Saints Super Bowl - Party On

Yes, I have been remiss in my duties, unable to post while the New Orleans saints rolled through to their first Super Bowl appearance and a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Sorry, duty called.

But now that I've got a minute to get a few lines down on paper I'd like to do it. This win puts the Saints in the spotlight in a hugely positive way. For over 40 years this franchise has struggled with the "pathetic loser" tag, bumbling their way to heartrbreak and sorrow for the Crescent City. Sure, we've had a few good years, a couple of playoff wins, and that was sweet. But somehow at the end the Saints and their fans always tasted the bitter gall of defeat. But no more.

The New Orleans Saints rode their way to a 13-0 record, stumbled at the end with three losses, but still held it together at the end. A battering of the Arizona Cardinals, then a fingertip and brutal win over the Minnessota Vikings, put New Orleans in their first Super Bowl. Incredibly, the feeling that "I don't care in the Saints win, I'm just glad we got there" wasn't an uncommon thing around the city.

Baloney! What's the use of getting ther if not to win? Fortunately Drew Brees and the rest of the New Orleans Saints felt the same way. After falling down 10-0 New Orleans rallied for a 31-7 stretch, capped off with the Tracy Porter interception that sealed the deal. The city of new Orleans gets to celebrate Mardi Gras along with an NFl Championship. It's gonna be one heck of a party.

Vikings and Saints Showdown - Let It Rip

This NFC Championship has a lot going for it. Both the Saints and Vikings have been leaders all year and home field advantage was at issue until late in the season. Both Minnesota and the Saints had some stumbles along the way, with New Orleans having the most glaring failure with three straight losses.

But both the Vikings and Saints recovered nicely in the playoff, with Minnessota crushing the Dallas Cowboys and the Saints stomping the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. Both teams are relatively healthy and both have potent offenses and respectable defenses.

More obvious is the importance of the quarterback position. These are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now and both have huge incentives to move on to the Super Bowl. Drew Brees has had a Pro Bowl year with freakishly efficient stats. Brett Favre has also been efficient and put up better numbers than he ever has. This game could boil down to which quarterback gets enough protection to work his magic.

I've looked at all this stuff for a week now and it seems to me that this game could go either way on a neutral field. The big advantage goes to the Saints playing at home in the Superdome. Minnesota will have to jump out big to shut up the crowd and that's going to be difficult. Advantage Saints and I can't wait till Sunday to let it rip.

Vikings vs Saints Tickets - Beating the Vikings

The New Orleans Saints are ready to play in their biggest home game ever. The NCF Chamionship in New Orleans has been building for 18 weeks and now it's here. The Superdome is going to be rocking. But what do the saints have to do to beat the Vikings?

The thing that stands out in my mind is the way the Vikings manhandled Tony Romo. The thought of Drew Brees undergoing that kind of punishment scares me. Minnessota's defensive line is awesome and they're going to ne hard to stop. Two things will work in the Saints favor. First of all I think Sean Payton will devise a scheme to keep the pressure off of Drew Brees. That means extra help against Jared Allen and a healthy dose of a running game. Even if running the ball isn't paying off you've got to do it. Secondly, I don't expect a lot of long pass plays downfield. That takes time and keeping Brees in the game is a priority. Do these things and the offense should put up points, especially if the running game kicks into high gear.

Reggie Bush is also a big factor. If he's been held back for the playoffs and is ready to break out he'll be a big plus. Fromn the way he looked against the Cardinals I think Bush is ready to deliver another solid if not spectacular game. One big play plus steady production could change the game.

Defensively we've got to stop Brett Favre with a huge pass rush. I know Adrain Peterson is there but he hasn't been that great of late. The Vikings have moved to making Favre the centerpiece of the offense. Hit him and he'll toss some picks. That was eveident in the Dallas game, the Cowboys just couldn't take advantage of it.

Finally, a rocking Superdome will make Vikings vs Saints one of the most memorable games ever. Home field advantage is huge and in the Superdome it's going to be hard for Minnessota to communicate. Fans need to be LOUD and they need to be smart.

Panthers vs Saints Tickets - Finishing Strong by Resting

Well the New Orleans Saints have stumbled their way to 13-2. Obviously this was not what we envisioned. After falling to the Dallas Cowboys in Prime Time, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked like an easy way to right the ship. But the Bucs didn't cooperate, topping the Saints in overtime.

Looking at the last few games the Saints are in trouble heading into the playoffs. Losses to Tampa Bay and Dallas, along with weak performances againts the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins, have exposed the weakness of the New Orleans Saints. If you can run the ball you can beat the Saints. If you can rush the passer you can slow down a sputtering Saints offense.

So what are the saints to do? In my opinion they need to get the defense healthy during the bye weeks by resting players. They need to get the offense clicking in practice but rest the injured starters. They also need to throw out the old playbook, evaluate tendencies, and let this Carolina Panthers game fall by the wayside if need be.

Saints Tickets - Reviewing the Saints Season Part 1

It's always interesting to take a look back at your trhoughts early in the season. here's a look at the beginning of the 2009 Saints season and links to my previews prior to each game.



Lions vs Saints - The debut of Matt Stafford and the beginning of a historic Saints season

Eagles vs Saints - Here's where it began to look like the Saints were for real. They passed their first big test on the road against a quality opponent, beating the Philadelphia Eagles on the road 48-22

Bills vs Saints - I remember watching this one from Korea, thinking the Bills were going to be a good team. Turns out they aren't but the Saints are. Saints 27 Bills 7

Jets vs Saints - Here's where things begin to get interesting. The Jets were undefeated at the time and looking good. They left defeated. Saints 24 Jets 10

Giants vs Saints - Here's where the Saints buried the doubts of their skeptics. The New York Giants were 5-0 coming into the Superdome and left whipped, never to be the same team.