70 Seconds of Saints

2014 was the inaugural season for our feature "70 Seconds of Saints." We had a lot of fun doing it, despite the disappointing season. Folks have been asking if it will be back this year...

With the upcoming NFL season just a few weeks away, anticipation is building in Who Dat Nation, myself included. My weekly Youtube feature, "70 Seconds of Saints" has been hiatus for the off season. I hope you'll join us for what we hope will be an exciting season...

Last season, I said the 2014 Saints could be better than the team that won Super Bowl XLIV. That blew up in my face. Sean Payton decided it's time for a substantial retool after missing the playoffs 2 of the past 3 years. Here are a few thoughts on the Saints' 2015 draft...

After the Saints disappointing 2014 season (7-9), Head coach Sean Payton promised a "thorough evaluation, beginning with the coaches." He was true to his word making several changes on his staff. During free agency, the Saints were far more active than most of the "experts" predicted. The Draft starts Thursday night, with the Black and Gold holding 5 picks in the first three rounds. We'll do a special off season edition of "70 Seconds of Saints after its completion. We decided to revamp our set for 2015...for obvious reasons.

Much has been made of the Saints salary cap issues. They've been restructuring contracts and making cuts for the past week. The release of Pierre Thomas didn't shock me. Releasing the the league's 5th leading tackler, Curtis Lofton, did. Then the blockbuster of the day...

Expectations were high for the New Orleans Saints this year. There was a lot of talk about a Super Bowl run, and speculation this could be the best Saints team ever. They sure looked a lot better on paper than they did on the field.

It's the Christmas season, time to be with the special people in our lives. I've traveled to Virginia to spend some time with my mother and sister, neither of whom are passionate football fans. Mom was a pretty good sport about watching the Saints on Monday Night Football.

The demons are at work! The Saints are fighting for a division title and home playoff game despite a sub .500 record. Years ago, a voodoo priestess was brought in to exorcise the the evil spirits in the Superdome that brought playoff futility. It apparently worked. I was there, so I thought why not do the same thing here?

I read a quote years ago, from then Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert, "When you're winnin', you walk on water. When the team's not playin' well, they want to hang you from the nearest tree." That's the life of an NFL quarterback.

There's no way to sugar coat this. The New Orleans Saints are in trouble. Yes, they're still in contention to win the NFC south. They're, ironically, also in a position where they could be among the first 10 teams to select in the 2015 draft.

The Saints are coming off back to back home losses for the first time in 5 years. The irony is, they won the Super Bowl that year, and are very much in contention to win the NFC South, despite a 4-6 record.

The NFL is crazy this year!! What's going on?? Cleveland is in first place in their division. So is Detroit. The defending Super Bowl champs aren't leading theirs. The Saints are leading the NFC South with a 4-5 record...

The Saints & 49ers have identical 4-4 records, but appear to be headed in different directions. The Saints stumbled out of the gate, but have righted the ship with convincing wins over the Packers & Panthers. The 'Niners have lost their last 2, and reports persist of a divided locker room. They face the Saints in the Superdome Sunday, where the Black & Gold have won 11 straight.

We're seeing indications the Saints may have righted the ship. They demolished a tough Green Bay team 44-23. Mark Ingram had a career day, rushing for 172 yards on 24 carries. Drew Brees became the first player in NFL history to pass for 300 yards in 6 consecutive games against one opponent.

The Saints are back in the Dome Sunday night for a showdown with the red hot Green Bay Packers. Aron Rogers is completing 67% of his passes through 7 games, with 18 touchdowns. The Cheeseheads are averaging 28 points per game, the Saints, 26.

Sunday's game against the Lions at Ford Field could prove pivotal for the Black & Gold. The Lions lead the league in quarterback sacks, and fewest points allowed. The Saints have done a great job of protecting Drew Brees so far this season, only allowing 4 sacks. A lot of people seem to think the Saints offense isn't the powerhouse they've been in recent years.

NFL Players, and coaches usually prefer a 'bye week in the second half of the season, because it give them a chance to nurse injuries in preparation for the home stretch. The break for the Saints is aptly timed this year. They need to regroup, and some key people need time to heal injuries.

The start of the Saints' 2014 is season brutally graphic proof that I'm no expert. I'm 0-3 in my predictions.

A previously unbeaten team lost, and a formerly winless team tasted victory for the first time this season during the thrilling NFL action on Sunday. Here are the most interesting things we learned in Week 4:

There's a lot of concern in Who Dat Nation. Expectations for the Saints were high as they kicked off the 2014 season. They made the playoffs in 2013, and finished with the #4 defense in the NFL. They were, however, dead last in takeaways. Off season moves were made to get younger & more athletic on defense. Through 2 games, the "D" has been deplorable.