The Saints, like the old Holyfield, are "the real deal". Watching the game yesterday showed a lot of the tenacity of this new organization. For years of following this team I've watched them take the lead in big games and go to a prevent style of playing only to give up the lead and lose. They were headed down the same path yesterday only they fired back up and scored 10 points late in the game to win.

Coming into the game the Eagles had the #1 rated total offense in the league and the #24 rated total defense in the league. Don't let that 24 number fool you because they lead the league in sacks. Going into the game coach Sean Payton knew the difficult task his young offensive line faced so he told them straight up before the game, "No one gets through." (That quote was taken from Drew Brees's statement to Fox). They did just that, the offensive line allowed zero sacks and only 3 quarterback hurries. Pretty impressive considering that Jammal Brown is only in his second year in the league at left tackle and Jahri Evans (the Right Guard) is a rookie.

There can't be enough said about what Drew Brees has brought to this organization. A stable quarterback who boasts an over 100 point passer rating in the fourth quarter. A big jump from Aaron Brooks last season. Not saying Brooks is horrible but he was unstable. I think the Saints and Brees got everything they wanted in this deal. The Saints got a quarterback with a good head on his shoulders who can make good decisions and not make the big mistakes. And Drew Brees finally got a place that he can call home, a place where you don't have the media and the management putting the doubt in your head that you might not be starting the next week. When was the last time you saw a QB hug his coach after throwing a TD pass? On top of that he's getting to wear Ted William's number again in black and gold. 

Also among the heroes of the game was none other than Joe "Hollywood" Horn. He had 2 touchdown receptions in the game one of which was the game tieing catch in the fourth quarter. His season last year was dismal at best and the beginning of this season was not much to look at but his presence in the locker room and on the field is what has elevated this team to new heights of which they have not seen in quite some time.

I know, Reggie Bush hasn't done anything major for the team. This is what I hear from a well known sportswriter in Houston, Mr. John McClain. If you are looking at his fantasy stats this is a very true statement. He has rushed the ball 54 times with a dismal 3yds./carry average, but he is still someone that every team has to account for on every play. Is he an expensive decoy? Maybe but as long as the numbers are going up in the win column I don't give a rats a$$ how many yards or TD's he has.

Marques Colston could end up being the best draft pick, value wise, in the NFL. The 7th round draft pick has 4 touchdown receptions in his first 6 games. The 6'5" big man has good hands and can muscle his way down the field to make outstanding catches. HIs size alone is what got him in the endzone against the Eagles.

This has been an outstanding beginning to a season that a lot of people were looking to as a rebuilding year. After the devastation that was last years season I could have only dreamed of being 5-1 this year. The promise that this Saints team shows me and that coach Payton shows me is that you don't need a field full of Superstars, just a field full of winners.

(Don't be mad Shooter someone had to lose that game....I'm just glad it wasn't me.)

I swear to God Sean Payton and I communicate telepathically. All week I had to listen to rejects like the football outsiders and all you other idiots say this is the week the Saints come back to reality. When the reality is that it's not hard to stop a one dimensional team.

(I'm rubbing my temples)"Sean put eight in the box and make them throw the ball."

Holy crap! That's exactly what the Saints did and it worked. I think Bush said it best (the Band not the future hall of famer) "I don't wanna comeback down from this cloud!" Let's look at the keys to the Saints victory.

Reggie Bush: The human decoy. Since Michael Vick's early days, no one has commanded so much attention from the defense on the playing field. The double reverse, the fake reverse dives, the pass to Joe Horn...

The Offensive Line: The unsung heroes of the game in my book. They looked very sketchy on the road in Green Bay, but the fire in Jamal Brown anchoring the left side of the line led to only 3 QB hurries and 1 sack. That is an amazing thing considering this is the first time for every one of those lineman to start on a regular basis.

The D: A scary thing for a Saints fan watching a team putting up record numbers on the ground coming into the Dome but as said before Coach Payton heeded my telepathy and they came strong. Scott Fujita is the real deal. Charles Grant seemed like a man possessed coming off the edge. And the blitz packages that the Saints Defensive Coordinator Gary Gibbs called kept Michael Vick running scared.

The Special Teams: Do you think Coach Bonamego pictured his crew on special teams having the biggest impact on the biggest game of the 2006 season? Ask and ye shall receive. I said in an earlier post this month that Morten Anderson get one of his field goals blocked and that he get laid out during the return. Well I got half of my wish.

This is just a stepping stone for the Saints. They go back on the road to Carolina for the short week but this could be the beginning of the biggest comeback in sports history. People need something like this to help them cope with the loss. The Saints organization needs all you bandwagonners to buy their schwag to help promote the team and the city.

On a side note. Who knew a young Parcells apprentice could come into a bad organization, wipe out over half of the staff, and make them feel like winners. They go 3-13 this season it's still a success  because Sean has finally got the teams head in the right place.

