

12:35 p.m. Brees to Meachem for a 14-0 score! Strange… The Moment is still not here. I guess he’s still tail-gating.

12:46 p.m. Wait a second… Charles Grant just got a sack? Was it paper or plastic?

12:47 p.m. 3rd and 20 for Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers are forced to call a timeout. Crowd again has gone positively insane. Still no Moment…

12:54 p.m. Reggie gets a first down. He’s one of my most consistent e-mailers… My only question is which Reggie shows up for the playoffs?

12:59 p.m. It’s 4th and 1 and the crowd wants Payton to go for it. Coach Payton is taking the points here. I’m okay with this… Get everybody reps before the playoffs including the kicker. 17-0 Saints.

1:05 p.m. Hmmm… Morestead isn’t putting his kickoffs into the endzone today. Not good…

1:11 p.m. Weirdest sack I’ve ever seen: Freeman broke away from three Saints defenders, proceeds to run into his own man and then gets plowed from behind by Will Smith. I’ll take it.

1:23 p.m. Tampa Bay gets into field goal range and wants to get on the board before the end of the half. Coach Payton calls a timeout to try to ice the kicker. This man is positively possessed.

1:25 p.m. Buccaneers get the field goal before halftime. Hold on a few minutes while I go check on The Moment…

1:31 p.m. Nutcracker Suite-themed halftime. Oh, the ballet, not what you were thinking…

1:38 p.m. Second half has started. And we have the first fight of the day. Scoreboard, Tampa Bay, scoreboard…

1:40 p.m. Drew completes a beautiful throw to Marques Colston while getting drilled in the back. Such pocket presence… Here’s your MVP, NFL.

1:41 p.m. I’ve just realized how quiet the crowd has become. They better get ready when The Moment finally shows up.

1:47 p.m. There’s the crowd again. 3rd and 2 for Tampa Bay and yet they still converted. We’re only up two touchdowns, lest we forget.

1:49 p.m. Tracy Porter just pulled the ball out of thin air and blows the roof off! What a pick in the endzone—Saints football!

1:55 p.m. Crowd now doing the wave. Color me disgusted.

2:04 p.m. End of the third quarter. I thought The Moment may show up after the third quarter. Nope.

2:12 p.m. Buccaneers score. The crowd is really down now. I’m starting to wonder if The Moment decided not to come at all today…

2:21 p.m. In a disgustingly strange moment, Colston’s fumble with nine minutes to play has actually put new life into the crowd. The Dome is rocking against, finally.

2:27 p.m. 4th and inches for Tampa Bay. Crowd is absolutely electrifying. The Bucs snap the ball, and the Saints get into the backfield for the stop! Saints ball!

Wait.

Tampa Bay called a suspicious timeout. Now the Saints are going to have to try it again.

2:29 p.m. And Charles Grant makes his second huge play of the day! He knocks down Freeman’s pass and gives the ball back to the Saints! I can feel The Moment coming!

2:39 p.m. Offense does nothing here. The defense is going to have to win the game today. We’re now punting on fourth and inches.

2:40 p.m. Strange series of events: one of Tampa’s defenders jumped offsides, which in turn, caused special team’s o-lineman Kyle to jump. Instead of an encroachment call for the first down, it’s a false start. This caused the crowd to go nuts.

(Side note: After looking at the replay, I think it was a good call. I didn’t at the time, of course, but that’s what happens when you’ll sell your soul for The Moment.)

2:41 p.m. And a special teams collapse for the ages ties the football game 17-17.

2:41 p.m. I'm pretty sure this isn't the team we want to be in the playoffs. Understatement, much?

2:42 p.m. Awesome 3rd down play by Drew to Henderson to respond. Henderson made a circus catch on the play.

2:46 p.m. Offense still stagnant. Just as a note, it WAS 17-3 through three quarters. We've been playing "not to lose" football.

2:48 p.m. New Orleans algebra equation: Wide open field + Reggie Bush = 15 yard gain.

2:52 p.m. The Saints keep driving. The Moment must have pulled into the parking lot! Robert Meachem with a great run after contact, and with nine second left, Garrett Hartley is kicking for the win.

