Roundtable discussion of the Super Bowl

RALPH:
The main thing I thought besides, "Brees would have dropped 30 on both these teams and FUCK ALEX SMITH." was if the Patriots had Robert Meachem they would have dropped 30. Good god are those receivers incredibly shitty for New England. Wes Welker is Lance Moore and I love Lance Moore but if he's your best receiver that's bad.

Just saying if they paid Chad Oco-sucko 7 million to catch 20 passes I think they might pay Meachem 5 million to catch 50.


WANG:
I absolutely hated the way Michaels and Collinsworth called everything from Bradshaw's TD on. I get it that the Giants could have run the clock and ended the game without having to give NE the ball back, and it was obvious that that's what they were planning to do if Bradshaw hadn't fallen into the end zone. And yeah, it's the Super Bowl and you've got millions of people watching who don't usually watch football so you have to explain that.

But for fuck's sake, they had just taken a 4-point lead with less than a minute remaining in the Super Bowl! And Michaels and Collinsworth were acting like they had just lost the game on some kind of colossal fuckup.

I didn't even have a dog in the hunt and it still pissed me off, they just sucked every ounce of juice out of what was pretty likely the winning score (and in fact turned out to be.) If that had been the Saints who took a 4-point lead with :57 and they'd called it as if it were the stupidest thing they possibly could have done, I'd have lost my shit. And then they harped on it pretty much until 0:00.

Sure, don't give the ball back to THE GREAT TOM BRADY if you don't have to. But it's not like the Giants have the Saints defense. Usually when you take a 4-point lead with :57 left, it's pretty likely that you've just won the game. But Collinsworth and Michaels were acting like they had just given the game away.

Just a really, really crappy way to call it. Way to piss all over THE WINNING SCORE IN THE FUCKING SUPER BOWL, assholes.


RALPH:
Agreed. It was the right play to let the Giants score but for fuck's sake it wasn't like he left a fucking toddler in a hot car.

I'm very pro letting a team score and then get the ball back and try to win because I fucking hate death by field goal. It's just fucking excruciating watching the clock melt and then hope for a fucking miracle of basically a missed extra point.

Still I completely agree about the announcing for the Super Bowl. It's almost like their target audience is my cousin who WAS super pumped for the Madonna half time.

KILL ME.


KEVIN:
1. Belichick should've told his D to let the Giants score before the 2 Minute Warning. Would've had more time and 2 timeouts for Brady to matriculate the ball down the field.

2. As much as I'd love to slay Gronkowski, I can't. If Jimmy Graham had a high ankle sprain, he'd have down roughly the same kinda shit. Maybe the Saints would've targeted him early to play up the distraction factor, but who knows?

3. Yeah, the announcing was not up to snuff overall. Collinsworth has officially been taken off my "good announcers" list. The "he makes that catch 100 out of 100 times" line fucking killed me. Give me the team of Marv Albert and Rich Gannon.

4. Saints would've hung 50 on the Pats. Not a doubt in my mind. Fuck Alex Smith. Fuck Vernon Davis. But TRIPLE FUCK Gregg Williams.

5. If you weren't moved by the Steve Gleason piece during the pregame, you have no soul. (Bonus: QUADRUPLE FUCK Ray Nagin.)

6. Madonna halftime show was so awful it was amazing. Next year: Pearl Jam or Foo Fighters or GTFO.

7. Gisele ripping the Pats WRs is PHENOMENAL. I've watched that video about 10 times already.

8. Rush Limbaugh in the Patriots box picking his nose...NO WORDS.

9. Best commercial? Clint Eastwood, followed by the Fiat ad with the hot model speaking Italian.


WANG:
Screw Gronk and his ankle. I know it’s a legit injury and all, but still. Jimmy Graham would have sucked it up and put up 100+ and a couple of TDs.

