New Orleans Saints Review

• How could I have forgotten to mention left tackle Zach Strief yesterday?  He started for the injured Jermon Bushrod (who was subbing for the injured Jammal Brown…) and did a great job.  I didn’t hear the CBS broadcast team mention his name after the starting lineups were announced and linemen take that as a compliment.
• Saints fans, do you remember a team that could win in so many different ways?  Whether they light it up for 40 or have to play a defensive slug-fest like yesterday’s game against the Jets, they can adapt to any style of game right now.
• Gregg Williams is already worth his weight in gold.  Sean Payton finally admitted that he gave up $250,000 of his own salary to bring him to NOLA.
• Saints vs. Giants should be one great match-up.  Eli Manning will definitely be the best quarterback the Saints have faced so far this year.  The Giants have been a very balanced and physical team the past few years.  Now the Saints look to be in that mold, with more big-play ability on offense.  Can’t wait for this one!

Elsewhere in the NFL..

• Are the Broncos for real?  I’m not afraid to admit I was wrong about them.  At least, wrong about them so far.  Nothing in the world indicated that they would be a competitive team this year, but they are winning and deserve credit and respect.  Good job, Josh McDaniels.  Yesterday, Brandon Marshall scored one of the best TD’s I’ve ever seen.
• The Bengals keep winning and showing heart.  Another very pleasant surprise!
• The Colts don’t seem to miss Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison so far.  They’re still an offensive machine.
• For awhile there, it looked like the Bucs would get their first win of the season in Washington.  Their 10-0 halftime lead evaporated quickly.
• Can you even believe the Titans are 0-4???  I thought they’d be in for a bit of a letdown year, but never this bad.  It reminds me of when the Saints started 0-4 in 2007.  Even if you put together a nice run, it’s still very hard to finish above .500.  Should Vince Young get a shot at QB?  If they go 0-5, I say give them him a chance.  You’ve got to find out if he can resurrect his career.  As much as I like Kerry Collins, he’s not going to play that much longer.
• I was way off about the Raiders this year.  JaMarcus Russell has regressed.  But where do they go from here?  It’s not like they’ve got many options.  The fans of Oakland should demand that Al Davis sell the team.
• Ravens vs. Patriots was a great game.  Still that phantom roughing the passer call against Terrell Suggs was total BS.  I don’t blame Tom Brady for trying to buy a call, but I blame the ref for giving in.
• Ok, I’m calling it now – the Rams are the worst team in football.  At least the Browns were in a position to win their game.  Getting beat-down 35-0 by the 49ers is inexcusable.  At least put a few points on the board!
• Hmmm…maybe the Chiefs are a close second.  I thought they would be better.
• Or the Bucs could be the worst…
• I like the Jaguars offensive explosion.  I still think David Garrard is an underrated player.

Big interview on Tuesday!
I’m absolutely honored to announce that former Pro Bowl center/guard LeCharles Bentley was kind enough to do an interview for the site!  He’s got some great things to say about New Orleans and memories of the “Katrina Season” of 2005.  Look for the interview on Tuesday, October 6.

Rating:

This entry was posted on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 9:21 am and is filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.