2:54 p.m. .... And Hartley misses. We're going into overtime. This... doesn't feel right.

2:57 p.m. Tampa Bay wins the coin toss for the second time today. The Dome is now the loudest it has been so far.

3:01 p.m. Loud Dome be darned, the Bucs are moving the ball. I don't think we're getting it back.

3:04 p.m. 1st and 10 for Tampa Bay on the 35-yard line. Everybody in the house has the exact same look on their faces. Pure, unadulterated shock.

3:06 p.m. Is this it? A 45-yard field goal coming up. I think Payton is going to try to ice the kicker.

3:07 p.m. Field goal is good. No time out. This game is over. The Moment never came.

3:10 p.m. Tampa Bay has won 20-17 after scoring all its points unanswered. This one hurt like few others.

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When this game ended, The Saints Babe summed it up best: "At no point today did I think we would lose. And we did." I think 70,021 people had the exact same thought. How could our team disappoint today so badly? The crowd deserved better from its team, and didn't get it.

It was a strange, strange phenomenon. The Moment never came today because it wasn't supposed to. Now, if the Saints win next week, or if the Vikings lose, it will be 55 people celebrating on the field or in the locker room. Not 70,021. We deserved that, Saints. Who Dat Nation deserved it today, and we didn't get it. We've believed in you all year long, and we didn't get it.

We've been wronged, and the only right is giving us a Superbowl Championship. These past two weeks will be forgotten, I can assure you.

Make it up to us, New Orleans.

Please.

Make it up to us.

Lil’ Lagniappe: Bonus Mail Time

Couldn’t resist. Had a few more e-mails to add before the Tampa Bay game. All these questions came from the same account, but they were nice enough to leave their real, different names. Oh, and Merry Christmas Eve.

Am I clinically insane for taking this loss so hard? I mean, it's not just that we lost. Sure, we wanted 19-0. As Drew Brees said, some of us felt entitled to it. Like the city deserved it. The region deserved it. The players owed it to the fans. But the signs of a loss were there. I'm glad it happened during the season and not in the playoffs. But to the Cowboys? Really? Of all the teams to lose to, the Dallas frakkin Cowboys? Am I crazy to think that I would rather lose to the Falcons, Bucs or Panthers than to Dallas? I know it's not a divisional rivalry, but I certainly HATE "America's Team"!

Sincerely,
Every La. resident who doesn't live in Shreveport

Look, you’d rather have your first loss in December than in January if given the choice. And say what you will, but this may be the best thing that happens to this team before all is said and done now that the undefeated monkey is off its back.

My favorite part of this whole thing-- Guess who benefits the most from the loss Saturday? Everyone in the Superdome for the Tampa Bay game, including yours truly. Think about it: if you win against Dallas, which would have been nice, of course, you would have wrapped up your division by default after the Vikings laid a giant dog turd against Carolina. Don’t get me wrong, the chance to go 19-0 was more important at the time, but now you can do something incredibly special for your home crowd Sunday.

Don’t think the Saints don’t know this. And Tampa Bay more than likely knows this, too. The Bucs have shown some life recently, but I don’t think it will be enough to stop the Saints from rolling at home this weekend. It’s made me 1,000x more excited to do the Time Line next week.

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Since you will be in the Superdome this weekend for the Saints' game against Tampa, please tell Jermon Bushrod thanks for me. That dude made me and Anthony Spencer look like we were rushing against East Jefferson High School. Oh, also remind him that I had suffered a neck injury the week before and was only about 85 percent when I destroyed him. Don't you think the Saints need some help at left tackle in the playoffs, especially if they see me and my teammates again?

DeMarcus,
Arlington

First of all, DeMarcus, I’m floored you even suited up. I watched the hit you took last week and thought your whole defense was going to be suspect. Kudos to you for playing even though your status was 50/50 48 hours before kickoff. I hate giving any Cowboys credit, so after this graph I’m through. But I’m glad you’re okay.