The Gleason thing was awesome, but my only complaint (and it’s a minor one) is that I didn’t think they went enough into just what a cool mofo Gleason was before the diagnosis, and continues to be after. I know they showed him skydiving recently, and maybe that’s all the time they had to make the point. I mean, hell, I’d watch an hour-long special on 37. But I realize that most people don’t care that much, and it’s the Super Bowl, time = lots and lots of $$$. So I get why they couldn’t get more in-depth with it. I guess I just really want people to get what a special dude Gleason is, and continues to be despite the ALS. Then again, I’m sure most people wouldn’t really give a fuck anyway. I know I roll my eyes and flip the channel just about any time ESPN comes with one of their tear-jerking human interest stories on Sportscenter or whatever. So yeah, I’m definitely being Irrational Saints Fan here I guess. I’m glad they took the time out to do it, and for what it was, they did a good job with it. All the ladies at our SB party were in tears. Oh, and yeah, quadruple fuck Ray Nagin indeed.

Didn’t see Madonna. Went outside and smoked a J instead. High five!

My boy’s wife was totally stoked about Madonna, and I had her going for about 3 hours... “Did you happen to see the news that leaked this morning on the internet? There’s gonna be a surprise cameo by Duran Duran. Yep, Madonna totally set the whole thing up and they’re gonna come out and do a Duran Duran medley with Madonna handling some of the vocals, then Duran Duran is gonna be her band when they do her songs.” I think her and a couple of her friends’ heads exploded. The whole first half they’re all “HOLY SHIT!!!” Told ‘em right before halftime that I made the whole thing up. Owned. Good thing they’re used to me & my boy fucking with them just for sport. And yet, they bought it hook line and sinker.

I’m glad the Giants won, I think. If for no other reason than I’m pretty sure Drew is gonna win at least one more Super Bowl. So I’d rather Eli have 2 than Brady have 4. Drew will equal the 2, and with some luck maybe even get 3. Don’t see him getting 4 though. So I’d rather Brady stay at 3 and Eli get a second, rather than Brady get a 4th. And now, I’m pretty sure Brady’s never gonna get the 4th. I think that was it. Also I have to admit that I find the whole “Eli has 2 and Peyton only has 1” thing pretty amusing. Imagine the Manning Face!!!


RALPH:
I just watched the Gleason piece on the Chronic. It was really well done and Wang I think a local NOLA station should do a an hour special on him. I did think of an idea the Saints/NFL could to raise money for him and ALS. Make Gleason jerseys and all proceeds go to Team Gleason/ALS. Obviously nationally no one is buying a 37 Gleason jersey/imitation jersey but I bet Saints fans would especially if they promoted the hell out of it.

As for the halftime show I'm in agreement with Cowherd, who said they should just get rid of it, because the NFL is so big now they don't need it to guarantee ratings or to keep people bailing at halftime.

The NFL would never do it because they love the spectacle of it.

Still, to me no act will satisfy anyone really with a 12 minute show. Madonna I thought compared to the fucking corpse of the Who was ok.

/likes Madonna what can I say


KEVIN:
Okay, when I post this chain on Hakim later, I'm absolutely bolding the "likes Madonna" part. :)

Yeah, you're right now act will satisfy everyone, but there are some acts where people might be like, "well, I don't like them, but okay, whatever." I felt that way about Prince. I'm not necessarily a fan, but the dude was good.

But if the NFL insists on digging up old acts, then I'd like to suggest CCR or MC5. Fuck, gimme Duran Duran or one of those 80s groups. I'd even settle for a horrible mish-mash of Annie Lennox, The Cult and Jesus Jones.

And the fact that WWL-TV hasn't done an hour long special on Gleason is utterly retarded. That's a fucking ratings layup locally.


WANG:
Heh. See, I thought The Who kicked ass. But that’s just me. And I admit that I’m biased. Back in the late 80s/early 90s when I went through the requisite “adolescent male classic rock phase” I really committed to it. Still listen to them every now and then, and I respect the hell out of dudes who can strut onto a stage at 80 years old and crank the amps up to 11 and rock that shit old school like it’s still 1968. Oh and there’s also the little matter of “...somewhere between Pinball Wizard and ‘Teenage Wasteland’ we decided we were going Ambush.” Yeah, little biased on those grounds as well. Think they’d have decided to go Ambush somewhere between Borderline and Vogue? Anyway, Roger Daltrey is still a total badass.

A thought just occurred to me: What if Hendrix were still around? Can you even imagine??? HO... LEE... SHIT. There wouldn’t even BE a second half.

