Saints vs Giants 2009

The Saints 48-27 massacre of the Giants is the biggest shock of a weekend that had several. Take it from a big Saints booster, a guy who has been on the bandwaggon since pre-season: This result was vastly better than anything I expected.

I believed that the Saints would could and should win this game, but I was expecting a much tighter affair. I thought 34-31 sounded about right. 5 or 7 lead changes were on my mind. Also, there was always the prospect that the Giants might win.

No such thing happened. The Saints jumped all over the Giants like a jailhouse rapist going to work on new meat in the shower. They had 34 points on the score board before halftime. They could have scored more than 48 if they had wanted to.

At the Half, Drew Brees had an official QB rating of 157.7. That is an outrageous Kurt Warner like figure. Did I mention that the Giants had the #1 ranked defense in the NFL? How do you wrack at 157.7 against the top defense in the NFL? There is no doubt that Drew Brees must be considered the other favorite to win MVP, right beside Payton Manning. Frankly. Payton has had so many, I would really like to see Drew get this one.

This was the kind of game that has to make everyone say "Oh my GAWD! It's the greatest show on turf Mach II!" Drew Brees threw into the #1 ranked defense with impunity. He took what he wanted when he wanted. They couldn't stop him. They couldn't pressure him. They couldn't lay a glove on him. The Saint offense busted up the #1 ranked defense in the NFL like a rhino running through wet toilet paper.

But this is only half the story. You see, the Giants have an All-Pro Quarterback and a powerful offense also. The Saint defense utterly shut them down. Eli had a very bad day, despite a pretty strong effort. The Saints were blitzing all around him, crashing him from the blind side, then knocking out his right tackle. It was damn ugly if you were a Giant fan.

No offense is intended to the Giant fans. I still have a hell of a lot of respect for the Giants. I still think they are the overwhelming favorite to win the East, and I still think they can be the #2 seed in the NFC. However, there is no doubt that they were sleep walking today. The team truly believed it arrived with the thrashing they put on the Raiders last week. That was a mistaken thought. As Chuck Noll used to say, "You never arrive."

I wouldn't be surprised to hear Drew Brees say "Playing against the Giants was like playing a scrimmage" after a game like that, but you know Drew is not that kind of a guy.

The amazing thing is that Head Coach Sean Payton immediately commented on the areas of the game where the Saints need a tune up. We all knew he was right. As overwhelming a performance as this was by the Saints, it was not perfect. This team has not yet peaked. It can absolutely get better, and there are some obvious ways in which this is true.

The rest of the NFL should be filled with dread, fear & trembling. The Saints are playing lights-out football, and they are going to get better.

So who can oppose them? You may think I am crazy, but I have a very short list of names on that list:

1. The Colts.
2. The Falcons
3. The Cardinals

We'll see if the Bears can continue to improve. I see signs of weakness in the Vikings, but we will talk about that in another blog.

Right now, I think we have to start looking forward to a show down between the Saints and the Colts in Miami. What a collision of offensive super-powers that would be?!?!?

So there are more rumors about the Rams #2 pick

So fresh rummors have surfaced about the Rams' #2 pick overall in the upcoming 2009 draft. What are these rummors?

1. The New York Giants are said to be interested in the #2 pick. Why? The Giants have an excellent roster. They were the finest team in the league during the regular season. Eli Manning is arguably more talented than his elder brother, but his brother has plenty of things Eli doesn't have: 3 game breaking receivers and the most effective tight end in the league. Worse Plaxico Burris is probably going to do 3 years in prison, and this will effectively terminate his career. This legal case will also remove the 1 game breaking receiver Eli has. For these reasons, the Giants are said to be very interested in Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech. He is a legit game changing receiver. Unfortunately, he is also a top 5 pick. The Giants need a very high pick to secure this receiver for Eli. God knows they have the talent. They can afford to sacrifice this year's entire draft in the name of acquiring a great receiver.
2. The Vikings are without a quarterback , and it is rumored that they have three options in mind (A) Sign Kurt Warner, who is a free agent, but this is considered unlikely, (2) Make a deal for Mark Bulger--which is highly questionable as an option, (3) Trade horses to get a high pick and draft a QB. The third option is considered the most realistic option.

So what do I think? Deal the pick to the Giants if they want it. Deal Bulger to the Vikings if they want him. With the rebuilding program we must undergo over the next 2-3 years, we should consider acquiring a fellow like David Carr and/or Chris Simms. I would acquire them both. Both would be effective stop-gaps as we build.