Now…

Let’s get back to Jermon Bushrod. I truly hate it for this kid. You’re asking a tackle from Towson to step in and find a way to play on a line for an undefeated team that has played without its stud (Jamaal Brown) and not have a bad game. Yeah, he made you look like a pro-bowler, and in all honesty, after that performance, you should be. Crap, I just complimented a Cowboy again. Let’s move on before there’s a Miles Austin Fathead in my “office” room next to Drew Brees.

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Is Sean Payton schizophrenic? It seems his play-calling can be so hot and cold. I know the Saints fell behind 14-0 early, and they tried to play catch up all game. I'll grant you the argument that the offensive line just didn't get any push off the line of scrimmage, but Payton can't expect his team to win without any balance in the playcalling. Drew Brees threw the ball 45 times. Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush combined for 11 carries. Repeat, ELEVEN CARRIES! You cannot win games in the National Football League like that. One of the reasons the Saints offense has been so dynamic this year is how well they have run the football. Can someone please drill that into Payton's head so he'll remember it every week?

Bobby J,

Baton Rouge

To be honest, I have to blame the defense foremost for this. When you’re playing from behind, your first instinct is to throw the ball to try to play catch-up as quickly as possible. I can’t blame the play calling entirely, except for the fact that Payton and company forgot that they’ve played from that far behind and beyond a larger portion of the season than we’d all like to remember.

Actually, you know what? Scratch what I just said. Down 14-0 when you’re the 2009 New Orleans Saints means you actually have a ten-point lead. Payton strayed from what had worked all season: a delicate balance of run and pass that he neglected in 2007 and 2008. We’re so quick to recognize Sean Payton as an offensive genius that it takes a look at the final box score before we really see what went wrong. A 45-pass, 11-rush scenario is not going to win in the postseason, much less the Superbowl. I hope the Saints’ coaching staff realizes this before it’s too late. These next two games against Tampa Bay and Carolina should help get the team and the fan base some confidence back.

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Love the columns. Tell all those stupid bandwagon fans to either fully support this team or stay the hell away. We're still 13-1, still the top team in the NFC and still on our way to winning a Super Bowl.

Rachel,
Metairie

I’ll say this: it’s been over 40 long years of wandering in the wilderness so I’ll take whatever fans we can get in Who Dat Nation. I’m sorry if this upsets diehards, but it’s sadly true. Let's keep churning out as many fans as possible without thinking we're invincible. If you don’t believe me, ask the Baltimore Colts, Seattle Sonics, Cleveland Browns 1.0, etc., …

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Just wanted to send you a personal apology after last week. After showing signs of life again in the win over Atlanta, I busted a big 30-yard run up the middle (no dancing and I ran hard), caught a pass for a first down and even fielded a punt without running backward. But I tweaked a hammy and was done for the night. Sorry that I again reverted to being an injury-prone softie. Please forgive me Who Dat Nation!

R.B.,

The Big Easy via San Diego

To answer your question first: we’ll forgive you after you promise to play the same way against us when you sign with the Dallas Cowboys for a 6-year, $70 million contract during the upcoming uncapped offseason.

Honestly, R.B., I’m at a loss as to what to do with you. Seeing you in someone else’s uniform will hurt a lot more than, say, Joe Horn suiting up for the Falcons. But you’re going to want more money than you’re entitled to, and that makes me sad. I understand the NFL is a business, but you won’t find any green pastures anywhere else right now. I hope you’re here for the long run, but not if it’s going to break our bank. There are a lot of other guys that we need to pay before we can pay you, plain and simple.

Of course, I’ll look forward to your 4 touchdown, 170 all purpose-yard performance Sunday against the Buccaneers to make me eat my words.

December Whispers of Treachery: Coming Down Off the Ledge

The Saints Guy is an avid TV watcher.

Sports, sitcoms, dramas; you name it, and I’ve probably watched it a time or two.

And since you asked, my top five favorite TV characters of all time in no order are Larry David, George Costanza, Don Draper, Dwight Schrute, and Hank Hill. (Side note: and even though I said top five earlier, I’m adding the entire casts of “Arrested Development” and “30 Rock” because it’s my blog. So there.)

In one of the better Seinfeld episodes, which I've watched thousands of times, George devises the idea to combine his three favorite things (food, TV, and sex) into one. Naturally, this doesn’t work- his relationship fails and causes him to utter this famous line: “I flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami.” George’s problem? He tried taking on three things when his focus should have been on one. Do I have to explain it any further how this parallels to the Saints?

We all went to bed Saturday night and woke up Sunday morning with the same sinking feeling in our stomachs. And I can’t help myself… I have to point a finger and put the blame on someone: this one is on us. Every Saints fan. We shouldn’t blame the team as much as we should blame ourselves for how we feel right now.

To be honest, I was as guilty as anybody else. I kept dropping the company line to everybody about how I was only concerned about home-field advantage when deep down I wanted 19-0 really badly.

And why not? We’ve had four decades of incompetence, poor luck, and bad decisions. It took two decades after the team was founded to finally have a winning record. Two decades. What better way to break away from a foundation of losing than doing the impossible 19-0?

Before you ask, by the way, yes, yes, yes, I know: nothing—repeat NOTHING— we do as fans has any actual effect on the team on the field, but it needs to be said that if we’re upset or feeling bad over a loss, we can’t pin it all on to what happened in the Dome Saturday.

Guys, we’ve won two playoff games in four decades of service. Those two wins didn’t come in the same postseason. The last time we sniffed the Superbowl, Reggie Bush was doing a front flip into the end zone at Soldier Field in the 2007 NFC Championship Game. I don’t have to tell you how euphoric we felt that day when we had the lead, and how low we felt after Chicago ended up winning.

That was the last time we were close. And it was the first time we’ve ever tasted a Superbowl. Just like that it was gone.

Is it gone now? Certainly not. Yes, this team has some holes and seems narcoleptic in the first half of games. We have a run defense that is suspect, and the Cowboys proved this weekend that a good pass rush can disrupt our fluid offense. So it begs to be asked: why are so many people devastated right now over our first loss of the 2009 season?

Look at it this way: in September, I ended up in a chat with ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas who covers the NFC South. This was our brief exchange:

Saints Guy

Pat -- Why is everyone set on the Saints at 3rd in the division when the D is clearly upgraded and the schedule is stupid easy for the most part? I'm smelling anywhere from 13-3 to 10-6.

Pat Yasinskas

Could happen. I think a lot of experts are just hesitant because of last two years. But Saints should be better.

I remember typing that message on my computer being ecstatic about the thought of going 10-6 and getting into the playoffs. Now? We’re sulking this week at 13-1. We wanted perfection so badly that we’ve taken our eyes off of what’s important. What’s 19-0 without the most important part? It’s 18-1 with a Superbowl loss. We need the Lombardi Trophy first before we should EVER talk perfection.

And that’s the beauty of what the upcoming postseason could bring. The Saints’ future is still in their hands. I purposely waited until two days after to see what would happen with Carolina and Minnesota. Sure enough, the underachieving Panthers handed the Vikings their third loss of the season meaning we didn’t lose any ground this weekend with the Dallas loss. We have that same Carolina team and Tampa Bay left on the schedule. One more win—just ONE more win—and we ensure home-field advantage in the post season.

And a few after that? We'll forget the Cowboys game in a heartbeat.

What we need the Saints to do now is figure out what it will take to win the Superbowl. What they need us to do now is give them the same standing ovation everyday the Dome gave them after the Cowboys game was over.

Come back off the ledge, people. It only hurts because it’s the Cowboys, I swear.

Coming up: The Saints Guy will attempt a Time Line of Sunday’s Tampa Bay for his next blog since he will be in the Superdome as New Orleans tries to clinch home-field advantage against the Bucs.

The Inaugural Mail Time

This is one of the posts I’ve been waiting for: the first Saints Guy mail time where I answer some reader e-mail. (Side note: Yes, it’s Bill Simmons-like, but his is a mail “bag,” while mine is mail “time.” HUGE difference.)

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I'm sure by now you've seen the story of my TV on YouTube (if you haven't, go here). Just a couple of questions for you, Saints Guy: 1) Am I a disgrace to all Louisianians? 2) Do you have a TV I can borrow to watch this week's game? 3) Of all the teams to put my TV on the line to beat the Saints -- hey, it's not THAT crazy to think the Saints would lose; after all, they're the Saints -- why in the world would I choose the Redskins?
Wayne A. Spring,
Albany, La.

Wayne,

I (and everybody else in Who Dat Nation) am still trying to figure out some things. I’ve replayed your YouTube video like the Zapruder film and still have a few burning questions.

1) Did you make this deal before the game?
2) Like your e-mail said, why in the world would you choose the Redskins?
3) How do you know so many people with so many types of guns?

I’ll be honest (and I just watched the video again), you should have been the one shot for allowing those three things to line themselves so perfectly together that you lost your TV in the process. Let’s move on before I get a couple of those guns myself.

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With the emergence of Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell as one of the most dynamic rushing tandems in the league, and Reggie Bush's disturbing inability to remain healthy or productive, is it time for the Saints to cut ties with their supposed franchise saver? And where would you rank Reggie among all-time busts? Sure, he's no Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell, but the Houston Texans are looking smarter and smarter every day.

Joseph A. Bank,
Hampstead, Maryland

Other busts you forgot to mention: Tim Couch, Charles Rogers, Akili Smith, David Carr, and Matt Leinhart, to name a few. Other busts from basketball you forgot to mention: Greg Oden, Omeka Okafur, Kwame Brown, and Michael Olawakandi. (And those basketball players are just from the past decade.)

It’s a stretch to call Reggie a bust in the grand scheme of things. Let’s be honest, ANY TIME Reggie is on the field, he’s a matchup problem. Even if 1 out of 15 plays by Reggie is an explosive play, he’s still going to cause defenses to look his way.

Now, if Reggie had gone to nearly ANY other team, he’d be a bust. I’ll explain why New Orleans taking Reggie was the best thing that happened to him by going team-by-team of until we reach his ideal “would-be” scenario in the draft (minus Houston, who had already made their selection) and see where he could have ended up.

3rd: Tennessee Titans – No way Reggie lands here. Tennessee needed a quarterback and stricter hand gun laws when they drafted Vince Young.

4th: New York Jets – Reggie would have been the feature back on this Jets team. The only running back barely memorable from the ’06 Jets? Leon Washington (not knockin’ him, but I’m pretty sure he’s not making Canton). So, what we now know of Reggie, he would have had to shoulder the load solo. Would not have panned out well.

5th: Green Bay Packers – This system may have actually worked. Reggie would have shared the burden with Ahman Green, but the Packers needed some D.

6th: San Francisco 49ers- Here’s where the ideal scenario for Reggie would have been if New Orleans had passed on him. SoCal, Frank Gore in the back field, and Reggie getting to work reps and having a lighter work load. Reggie could have thrived in San Fran.

That said, I think having Deuce for that first year was the best situation for him. Deuce was such a great sport about it, even though at the time he was basically grooming who everybody thought was going to be his replacement. Because of this, Reggie was able to progress at his own pace and even finishing with 88 receptions on the year (5th in the NFL).

Should New Orleans have tried something else in retrospect? Probably not… it would have been a mistake to pass on a potential playmaker like Reggie after going 3-13 and through a terrible hurricane.

To sum it up, Reggie, I’m happy you’re here, but I’m hoping there’s some more from you in the future.

(Side note: Don’t worry, Mr. Bank. Reggie will still be the spokesman for your golden-toe socks even if he’s selling you insurance in a couple of seasons.)


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With the Saints secondary hurting -- maybe that's not the right word, dying? on life support? -- are you concerned as the playoffs near. Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter and Randall Gay are all banged up at cornerback, while Mike McKenzie has been brought back from the grave. Leigh Torrance is on injured reserve. It's basically rookie Malcolm Jenkins, the aforementioned Mummy McKenzie and third-year player Marcus McCauley, who just joined the team. Oh, and there's backup safety Usama Young, who was so bad at corner that the Saints switched his position. Should the Saints dig up some more bodies -- maybe Darrell Green has some life left in his legs, or Deion Sanders, or even Saints fans' worst fear, Jason David? What about me?