But yeah, I guess I kinda agree with Cowherd on principle with the “just get rid of it” thing. But the league definitely loves the spectacle and all that. It’s a total “We’re the shit!” thing, and they’re right. It’s also about reeling in the ladies and making sure there’s a reason for them to be into it too. Which is why lately you usually get Madonna and Janet Jackson and Black Eyed Peas and Prince and all that. I’m not sure they’ll ever go with some act like The Who ever again, if for no other reason than it’s “too male.”

Personally, I think The Cult would be fucking fantastic. But I’m a dude. “Too male.” And even at their peak, not nearly popular/mainstream enough. Next year it’ll probably be fuckin’ Lady Gaga or some shit. Or somebody who blew up on YouTube or something. Or Cher.


ANDREW:
Oh dear Christ, Cher. I'd off myself. I pick Tenacious D. Seriously though it should be all nola bands next year. Saints in 2012 = first home game in SB history


KEVIN:
I'll add Billy Joel and Neil Diamond to the list of "old artists I'd be okay with at halftime."

Oh, and to get this partly back to football:

Does this loss "hurt" Tom Brady's legacy? I know (some) people are dogging the guy, but I don't think this hurts his legacy in so far as HOF or even legendary status. I mean, nobody was retarded enough to really compare to Joe Montana BEFORE last night's game, right?

Here's a question: If Eli Manning retired TOMORROW, would he be a HOFer? 2 SB wins (and game MVPs). He's got the postseason part of the resume covered and then some. He played pretty damn well this season. But are his regular season stats enough to go along with the rest of his resume?

If Brees retired TOMORROW, I would say yes. With Eli...I'm not so sure. And it's not like Eli has to do THAT much, either. I think if he just plays even 2 more years and puts up decent numbers, I'd say he belongs.

And anybody that wants to say "ELIte >>>>> Peyton and Brees" should be forced to watch the NFL Honors broadcast on 24-hour loop.


HANS:
next up for the NFL and their halftime super bowl show will be...ELTON JOHN


ANDREW:
If that means I dont have to ever suffer through Jeff Duncan's attempts at humor tweeting, so be it. His "like a prayer" jokes during Madonna were about as entertaining as Kardashian television.


HANS:
And in his column today, Duncan apologized for a "madonna pun" after writing "like a surgeon" but he forgot that it should have been a "Weird Al Yankovic" pun, as it was Al who spoofed "Like A Virgin" with "Like A Surgeon"


KEVIN:
Weird Al Yankovic. Book him for the halftime show.


ANDREW:
Gold!

(Photo by Jamie Squire of Getty Images)

Chaing Gang: A Boner-Inducing Rushing Attack!

Each week here at Hakim we bring together a group of Saints bloggers to discuss all things Saints during the week. Here is their email chain. This week we had Grandmaster Wang from moosedenied, Dave Cariello and Andrew Juge from Canal Street Chronicles, and Ralph Malbrough from WWLTV.com. And the boss man, Kevin Held.

RALPH:
At this point I'm not sure what's left to say. The Saints have rushed for 200 yards the last two home games. They didn't create any turnovers but they really only let Blount get loose on one long run.

I still don't trust them on the road.

I know we all had Ingramania and were pumped to get him but looking at how awful that front 7 on defense is maybe the Saints should have traded back up to get another defender.
I get they were worried about Ivory's foot and all the running back injuries

But at this point I think I'd rather have Sproles, Thomas Ivory and a 2012 #1 pick than Ingram.

This defense is going to have to be rebuilt AGAIN. New DT, new linebackers. All of it. I asked the question on the podcast and I'll ask it again, "What does this defense do well?" I think the answer is NOTHING so the question becomes what is realistic for it to do well the rest of 2011?

Maybe create turnovers or stop the run? If you could pick one what would it be?

I think I'd go turnovers and just try to ride Breesus far as you can.


WANG:
I just finished the podcast and I agree that the answer is "not a goddamn thing." Not consistently, anyway. I will say that I thought both Will Smith and Cam Jordan were killing it yesterday. Especially 91, especially in the second half. For a while there it seemed like Smith was about a half inch away from Freeman on every single snap. He was straight abusing Tampa's LT. Which was nice, but like you and Kevin were talking about, the middle was wide open all damn day. Roman Harper had a pretty decent game too.

But I still come back to the nagging feeling that yesterday was at least as much about Tampa shitting the bed like the Saints did down in Tampa, as it was about the Saints playing a particularly strong game on defense. And Blount being in his first game back off an injury explains a lot of him rushing for "only" 72 yards. Tampa looks like they might be getting dangerously close to imploding. And I do mean imploding, as in from within.

Ralph, seems you were right on about that whole home vs. away thing. Or at least other people are now coming to that conclusion too. I still think it's mostly about the Saints half-assing it a lot of the time, but that does seem to happen a lot more on the road than at home. I don't see any other explanation for the difference in the performance of both lines from week to week aside from just sometimes they half-ass it and other times they use their whole asses. I mean, you can't convince me the return of Zach Strief makes THAT big a difference. The d-line also looked like a whole different line than they usually look like, and it can't be just because Tampa was missing Jeremy Zuttah.

It still disturbs the hell out of me that these guys seem to need stupid motivational shit like the baseball bats to get it through their skulls that they can do better. The bats were cool that one time in the playoff game against Arizona, but doing it several times a year is retarded, and SHOULD be unnecessary.

Good win though. I just wonder how much of it was due to the "fact" that Tampa might very well be circling the drain at this point. They're still better than the Rams though, so we've got that going for us. I look at the rest of the schedule and I don't see an "easy" one left. Not a single one. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe they'll be able to stay "motivated" now without the need for souvenir baseball bats and shit.

Ralph, I hear you about "did we really need Ingram?" but with all due respect, hindsight. And hell, for that matter, we're still just about halfway through (assuming playoffs.) How much money are you putting down that Pierre and/or Ivory are gonna stay healthy for the next 7+ games? I suppose it could happen, and that would be great. Until yesterday, Ingram was the Saints' leading rusher, and he still leads the team in rushing TDs. We're gonna need him again before it's all over.

But, sheesh, what a thing of beauty it is when the Saints' rushing game is working like it was yesterday. Huge throbbing boner.

You're right about the defense needing to be rebuilt (again) though. And that's gonna be a tall order.


RALPH:
I think everyone underestimates how playing on the road affects the o-line. Crowd noise, snap count, etc. Plus the Saints were way behind in Tampa and St. Louis and that means teams can just tee off and forget the run. To me the best things to have on the road is good lines and the Saints have neither.

As for the Saints not needed to be motivated. NFL players need it because while Brees might be a freak and want to be the best, hall of famer, etc the majority of NFL players are just like most of us. They show up to their job, do the best the can, but do they really give a shit? Yes they want to do a good job and keep their job but they simply aren't going to be geeked every week. It's a huge part of Sean Payton's job to get them focused and motivated every week. I think overall Payton has done a fairly good job and the Saints haven't laid many turds in his 5 and a half years.

Also I think part of the Saints completely sucking in St. Louis is they didn't make any plays to build any sort of momentum until the fumble recovery. I think especially on the road somebody has to make a play to sort of get things started. A team can't get emotional unless they start playing well. If a team is flat or sleep walking the only thing that snaps them out of it is a big play.

This week will tell me everything I need to know about the Saints. Three straight road duds and it's official; 2011 is a one and done playoff game at best.

I'll be interested to see how Gregg Williams schemes to stop Michael Turner and without Porter I wonder if the CBs can hold up against Jones/White.


KEVIN:
Just so we're clear...This season is a failure if the Saints don't make the postseason. Am I correct in this?

As for the running game, I'm glad we've got Ingram. Yeah, hindsight being 20-20, etc., maybe we should've taken a LB or some other help in the secondary.

Like I said in an earlier thread, I think the Saints need to be defense specific in this draft. And yes, that means, GET A LINEBACKER. Vilma isn't going to be around forever and is already showing cracks. And Scott Shanle is Scott Shanle. Shaun Rodgers is done after this year, right? Please say "yes," somebody.

PS - Boner-inducing running games are a great thing.


ANDREW:
Yes, Rogers has a 1 year deal.

