Coach Payton,
Some congratulations are in order for:
First, starting out 7-0, matching the Saints best start ever.
Second, for surviving the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.
Third, for extracting a pretty good performance out of Reggie Bush last night. He was the only running back that didn’t lay the ball on the ground, he scored his 16th touchdown as a pro (not bad for a bust), and did a great job picking up some blitzes. He also didn’t taunt. Good job – gotta hand it to him when he does good.
And fourth, for winning another game where one could argue the Saints were outplayed.
At your press conferences you talk about things you need to “clean up,” and let me start with some suggestions:
First, Pierre Thomas’ dancing. His touchdown was indeed a nifty run. However, it didn’t merit an entire dance video. As his celebration went on forever the referee, rightfully playing the role of a judge on “So you think you can dance,” flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct – excessive celebration and terrible simulation of the movie “This is It” which he must have seen the night before. Please explain to the team that if they are still playing in February they can dance the whole f****** Thriller video if they want, but until then we’ll do the dancing in the stands. Just be like Colston – hand the ball to the ref and go back to the bench to celebrate with your teammates. You may want to mention this to Lance Moore as well – he developed a little bit of Dance Fever last year. The reason I bring this up was that his outburst directly led to giving up enough field position that on the next possession he almost got Brees killed and the result was a touchdown for the Falcons. Not to mention the motivating effect it has on the opposition. When are you going to get this under control?
Second, the Saints got pushed around last night. It seemed that we lost enough line of scrimmage battles to remind us that football is a game of power, and we need more. Greer got mugged on the long touchdown pass, but he got overpowered and that’s not good. And let’s not even talk about what that power running back did to us.
Third, thank Jonathan Vilma. His deflection, in an otherwise lackluster performance, was a game changer.
Fourth, your team sucks at rugby. We lost 3 fumbles in the scrums last night. Not sure how you practice that, but you can bet teams are going to be poking and prodding like it’s an episode of Grey’s Anatomy from here on out.
Fourth, please explain to the NFL that the booth challenges in the last 2 minutes of a half is a stupid rule. It ensures that almost every play is a 5 minute mini-drama and referees, who must be scared to death at this point to call anything, are soon going to be an afterthought. Totally unnecessary to change the rules that exist the rest of the half. The games last longer than an episode of The View already. Please stop.
Finally, please explain to the team that the season is only getting started. The last 2 games indicate trouble down the road, but that’s ok. There’s a long way to go. Getting excited at this point, especially about an undefeated season, is like talking about a no-hitter after the first inning. Keep building and improving – we’ll be fine.
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