Were the Saints a Cinderella team?

[juck]

I give them respect to go from what they did to last year.I mean Brees is the obvious reason for the most part.Yet,I ask myself will this defense regress more,will brees continue this top notch play,have people figured out the weaknesses of the team like the saints did us last year?They have a target on their back now,I also believe that with a new coach we can take them,it was clear that payton knew our Defense too well.He literally made BP look like a donkey.

 

[BouncingCheese]

Not as long as Drew Brees is the QB... The defense definitely has holes and if a good offensive coordinator can find the weaknesses Brees and Mcallister/Bush are going to have to score 30 plus every game to have a chance of winning.

Brees' one weakness is that he has a weak arm (for the NFL I mean; the guy is 5'11 and can chuck that huge ball 50 yards for christ sakes) and if the defense puts Brees in a precarious situation to throw the ball for long gains they could be in trouble.

 

[Echo9]

I give them respect to go from what they did to last year.I mean Brees is the obvious reason for the most part.Yet,I ask myself will this defense regress more,will brees continue this top notch play,have people figured out the weaknesses of the team like the saints did us last year?They have a target on their back now,I also believe that with a new coach we can take them,it was clear that payton knew our Defense too well.He literally made BP look like a donkey.

Must've missed the part where Payton strapped long ears and a tail on BP.

figuratively man...figuratively.

But aside from that, the Saints are actually a very good team, rather than a Cinderella that can just be figured out.

Part of the Saints success was it's horrendous situation and play the previous year. In 05, the Saints were a much better team than the record showed. The added stresses of basically playing on the road all year while their players were trying to put lives back together resulted in a slew of losses that may not have happened otherwise. The result was Reggie Bush and a better draft position throughout. Add Brees to the mix, along with some actual stability and you get the sudden jump in performance.

 

[theogt]

Good offensive line. Great quarterback.

Hard to bet against them.

 

[goliadmike]

I believe the Saints are the team to beat in the NFC. Last year was no fluke. With the weapons they have on offense they will be a nightmare to stop. As far as the defense goes they do have some holes but they are not swiss cheese. A lot of the big plays they gave up in the running game they were caught stunting in the wrong holes(which I believe we might see from our defense this year). They do have problems in the secondary so they will have a lot of shootouts.

Look how young they are at the skill positions I have a feeling that the saints offense could get better and I shudder at that thought.

 

[Hoofbite]

Im an idiot.....

 

[theogt]

Please elaborate. Especially the part where you say the Saints are a good team and at the same time somehow Payton makes Parcells a fool.

That literally flew over your head.

 

[Seven]

Not the team but the fans sure are. Bunch of bag wearin', bandwagon jumpin', two-faced freaks. They'll be turning into pumpkins again as soon as they start losing. They're the "Aint"s" and always will be.....thanks to their OWN fanbase.

They got Brees, Bush, a decent OL and Payton. I would venture to say they're pretty legit.

 

[Hoofbite]

That literally flew over your head.

wow, should have paid a little more attention. my bad. now that I read it, I think ill go and edit the other one with the foot-in-mouth smilie.....

 

[Sarge]

IMO - New Orleans is the team to beat in the NFC.

 

[burmafrd]

NO D is going to have to improve big time for them to be the Top Team in the NFC. They have had a talented O for years- just with Brooks it did not work all of the time. With a really good QB like Brees it makes a big difference- then getting what is clearly maybe the best young coach in the NFL also is big. Add to that getting flat out lucky on a couple of players like Colston.
Getting Bush and having a healthy Deuce, and a solid O line with Brees and good WRs and you have a very nasty O. the D is where they are going to have to step up big time.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

We must stop bush the next time.......he is tough

 

[Hailmary]

It's hard to say w/ all this parity these days. Also consider the fact that they played in the NFC, the weaker conference imho. Could they have had the season they had last year if they played in the AFC?


I do think they are legit (more so than the Bears). Their offensive weapons (w/ the exception of McAllister) are pretty young. If they concentrate the next couple of off seasons on D, I think they have a chance to be dominant.

 

[superpunk]

The Saints have had talent. If anything, the Katrina year was the aberration. They always hung around .500, but because Jim Haslett is a moron and Aaron Brooks is maybe the WORST decision-making QB in the NFL, they could never pull above it. You see what happens with a competent coach and a star QB.

They're going to be contending for the South and the NFC for awhile, now. With those defensive ends, and LBs playing above themselves, they can be at least decent on defense. And as their weapons on offense mature together, they're only going to get better.

 

[THUMPER]

I think that they were a "Cinderella" team only from the aspect that a lot of people overlooked them and didn't expect them to be that good that quickly.

Adding a new coaching staff, new QB, new RB, and lots of other fresh faces, most people expected them to take a lot longer to put it all together than they did.

Looking back, it was easier to see why they played so well but going into the season they had a ton of unanswered questions and major areas of potential problems.

I think a lot of credit must go to Sean Payton and his staff for bringing it all together so quickly.

I expect them to be serious contenders in the NFC this year along with us, the Bears & the Panthers.

 

[Stash]

Their offense looks impressive now and looks like it can get even better (which is scary). It looks to me like Parcells shackled Payton's creativity on offense like he did to the Cowboys' defense last season.

I would say their secondary is their biggest question mark right now, but I don't see them going anywhere but back to the playoffs.

 

[Apollo Creed]

The word luck should never be used in sports, but to have Reggie Bush fall in your lap. Have Drew Brees recover from a questionable shoulder injury to pro-bowl form, and find an all pro receiver at the 253rd pick in the draft - is mighty helpful.

 

[juck]

The word luck should never be used in sports, but to have Reggie Bush fall in your lap. Have Drew Brees recover from a questionable shoulder injury to pro-bowl form, and find an all pro receiver at the 253rd pick in the draft - is mighty helpful.

and if u watched any of their games u can see a lot of luck.everything went right for them last year till chicago.

 

[dogunwo]

and if u watched any of their games u can see a lot of luck.everything went right for them last year till chicago.

How much can be attributed to luck before one wants to admit they are a good team? Heck I am bitter too because we let Sean Payton get away, but lets gove credit where credit is due.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I don't think the team is a Cinderella.

However the owner might be...

...not that there is anything wrong with that.