We don’t allow anyone in the house during the Saints games.  Friends always say they want to watch a game with us, we politely decline.  It’s not that we are overly introverted…rather it is an issue of focus.  We cannot have others in the house because we will flat out ignore them…and that is just not the way I was raised.

I broke this cardinal rule during the Saints wild card game against the Lions.  My aunt, uncle and their three kids came to visit and to tour some of the local universities.  Unfortunately, they witnessed an all-time high “crazy”, which can only be described as one hot mess.  It may have been the tit-for-tat that went into the 3^rd quarter…it may have been that stunning loss to Seattle last year that still haunts me.  For this game, my fanaticism reached a new level, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the family “checks in” more frequently to monitor my condition. 

With the Lions drawing blood first, and a Colston fumble on our first possession, I began to worry that this game could mirror the season opener against the Packers – where failing to convert on one possession and one turnover dug too deep of a hole to climb out of.  Unlike that game in week one, our defense stepped up in a big way.  The two fumbles early by the Saints did not result in any points.  They swarmed to the holes, clogging up the Lion’s run game and only allowing 32 yards rushing.  Only 32 yards…I get more yards than that chasing after 4-year old twins!  The old adage, bend but don’t break, was never more apparent as Matt Stafford threw for 380 yards.  The defenders put on the pressure and delivered when they needed to, not the least of which was Jabari Greer’s interception.  This defense is not the same defense we had for the first half of the season.

Despite our strengthening defense, I remained white-knuckled until the fourth quarter.  I made everyone put thier jerseys on and kiss the football.  We even ate half a cheesecake at halftime.  Nervous eating…I can’t afford for this to be a new ritual.

The Lions are a force to be reckoned with and remind me a lot of the 2006 Saints.  Thankfully, we have Drew Brees and a stable of weapons that showed up full force in the second half.  The running trifecta – Thomas, Sproles, and Ivory – combined for 160+ yards, opening up the pass game and accentuating Brees’s ruthless efficiency.  After the third “victory lap” around the kitchen island, I breathed a sigh of relief.

I have since rewatched the game with a sense of calm and clarity.  The truth is, the Saints flat out played better ball.  They are a more complete team…they are a more balanced team.  This is a team that wins championships.

If my cousins are reading this…I am so glad you had an opportunity to tour college campuses and start thinking about what your future holds and what you want to be.  I also want you know that I completely understand if this weekend’s antics permanently remove “sports writer” off the list of potential careers.

…an’ dat’s dat!

Over recent years, the NFL has done its best to take that question out of the hands of coaches and players.  In an effort to keep competition at its highest, the NFL has back loaded division contests towards the end of the season.  The result…interesting and meaningful games through week 17, barring the teams that have clinched the number one seed and the first round bye.

Entering week 17, the Saints 13-2, have won their division and are guaranteed at least the three seed.  With a win on Sunday against Carolina, and a St. Louis upset over San Francisco, the Saints would find themselves in the two seed and with a bye week.

So here is the quandary: play your starters with full force in the remote chance the Niners lose, or a more conservative approach that would give our guys a “mini-bye” going into wild card weekend.  Sean Payton has openly stated “full steam ahead”…here’s why I think he is right:

• Everyone knows the phrase get hot and stay hot.  The Saints could not be any hotter right now.   The offense is firing on all cylinders and the defense has gotten better each week.  This is the most balanced we have been all year.  We are playing complete games with tempo and command.
• There are a few records at stake.  Drew Brees broke Dan Marino’s single season passing record Monday night, but Brady, Manning and Rogers are right behind him.  It would be a shame to see Brees be the first to break the 27-year old record, only to claim the second or third place in the record books. Additionally, the record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass needs to be maintained.  Thomas Moorstead is on the verge of breaking records for kickoff touchbacks and net punt yards.  Darren Sproles is chasing a single season all-purpose yards record.  Jimmy Graham is close to breaking a tight end receiving record for both receptions and yards. 
• In the Payton era, the Saints have had a dismal win record against the Panthers in December.  Typically, we have rested our starters in those final games of the season and it is time for a decisive win.
• We need to put the pressure on the niners to have to play to win – we don’t want them easing right into that number two seed.  They need to earn it.
• The Rams could beat the niners (we know that all too well!).

The Saints would feel lousy if they didn’t play 100% and let so many records slip away, only to be noted as obscure footnotes from time to time.  The Saints would feel lousy if the Niners lost.  The Saints would feel lousy if they didn’t “Finish Strong”.

