You had mentioned earlier the Saints offense has slowed down the last couple of months. Which no doubt has happened, the numbers and points per game do not lie. Historian is explaining to you, why he feels that has happened. Giving you specific examples how those injuries have hurt the Saints offensive performance.
It certainly hits some teams harder than others. It really is amazing we made it as far as we did.
I actually didn't watch much of the NFL last year except Saints games in the playoffs. Started following more closely this year when the Saints got on a roll, but I will be perfectly happy not watching the Superbowl, and I probably won't start watching games next year unless the Saints get on a roll that looks like it could be something.
The Colts started the same 5 guys all 18 games they played this year. They were the only one. The other 31 teams all had injuries and had to shuffle their OLs during the season. Last year no NFL team went injury-free on the OL. I couldn't find any stats, numbers, going back further, but did find a comment from an NFL OL coach who said in his 10-year career he had never started the same 5 guys for all 16 games (regular season) and didn't know any who ever had. That comment was from 2017. So, the 2018 Colts' OL coach can now say he has.
The loss of Ted Ginn hurt the Saints, but they had delivered several awe-inspiring offensive performances without him, namely the demolitions of Cincy and Philly during the season.
The Saints' O was humming for the first half of the regular season, then came that game on T'giving night vs. the Dirty Birds. Saints won 31-17, thanks largely to 4 Atlanta TOs. I posted on this very forum the O had stunk it up, despite the win. Everyone else brushed it off. The next week was the Dallas game....
You think I like being right about problems with my favorite teams? Just like I have never been on the J'Mar Smith bandwagon like everyone else around here. Well, the truth is Brees is not the Brees of the past. Yeah, he has turned 40 now. True Tom Brady is 40+ but Brady is a much more imposing physical specimen than the barely 6'0" tall Brees. More to the point, opposing DCs have figured out the Payton/Brees offensive schemes. And Brees is incapable of adapting because of his physical limitations. He is strictly a pocket-passer....a brilliant, certain Hall of Famer, pocket-passer. Collapse the pocket in his face, and Brees is rendered impotent. His arm has lost a lot of its strength. He can't throw the long ball like he used to...see the recent Philly game...and his passes float more now. No zip.
This is the harsh reality.
BTW, although nothing will come of it, I was one of well over 500,000 people to sign the petition asking the NFL to invoke its own rule about replaying a game when the refs grossly messed it up. Gotta love Who Dat Nation! Over a half-million signatures in little over 24 hours since the petition started.
Mrs TD and I are thinking about having a Saints 2009 Super Bowl Party on the day of the Super Bowl. Do the whole watch party deal but watch a replay of the Saints winning in 2009. "Irregardless" , I won't watch the Patriots & Lambs!
I think the NFL has officially stated there will be no replay of the NFC Championship game. But that petition is actually a bunch of 'em. One of the petitions has surpassed the 500K mark, but there are at least 6 others....and probably more...I've been sent three others to sign, but you can't unless you use a different address (yes, I tried), it uses the IP address and says "You have signed this petition already." One could go to a different computer and use a different email address, and "sign again," and maybe a few folks have. Anyway, one of the others I tried to also sign has topped 100K and the other was approaching 75K.
Now the tactic is for Who Dat Nation to boycott watching the SB, to send another message to Goodall. Won't matter, you say. Can't even be measured, you say. Well, according to an article I just read the New Orleans market enjoys the HIGHEST ratings of any NFL market....much higher than Los Angeles, and they have two franchises there. Of course, that's when the Saints are playing. The article doesn't mention the ratings for NFL games without the Saints. The Saints did set two new all-time ratings' records this season, the games vs. Atlanta on T-giving night, and the Dallas game the following week. The first Carolina game also set a ratings record for that time slot on FOX Network.
My plan it to watch the SB....root for the Pats...but if Nielsen Ratings calls me, or emails as they now do, and asks, I will say I did not watch that SB with the cheating teams! Have my cake...and eat it too.
You were commenting about the Saints woes on offense, and I posted the reasons why I feel as if they were slowed down. The national media and the local media in New Orleans generally share that opinion.
Every team has injuries. But teams that are this banged up generally don't make the Super Bowl or in the Saints case were a blown call away from the Super Bowl. One of the things that's come out of New Orleans since the game has been the fact the Saints had to ditch a large part of their run game when Josh Hill was injured. Without Hill or Ben Watson the Saints were left without a blocking TE.
HD,
Are you saying it's a stretch to think the Patriots are hated because they cheated? Or a stretch to think the fact they cheated led to their dynasty? With the 2 teams playing next week the stories about that subject have already started. Did they cheat to win the 2002 Super Bowl when this all began? Of course they did.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/h...er-bowl-xxxvi/