I just found this phenominal Saints video on youtube that was about the Saints. It was like a tribute video made for the Monday night game which had highlights of the Saints past and present. I know, I know..."Was the video 15 seconds long?" F-you. It had Tom Dempsey's 63 yard record breaking field goal, which my mom and dad were at. It had highlights of the most terrifying defense in the NFL during the early 90's led by Pat Swilling, Rickey Jackson, Vaughn Johnson, and Sam Mills. (RIP) Highlights of Eric Martin and Brent Perriman. The Black and Gold Pope, the umbrella dance, the Who Dat signs...man I love this team. Gene Atkins body slamming Marcus Allen. I might be crazy but they'll always be my team. They are coming to Houston to play the Texans next season and you know I'm going to represent my team. I'm definitly face painter guy when it comes to the black and gold. I think I'll lie to my wife about the Superdome getting torn down after this season so we can catch a Saints game this year. (That's how I got to go to Yankee Stadium)

You know what really chaps my ass though. That traitor Morten Anderson signing with the Falcons the week before they play the Saints. Man I hope we block one of his FG attempts and someone truck sticks his ass for the hell of it. Dude this is '06. Don't sport that Mark Duper facemask. Get you one of those Evolution helmets or something.

War the Black and Gold baby.

And like the Red Sox and the playoff picture. I'm out.

I'm sorry I don't know how to add images and video clips into my blog but winning the division title for the Yankees this season has been more rewarding to me as a fan than any of the last eight. Not a lot of people remember that the Yankees in early June were trailing the Red Sox by about 5 or 6 games. We lost Sheff and Matsui in the early part of the season but they didn't do what all you other Yankee haters say they do. "Buy there team." They relied on Melky Cabrera, Andy Phillips, Scott Proctor, and Chieng Ming Wang. These guys were not marquee players that everyone was gunning for and the boss overpayed for. These were just good ball players that made it happen. Make no mistake, Jeter, Damon, Mo, and the other veterans kept the team going, but to cheat the organization out of the respect they deserve for pulling out the division title when most people wrote them off early in the season is just wrong.

This year was the first time I had ever been to New York and the first time I've ever seen the Yankees live. Sure they played the Royals when I saw them and Kelly Stinnett almost hit for the cycle but it definitly made this season for me a special one.

Last season they lost a lot of steam going into the playoffs because they had to grind so hard to get there. Their pen was used up and players were worn down. This season they have a lot of bright spots going into this years playoffs. They were able to start a rookie pitcher the last three nights to give the rotation a breather and the rookies came through defeating the Jays 2 out of 3 days. My hopes are high for this team this year. Some people create controversy with the A-Rod situation but this team is more professional than that and buisness is buisness. The Yankees will let the media make mountains out of mole hills while they are collecting 40 and 27 baby. Go Yanks!!!!

Here is an interesting question. The Braves won 14 straight division titles and are owned by a large corporation and has a lot of money in the team, yet you never hear the bad talk about them. What gives? The Yankees might have been winning a lot here recently but I remember back in the day when Donnie Baseball was covering first and the bionic man Steve Sax was at second. They weren't so hot back then. It seems to me that a lot of baseball fans have an inferiority complex instead just being a fan. When the Saints took a yearly drubbing from Joe Montana and Roger Craig, I wasn't standing on my third grade desk proclaiming Bill Walsh was Satan. I just hung my head and waited till the next season.  

On Sunday Sean Payton not only picked up his second win of his fledgling  career but reached a milestone for the Saints organization. This was the first time in their 40 year team history that the Saints won back to back road games. Before we go getting to excited it did come against a struggling Packers team who seemed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Green Bay forced 3 turnovers in the first quarter alone and I prepared myself for another long Sunday afternoon.  But the Saints responded in rare fashion by answering with 17 unanswered points.  All-in-all it was another W in the column.

Review of the Saints performance:

Drew Brees: After a very rough first quarter Brees was able to settle down and turnout another good performance something rarely seen by a Saints fan since the days of Bobby Hebert and Jim Everett. HIs ability to make the smart plays when it counts has always had me impressed with him at quarter back. I look for Drew to remain under the radar but turning out another good performance next week. 

The TE position: I think the Packers just showed the Dirty Birds our weakness at the tight end position. Kampman was able to school Ernie Conwell in the art of the bull rush off the corner. With Patrick Kerney coming to the Superdome and Chad Lavalais the inexperienced line and tight ends will have to step up to a better team.

Reggie Bush: I still get all jazzed up when he gets the ball in his hands because the potential of the big play is always there. He didn't have the offensive output that a lot of us fantasy players expected but he did his job which was to draw attention away from the other weapons the Saints have on the field.

The Defense: The score might not reflect it but the damage could have been a lot worse. The offense giving up two turnovers deep in their own territory and the defense held the Pack to two field goals I thought was great. Although Mike McKenzie kept getting lit up by Donald Driver the veteran Jason Craft and Fred Thomas had solid performances in the secondary including a great interception by Omar Stoutmire which halted the Packers longest drive of the game.  

Next Week: Our rival the Atlanta Falcons will be coming to New Orleans for a football game that means more than just a competition to the Saints and their fans but a resurgence of life in the Gulf Coast region. Michael Vick and Jim Mora Jr. seem to be clicking on all cylinders right now after coming off of two dominating performances. Keys to the Saints victory will be stopping the run game defensively as they have in the first two weeks and offensively continue the use of there thunder and lightning package. Till Next Week

WHO DAT GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS?