Let’s move on to the questions from our fake e-mailers. There’s a vat of acid that I may or may not jump into afterward.
Have you ever seen Sean Payton call a more tentative game than he did in the second half against Tampa Bay? With a three-score lead, at home, with home-field in the playoffs on the line, it's like Payton was playing not to lose rather than showing his usual killer instinct. At least, that's what my daddy slurred after he had a couple of six-packs in him.
T-Bob,
Baton Rouge
I was at this game, and I tweeted (That’s the word, right? Tweeted?) many times in the second half that both sides of the ball were playing not to lose. And I kid you not, 70,021 people had the exact same look on their faces just like I wrote this past week. It was one of the lowest points I’ve felt in a long time with a sporting event involved.
You know what shored this theory up for me? A couple of 4th-and-inches plays for the offense where we elected to punt. Never mind the punt return; just the thought that a 13-1 team couldn’t get that extra foot or two against a 2-12 team is not good for a team going into a tough, tough NFC playoff in the next couple of weeks.
And our answer this week is to rest our super-duper star quarterback and not try to get any momentum back when we need it more than anybody… Hold on, the Vikings are calling and saying they’ve only won one out of their last four games and may not even get a first round bye. Guess the grass isn’t necessarily greener.
Is the problem with the Saints offense as simple as missing Jeremy Shockey? I know you love my pops, founder of the square hamburger and 7-yard curl route catcher extraordinaire, but is Shockey's ability to create mismatches on linebackers in the slot and go vertical hampering the offense? Can we safely assume New Orleans will resume scoring 35 points per game upon his return, after averaging only 17 in his absence?
Melinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas Morse
Columbus, Ohio
Let me break this down into terms from “The Wire.” Jeremy Shockey is best compared to Avon Barksdale, the criminal mastermind of the West Baltimore projects—a man that is totally dangerous and not to be messed with. Your father, David Thomas, seems more like D’Angelo Barksdale—a very talented and smart lieutenant, but not quite “The Man” like his uncle Avon.
Where would this rank Jim Mora, you ask? Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons. (This makes PERFECT sense if you remember Jim Mora.)Have you thought that maybe YOU are the one to blame for the Saints' slump? After all, the Saints were 12-0 and storming their way to the perfect season when YOU decided to resurrect this blog after an 18-month absence. Why of all times did you choose now to mess with perfection? The Sports Guy, Los Angeles
First of all, to get a fake e-mail from you ranks almost as high as the emotions I felt on my wedding day. A lot of crying and throwing up.
Seriously, though, we ended up winning that Atlanta game, which made me think that this all isn’t my fault after all. Are the football gods angry that I created this blog then neglected it for 18 months until my team starting being overly successful? Or was it just time for the Saints to lose? Will this end up being a good thing? Am I trying to break a record for most question marks in one paragraph??????????????
(I think that did it.)
I'd like to introduce myself since we've never met. I'm Matt Moore. I'm sure you hadn't heard of me before a couple of weeks ago. I was one of several mediocre QBs at UCLA before deciding I was wasting away playing in the shadow of USC's golden arms. Ended up as a two-year starter for Mike Riley at Oregon State. Went undrafted and went through the preseason with the Cowboys before being waived and picked up by the Carolina Panthers. Saw my first action against the Saints in October of '07 and some more action that December after an injury to Jake Delhomme and crappy performances by David Carr and Vinny "Will I Ever Die?" Testaverde. Backed up Jake all of last year, and with him absolutely sucking this year, all of a sudden I'm 3-1 as a starter, including back-to-back upsets of the Vikings and the Giants. Now your Saints are coming to town, and even though home field is locked up, I'm sure they don't want to go into the playoffs on a 3-game losing streak, and I bet you wish your old buddy Jake was taking snaps instead of me, don't you?
Matt Moore
Charlotte, N.C.
Pat yourself on the back, Matt—you’ll officially be the guy who got Jake Delhomme cut. What surprises me is that you’re NOT the guy who got John Fox fired. In a “what-can-you-do-for-me-yesterday” league, how does John Fox survive having never had back-to-back winning seasons? Mike Shanahan won two Superbowls and currently needs a job… this makes my head spin.And you may get even luckier next season, Matt, since it’ll be Fox’s turn for a winning year.
(Which makes me secretly sick because I, and everyone else, realize that this HAS to be the year the Saints win the big one. Hold on a second while I tie these jumper cables to my nipples.)
It's your #1 fan/foe (hey, I have an identity crisis sometimes) again. With our second straight loss, it's looking all but sure that my boy #9 won't get MVP or Offensive Player of the Year (hello Peyton and Chris Johnson). But don't you think that D-Sharp has been the Defensive Player of the Year? Yeah, there are some good candidates out there. Patrick Willis is a man child for the 9ers. Elvis don't call me Dumb-ervil is running away with the sacks title. And Darrelle Revis doesn't have the stats because basically nobody even challenges him anymore. But D-Sharp has been amazing. Tied for the league lead with 7 picks. His 3 pick-6s and 376 INT return yards lead the league. He's been a run stopper, too, with 77 total tackles as a free safety. He's been the stabalizing force in a secondary that has been hampered by nagging injuries. And his arrival has helped turn around what quite simply has been a mediocre and underachieving defense for years.
R.B., The Big Easy via L.A. and San Diego
I dare say Darren FRACKIN’ Sharper should have the right credentials for the award, but he sort of petered off after an excellent start. He had four INTs through four games with two pick-sixes. In weeks 6 through 16, he’s had three interceptions. True, it’s difficult to keep up such a high pace going (ask Elvis), but hopefully he’s done enough so far. Gun to my head, I think he’s the guy.
(Wait, no, Vince Young, I didn’t mean that literally!)
Anyhow, since Drew’s sitting, I’m going to have to count on the D to win the Carolina game tomorrow. And our man D-Sharp is going to have to be the man in that game. Here’s hoping the regular season ends with a W… heaven knows three L’s would be difficult to overcome, even with dome field advantage. With that, I bid you adieu.
(Editor's note: D-Sharp is sitting as well against Carolina today. Guess the Saints know something we don't about momentum heading into the playoffs...)