The bye week isn't necessarily coming at a great time because the Saints are fairly healthy at the moment, but it'll be nice to recharge. Show good intensity at Atlanta and then get a little break. This Atlanta game is huge. The winner of this game has a really good chance to take the division. The Saints come back from the bye to host the Giants and Lions. Those are brutal matchups. They need some leeway with a division lead and a tie breaker as insurance going up against those teams... which is why this Falcons game is a must win. They need to scratch, fight and claw like they did in Atlanta last year. This may be week 10 but it has the feel of week 17, plus it's the hated Falcons. We're not amped and hyped on it yet because of the emotion of this past weekend with LSU and the Bucs game... but trust me, by mid week this will hit all Saints fans across the head with a "holy shit, wait a minute, this game is HUGE". It's 6-3 vs. 5-3 for the division lead. If the Saints lose, they can recover. If the Falcons lose, at home, they're toast. This is the Saints' chance to bury them. I hope they take it.


RALPH:
Andrew, just saw your defensive grades. Will the Saints be better off playing Dunbar again this week and give Vilma even more rest? My initial thought was yes because Falcons have Turner but can Vilma help on Gonzales? Or I'm I completely wrong though because Gonzo will be covered by Shanle or Casillas not the middle linebacker.


ANDREW:
Vilma is typically covering backs out of the backfield. The tight end is either Shanle or Harper's responsibility depending on the coverage assignment/blitz package. Part of the reason why Dunbar fared ok against the Bucs is they didn't really have a receiving back threat with Earnest Graham injured. And still, Lumpkin was wide open a few times including once for a touchdown and Freeman missed him. Jacquizz Rodgers is a threat, but overall I think this is another favorable matchup to have Dunbar in there because you're facing a physical in between the tackles back in Turner. So overall, yes, I think the Saints are better off with Dunbar this week. Tuner isn't a big threat receiving at all. They do throw to Ovie Mughelli in short yardage and the red zone, though, so the Saints will need to keep an eye on that. I would say that Vilma is a MUCH better option when the Saints are playing backs like Matt Forte, for example. That's a horrible matchup for Dunbar.

Is it just me or is the buzz surrounding this game at a flat line? WTF? This is the Atlanta Falcons for F's sake! 6-3 @ 5-3 with the winner taking over the division lead. I mean, do games get any bigger? Can we all please start spitting fire and get more motivated? I'm not blaming us for the lack of fire, but as Saints bloggers it's on us to get the hype started. Have we forgotten what Roddy White said? Have we forgotten they signed Brett Maxie, Bobby Hebert, Morten Andersen, Joe Horn etc etc etc... Or Aaron Stecker the week of the matchup to get intel on the Saints? Have we forgotten that for 44 years this rivalry has been for the pride of the South? Have we forgotten that UNACCEPTABLE face Jerry Glanville had every time they scored points on us that to this day makes me what to take an axe to everything in my house? (ok that was psycho, sorry.) I know the LSU game last weekend took all of our collective focus but it's time to move on. This is Saints vs. Falcons baby! The most underrated rivalry in all of sports. Come on, someone give me something. Dave, tell me you're semi hard for Dave the Falconer and the Falcons "aren't that bad" to at least get my blood boiling. Wang, come up with some witty piece about how Roddy White is a crime against humanity. Kevin, rant about how Deion Sanders high stepping on the fleur de lis is forever etched into your brain akin to that time you were picked last in touch football after a girl with down syndrome. Ralph, bitch about how Olin Kreutz belongs on the Falcons. Hans, give me a hot read post about how Matt Ryan enjoys feeding strawberries naked to Joey Harrington. Come on guys. Give me something. THIS IS SAINTS-FALCONS. Is no one fired up???


RALPH:
I agree that the buzz hasn't gotten cranked up. I really think there's this attitude among the fanbase that think if the Saints just need pull their head out of their ass and not sleep walk then 2009 will be HERE ANY MINUTE.

They don't realize the 2011 Saints are in a fist fight to the death to win the NFC South. I finally accepted the 2011 Saints for what they are at halftime of the Rams game. Their shitty tendencies like no run defense, horrible line play on the road, Brees throwing picks, and defense not getting turnovers aren't bugs in the system they are FEATURES built into the 2011 version.

The whole off season theory of Franklin/Rogers upgrading the defense is a failure so far although Franklin looked good and you grading confirmed it so there is a little hope.

I guess it's sort of a good thing the fanbase has become a little spoiled and has great expectations. But come on it's TIME TO HATE THE FUCKING FALCONS, that's like 35% of the fun being a Saints fan.