Chris McAlister
Pasadena, Calif.

First of all, I love the nickname Mummy McKenzie. Second, I’m pretty certain that we knew how bad the secondary was hurting after Chris Redman threw for 700 yards the other day. But don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that you came to help and did what you could, even though your facemask and horse collar penalties got you cut. Bottom line, we need Greer and Porter back by the playoffs, and even though the mummy has shown some flashes of greatness.

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Have I done enough to shut up you, your entourage and the entire Who Dat Nation that wants to put bags over their heads when I enter the game?

R.B.,
The Big Easy via San Diego

Ah, I see you saw the earlier e-mail. You must have sent that after the Falcons game. You’ll get there… just move north and south instead of east and west on punts and protect the frackin’ fooball. Moving on…

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Be honest: Every time you made a flatulence joke during your most recent post you thought about me, didn't you?

Hoss

(Nodding furiously.)

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I'm feeling your dissertation coming after this question. What is more telling -- just how good Drew Brees has been in his four years at the helm in New Orleans, now that he's the all-time leading TD passer in franchise history; or the fact that he passed Aaron Brooks in order to get that honor? I mean, really, AB had his moments. All-time TD leader until Sunday, led team to first playoff victory, yada, yada, yada. But he's more remembered for throwing the ball BACKWARDS than FORWARDS, and he absolutely destroyed the career of the greatest coach in United Football League history!

Jim,
Orlando

Having Drew Brees overtake Aaron Brooks as the Saints’ all-time greatest passer is like finding a cure for herpes. He’s completely gone and out of our lives now. No more flare-ups!

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Must agree with your shoutout about Jon Vilma saving the game against the Falcons. He's been a man since coming to the Big Easy. Had a great career in New York -- Defensive Rookie of the Year, led NFL in tackles in '05 and solid in '06 before being put on IR in '07. Is that injury one of the best things to ever happen to the Saints? Seriously, what was Mangini thinking? Vilma can fit in ANY system. Represent the U! I mean, he's a great player. It's safe to (edited Mangini nickname for taste, even though it was hilarious) is a douche. Is that not the best trade? Jon Vilma for a 4th-rounder in '08 and a 3rd-rounder in '09. What a steal!

JPV,
The U

JPV,

I love you, you know that. I sang your praises last week, and I hope I’m singing more of them in the coming weeks. But let’s be honest: Drew’s hurt shoulder in 2005 for San Diego was 1,000 times better than yours. Let’s review this scenario and the all-time what could have been:

1. The Saints finish 3-13 in 2005 and lock up the second overall draft pick.
2. At the time, the Chargers finally decided it was time to hand the reins over to Rivers and get rid of Drew.
3. Saints fans had been talking themselves into the Matt Leinart era which was going to begin since, naturally, everyone knew at the time it was going to be Reggie Bush No.1, Matt Leinart No.2.
4. Drew is trying out for Nick Saban’s Dolphins at this point, and it’s down to Brees and Dante Culpepper.
5. The doctors don’t give good feedback to the ‘Phins and they go with Culpepper, and give Drew a couple of hours before they announce it so he doesn’t lose any leverage with New Orleans.
6. The Saints end up signing Drew to a six-year $60 million deal.

We saw what happened after that. Had the Dolphins signed Drew, there’s no way Saban leaves for Alabama and the Crimson Tide are not playing in the BCS National Championship. There’s really no telling what the Saints would have done. Given the fact that the backups for Brooks at the time were Todd Bouman and J. T. O’Sullivan, the probably would have had to draft a “franchise” quarterback, and as we’ve seen, Matt Leinart is not that guy.So thank you, Nick Saban. Your professional incompetence has helped put us at 13-0 right now. I’m so thankful for that, I’m almost willing to cheer for the Tide next month.




Cough.

Almost.

Keep the e-mails coming at saintsguy@gmail.com.