For about 16 hours The New Orleans Saints were undefeated
during 2017.
Then their season resumed and came to a
merciful end with them being totaled outclassed by the hated Atlanta Falcons 38
– 32. Yea, it wasn’t really that close.
The Saints defense has been improving for the last few
weeks. However, they came into the soon
to be imploded Georgia Dome and played like The Walking Dead for the first half
as Atlanta’s vastly superior team speed was electrifying. Giving up 5
touchdowns in the first half is getting your every weakness exposed. It’s not Roman Harper’s fault that he’s
covering Julio Jones.
Then in the second half the defense settled down and only
allowed 3 points as the Saints began their comeback. It made for the kind of late dramatics that
Saints fans have become used to, as slow starts were all to frequent for them
this year. I’ll say this. They don’t quit. But the tank wasn’t full enough and down they
went, and on to the playoffs the Falcons go.
Should we watch the playoffs with Atlanta appearing to be the most
balanced NFC team?
So, for three straight seasons the Saints finish 7 – 9. Yet, the reality is, this was a better 7 – 9 than
the last two years. Early special team’s
miscues cost the Saints at least 3 games.
By the finale they were playing third string cornerbacks who didn’t even
go through spring training. It could have been worse.
Here were the year’s highlights:
Drew Brees was Drew Brees
Michael Thomas turned out to be a real replacement for
Marques Colston – he’s got stardom coming.
Once first round draft pick Sheldon Rankins healed from a
broken leg he looked like a solid building block for the defensive line,
joining…
Nick Fairly, who was outstanding, and Cameron Jordan who
played well.
P J Williams and Delvin Breaux appear to have a future as
cornerbacks, assuming they can recover from injury-plagued seasons.
Wil Lutz should hold down the kicker job for several years to come.
Even “straight-line” Ingram played his best half year of
football in a Saints uniform.
The problems on defense are not unfamiliar. The Saints will draft 11th and if
they can somehow turn that into 3 defensive studs, maybe the Saints will take
their turn at the top of an extremely competitive division.
Now the conjecture about Sean Payton’s future restarts. Will he go west, to the LA Rams? Will Doug Marrone come back and take his
place? How much tread is left on Brees’
tires? What happens when Tom Benson is
no longer around? Will we fall for the
pre-season hype again, or have we learned that the Saints are just, like the
New York Jets or Buffalo Bills meant to occupy “the middle?”
Who will win the Super Bowl?
My current prediction – Steelers 33 Falcons 32. What’s yours?
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