We went into our last two post-seasons with some questions….maybe some answered and some not.  This year we leave nothing on the table.  The Saints march into the playoffs this year “full steam ahead”.

…an’ dat’s dat!

After the Saints win in Nashville last Sunday, my family and I did our normal thing.  Went to the gym and grabbed an early bite to eat.  Donning our black and gold and fleur-di-lys’, we sparked a quite a few unsolicited comments….

“We should have won that game”…

“You didn’t beat us so much as we beat ourselves”…

“We had you on your heals”…

“The Saints are dirty and they cheated”…

Let’s take a look at each claim and rate it on our patented “Excuse-O-Meter”

1= “I’m pretty objective, but I do have a favorite team”

2= “Woe is Me”

3= “I have trouble accepting accountability and am seeking help to understand why”

4= “I’m picking up my toys and not inviting you to my birthday party!”

#1- “We should have won that game” – Rating (2).  I suppose I could say the same thing about our season opener against the Packers.  There is a big difference between COULD have and SHOULD have.  If you looked at the statistics, and watched the game, the Saints outperformed the Titans on every offensive and defensive measure.  The Saints defense, barring a couple of big plays, played very aggressively limiting their star rusher Chris Johnson to only 23 rush yards and the team to only 59 yards.  Barring the big play, which has always been the Achilles heel, the defense played aggressively and made the big stops when it counted.  The Titans only converted on one of 10 3^rd down opportunities and came up big in the last two opponent possessions.

#2 - “You didn’t beat us so much as we beat ourselves” – Rating (1) Really?  The Saints were called for 11 penalties totaling 95 yards (and negating a touchdown) versus the Titans’ 8 penalties for 54 yards.  A blade of grass in the end zone and a quarterback false start were among the most unbelievable and frustrating calls that the Saints needed to rally through.  Please, your fumble was ruled incomplete even though it seemed very apparent that the Saints defender hit Locker’s arm is what caused the forward motion.  I get the rule…I don’t have a problem with it…but don’t use your penalties and unfavorable calls as an excuse.

#3 – “We had you on your heals”.  No rating, this is true.  The defense once again came through big in the end when we needed them to.  All we needed, as many times in the past, was first down.  For a team that has an established a passing identity, we ran three run plays in a row to go three and out.  It seems all too familiar – we need a first down and can’t seem to get it.  This is what kept the Titans in the game and why it came down to the wire. 

#4 “The Saints are dirty and they cheated”.  Rating (4).  The “phantom whistle” excuse is about as plausible as the magic bullet from the grassy knoll.  I am not certain if this accusation even reached reputable news sources because it was so asinine.  One of the Titan’s players was “miked” for a local TV show – the video guy said he could “definitely” hear a whistle and it sounded as if it came from the Saints sideline.  I could go into a variety of reasons as to why this is so absurd, but the allegation speaks for itself.  Whistle-gate…that is an all time low for excuses. 

We may have to revisit the excuse-o-meter because this clearly broke it!

…an’ dat’s dat!

From a religious standpoint, Saints would encourage forgiveness and condemn retribution on those who have wronged us.  But for the strict followers of the football faith, we find it hard to not seek out revenge…payback…vengeance.  Revenge has few boundaries.  There is no statute of limitations….and it can exacted on the loosest of affiliations.  For me, I want to punish Matt Hasselbeck this Sunday. It’s not simply because he is related to Elisabeth Hasselbeck by marriage – although completely rationale and justified if you are a regular viewer of “The View”.  I want reprisal for that stunning playoff loss in Seattle last season.

For those of you who may not remember (and I can’t imagine who you might be), the Saints (10-6) traveled to Seattle (7-9) in an upset of epic proportions.  While the Saints did not play their best football by a long shot, they did have to play on the road in the loudest outdoor stadium in the league.  Home field advantage, one could argue, made the difference. 

This week, Matt Hasselbeck made the following comments in a press conference:

“The only thing that can really stop them (Saints) is maybe the crowd noise and helping the pass rushers get off the edge. The speed rushers get off the ball. Maybe St. Louis had a little bit of crowd noise advantage. Or even last year in Seattle. We probably had a little bit of a crowd noise advantage. Our guys on edge were able to get off the ball. That’s not just for the Saints. That is for any home team.”

Really?  You admit it?