WANG:
Heh. Nice. Just for the record, I believe Mughelli is on IR (???)

Hate to say it, but I think Dunbar > Vilma at this point in most situations.

I think the Penn State story is dominating most sports fans' attention right about now. Might explain a lot of the lack of being fired up about this weekend.

Personally, though? There's the Penn State thing, but also, and I can't believe I'm about to confess this... I don't have any particularly extraordinary hate for the Falcons. For me, they're just another opponent. Not really sure why, but that's always been true for me. Sure, I want them to lose at every opportunity, but it's no different from how I approach Tampa and Carolina, and back in the day the Rams & 49ers. No extra juice there just because it's Atlanta.

If Kevin Held and I ever meet face to face, he's welcome to slap me in the face for saying that. I deserve it.


RALPH:
"But come on it's TIME TO HATE THE FUCKING FALCONS, that's like 35% of the fun being a Saints fan" - well said, except the number is more like 83%.

And congratulations Wang, you've officially brought my blood to a soft boil (hehe, soft). Way to be a Roddy White lover. Dave can still raise the temp with a plug of his physical relationship with Dave the Falconer. Come on Cariello, you know you want to shout it from the rooftops.


KEVIN:
Oh, I hate the Falcons, maybe not as much as Ralph does, but I hate them for sure. Wang's right in that most of us are consumed by this Penn State thing. I just read the full indictment for the first time today....do yourselves a favor AND DON'T READ IT. Your soul will get blacker just for looking at it.

Yeah, I kinda approach the NFC South roughly the same, but the Falcons get a nod above Tampa and Carolina. The Falcons are up there with Dallas and Pittsburgh and San Francisco for me. My hate is strong.

Saints Roundtable! 09-30-11

RALPH:
As I listened to the fans next to me in the dome go bat shit crazy over the defense giving up tons of yards and points to the Texans I thought," What is realistic to expect from them every week?"

I'm not sure yesterday won't be what we get when they play elite offenses. They made redzone stops, didn't get crushed on the ground, and survived.

The offense is close to be the 2009 killing machine. Although the two injuries on the O-line could be a HUGE ISSUE.

Franklin didn't make the box score but I thought Rogers was sucking up space and Cam Jordan I definitely improving every week.

By the way, I forgot my phone charger and my phone died yesterday before the show and my wife's iPhone gets shit reception. I hope you guys ripped me a new one and I am looking forward to listening later.

WANG:

Meantime, as far as yesterday goes, I think "survived" pretty much nails it. And much like against Green Bay, I don't think it was nearly as bad as it looked. Houston was 6 of 14 on 3rd down, 1 for 5 in the red zone, only ran for 109 yards, Schaub was sacked twice and intercepted. I'm not saying it wasn't bad, because it was. But against elite offenses, "surviving" isn't a bad thing, it's a good thing. How many "elite offenses" are the Saints gonna face? Even in the playoffs. If you'd have told me before the season that the Saints D was gonna give up 75 points against Green Bay and Houston, but the Saints were gonna win one of those two games anyway, I'd have taken it. The Saints have 3 games left on the schedule against (current) top 10 offenses and they're Camrolina (x2) and Detroit.

We'll know more when the Saints play an offense that's middle of the road, rather than an outlier (to either end of the spectrum.)

For now though, I'm really REALLY pumped about the rest of the season after that game yesterday. I'll elaborate in my post tomorrow, but that was a "special" win. A season-defining win. An "I Believe!" kind of win. Shades of 2009. One of those games you look back on in January and go "That one right there was a springboard, and spoke volumes about what was to come." And maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I've got a hunch that "Team Gleason" is gonna be 2011's answer to 2009's "Doing it for the city" or whatever. The "bigger than us" thing to rally around and make special things happen.

Yep, I'm getting that 2009 feeling once again. In my pants.

And now? October. The soft underbelly of the schedule. Jacksonville, Carolina, Tampa, Indy and St Louis. Tampa is the only one I'm even remotely worried about, and I'm not all that worried about that one to be honest. I'm smelling a 5-0 October and 7-1 heading into the 2nd half riding a 7 game win streak. Shit's about to get REAL fun. Atlanta and Tampa are both looking a whole lot like fair-to-middlin' frauds already (looks like Matty Ice's deal with the devil is just about to expire) and Atlanta gets Green Bay in October, while Tampa gets Chicago and... um... the Saints. The Saints could very well be on cruise control in the NFCS by Halloween.