The NFL prides itself on fairness and on an equal playing field – and I agree, as noted in read my previous post (Saints: The Long Good Bye).  However, this virtue does not need to be taken so far that all common sense is thrown out the window.  Let’s review:

• The teams with the best overall regular season record in each division earn a playoff birth
• Overall regular season rank determines the seeding for the division winners, but NOT the wild card teams

The seeding system itself is designed to reward the “best” teams with a home game or a bye week in the playoffs.  The league recognizes that home field advantage is an edge and that is doled out based on who “deserves” it – overall record. 

Which begs the questions: Why would your reward system only apply to two-thirds of the teams that earned a playoff spot?  Why do you punish two teams in the wild card positions simply because they were the best of the rest or had the misfortune of having the division leader run away with it?

I have no issue with the division leaders securing a playoff birth.  However, seeding criteria should be applied consistently across all six teams in each conference.  If I am still this upset…imagine how the Saints feel?  They are still licking their wounds from an embarrassing performance and will be looking to launch a world of hurt on Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans.

A win will be sweet vindication.  Now what can I do about that little problem I have with “The View”.

 ...an' dat's dat!

Monday Night Football returns to the New Orleans Mercedes Benz Superdome for the first time in 2011 in a matchup of would be giants.  Here we have two teams fighting for a playoff birth and a bid for division title.  The winner of this game will begin to separate from the pack and the loser will draw closer on a 500 season and a great playoff view from the couch.

The Saints and the Giants have had their share of heartache this season.  The Saints would like to put their beleaguering loss to the Rams far behind them.  The Giants need to prevent a three game slide to even remain on the outskirts of a playoff birth.  Both teams are well aware of the implications of this Monday night matchup.

Both teams have explosive offenses and many weapons.  Both teams have great quarterbacks (but ours is better).  Both teams have great receivers (ours are better).  Both teams have struggled to run the ball consistently – here is where the Saints need to be better.  Statistically, the Saints have more pass yards per game.  The Saints have more rush yards per game.  The Saints have more points per game.  Subjectively, the Saints and the Giants have very good offenses, but it if you look at the numbers the Saints have the advantage.

Defense will win this game.

Looking at the statistics, the Saints and Giants are nearly identical on paper. Who will have the edge?  Turnover differential and applying pressure to the quarterback will be big deciding factors.  This is where home field advantage is huge.  The 12^th man really is an added defender.  Can the 12^th man force false starts putting the Giants in 2^nd and long and 3^rd and long situations.  Seventy-five thousand drunk New Orleanians can create a lot of havoc.

Personally, I have a scar that might not ever heal.  I am still not over the “home game” at the Meadowlands versus the Giants in the Katrina season.  I am still amazed that the NFL and the competition committee allowed the Giants nine home games that year.  All non-Giants fans should have been in an uproar – it wasn’t fair to the division, the conference, or the league….not to mention the homeless Saints. 

But that was six seasons ago.  The Saints are undefeated in the Dome this year and it’s time to put a Dome-field advantage butt-whooping on the boys in blue.

...an' dat's dat!

A long, enjoyable cup of coffee.  A leisurely trip to the grocery store.  Slowly leafing through the newspaper.  This is not my Christmas list...this is the bye week.  That one time a year when players and fans get a well-deserved break from the white-knuckled, heart-stopping contests that we masochistically endure for 17 weeks.

I’m not exaggerating.  I wish my weekend activities (and a significant portion of weekday) didn’t revolve around the Saints games, but they do.  After last week’s nail-biting battle, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I would get this Sunday “off”.  I looked at my husband – who was equally as frazzled and anxiety-ridden - and said, “why do I care so much”?

The obvious answer centers around fan loyalty.  We all get a little fanatical about out teams and take our wins and losses to heart each week.  But if you peel back the onion, there is much more.

Football and sports in general are important to our society because they are systems based on fairness.  The teams that work hardest, are the most prepared, and make the fewest mistakes should win.  In football, there is a level playing field –the draft system and salary caps ensure that any team can win the grand prize.  There are rules and they are enforced (most of the time!).  The rewards system is clear and based on performance – play well and you will get home field advantage and a first round bye.

In addition to fairness, football offers escapism.  The news is dominated by “Super Committees” that are super childish, horrific crimes where perpetrators go free, and Kardashian heartache that makes us all wish their 15 minutes of fame was up.  It is not to suggest that football is not without its fair share of disappointment.  The Penn State scandal is a constant reminder that tragedy can happen anywhere, anytime.  But for three hours a week, on the field of play, there is fairness in a world that is anything but fair.

So while I have enjoyed a Sunday without angst and alarm, I also find myself ready for my team to take the field.  As it turns out, football can be the calmest, most sensible part of the week. 

…an’ dat’s dat!