RALPH:

Wang, I agree with you and think Brees is in F U mode i.e. "Pay me my fucking money Loomis" Which is completely fine.

Still though the o-line could be huge problem.

While Brees is raising his price by the day, I just can't see the Saints signing Porter long term or maybe even short term.

KEVIN:

Porter needs to realize we are his best chance for another ring. And he ought to take a hometown discount. Now, if he wants to go to the Clevelands of the world, hey, no hard feelings. /Fujita'd

I absolutely DO NOT trust this defense. Yeah, we may have buckled down a couple times and kept the Houston Texans to FGs at critical moments, but if not for that moron's helmet-to-helmet hit on Breesus accidentally turning on No. 9's KILL! KILL! KILL! switch, things would have been baaaaaaaaad. The lesson, as always: fuck Kareem Jackson.

Dare I say it, but I think this offense looks BETTER than '09. Sacrilege, I know. Wang will have me drawn and quartered for sure. This defense, though? Sheesh.

And "Camrolina" TOTALLY needs to be accepted into the nomenclature. Tom Jackson ACTUALLY compared Newton to John Elway. John fucking Elway. Dude nearly lost to Blaine Gabbert, folks. Can we please wait to crown his ass?!?! Wait until the pregame show this week, I'm going to blow a fucking gasket over Gabbert being better than Newton.

And 2 things from Twitter yesterday:

1. Tom Benson NEEDS to commission a life sized statue of THE BLOCK. And it needs to go in Champions Square or--as someone on Twitter suggested--at Lee Circle. Gleason Circle, FTMFW.
2. We need a nickname for Darren Sproles. So far all I've got is ExSPROLESion.

WANG:

I wholeheartedly support the Gleason statue, wherever they want to put it. How about atop the Dome like a fuckin' hood ornament?

11 offense better than 09's: Sacrilege? Where's the sacrilege? As of now, I agree 100%. Sproles > Reggie, Pierre = Pierre, and Ingram's getting better every week. Drew is dialed in, and not even in 2009 did the Saints score 30+ in each of their first 3 games. And they played Buffalo and Detroit 2 of the first 3 in 09. The schedule has been juuuuuust a bit tougher so far this year.

The hilarious thing about it all is that it seems like half the damn fanbase is looking for the nearest exit. Already! At 2-1!

And I cannot stress this enough: The rest of the division pretty much fucking blows right at the moment. That could change of course, but Carolina's living on Cam hype right now, Atlanta seems to have lost the horseshoe they had up their ass last year, and Tampa's still not ready for primetime.

Total offense: Camrolina 7, Atlanta 19, Tampa 22
Passer rating: Cam 18 (85.1), The Great Matty Ice 23 (81.5), Freeman 27 (76.1)
Total defense: Carolina 17, Atlanta 22, Tampa 24

Yes, I know, superficial stats AND small sample size so far. But I don't have the time to go more in depth right now. Meantime, I do think it's (superficially) illustrative.

DAVE:

Haha! Hood ornament!

Thanks,
Dave
Managing Editor
Canal Street Chronicles

ANDREW:

I'm oddly not that worried about the o-line injuries. Nicks/Bushrod/Evans I'd be worried, but will the replacements really be that much worse than Kreutz/Strief? I just don't think either of those guys has been anything close to awesome yet.

The clear weakness I think is how bad our linebackers and Roman Harper are in coverage. A good receiving back and a good tight end always slay the Saints' D. That's not going to be improved... So expect that weakness to be exploited tons as the season progresses.

As awesome as that win was I just don't think the D is good enough. The backer play is very poor, Vilma included, so far. I'm sure the D will look better facing Gabbert, but they're just not enough front four or back four playmaking to make up for the horrid backer play.

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RALPH:

I'm thinking Del Rio uglies this game up and J-ville has a shot in the fourth until Blaine Gabbert acts like the rookie QB he is.

KEVIN:

I say it's close at halftime. Saints start to pull away and Gabbert gets picked trying to get the Jags back into the game.