2008 Woodie Awards
Saints season starts off slow
Haskel Burns
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
All right, so week two of the NFL has come and gone, and we are getting a pretty good idea of how things are going to go for the rest of the season. It would be an understatement to say it's not shaping up like I thought it would.
First of all, what's up with the Saints? After an exceptional 2006 season, when they were one game away from the Super Bowl, they started this season out 0-2. To begin with, they lost to Indianapolis in week one. I can look past that, seeing as how the Colts are one of the toughest teams in the league, but the Saints lost that game 41-10. Drew Brees, who led the NFL last year with 4,418 passing yards, was completely shut down by Indy's defense.
Then Tampa Bay beat the Saints 31-14 Sunday. This is just astounding. New Orleans was the number one ranked offense in the league last year, and they've only managed to compile 24 points in two games this season.
"We've been inconsistent and made a lot of mistakes. I am disappointed," said Saints head coach Sean Payton, after their last game.
He calls it disappointment; I call it embarrassment. The Saints play Tennessee in week three; I'm already dreading the outcome of that game.
On the brighter side, Indianapolis came out this season looking like the world champs they are. After their routing of New Orleans in week one, they edged by Tennessee 22-20 Sunday. I expect a lot from Indy this year even though they lost several key players in the off-season. On a side note, one of the players they lost, cornerback Jason David, now plays for the Saints and gave up three touchdowns in the Indy-New Orleans game. How's that for irony?
The New England Patriots, however, seem to be everyone's favorite pick this season. Even though New England is one of my least favorite teams, it's not hard to see why many experts have already pegged this team to go very far. The Patriots acquired wide receiver Randy Moss in the off-season, which was bad news for me and every other Patriot-hater. New England destroyed the Jets 38-14 in week one, where Randy Moss and Tom Brady connected for 183 yards and a touchdown.
Another team everyone is wondering about is the San Diego Chargers. After losing in the playoffs last year, head coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired and replaced with Norv Turner. Many fans questioned the move and wondered if Turner could continue the success of San Diego's 2006 season were they finished 14-2. They got by Chicago 14-3 in week one, but LaDainian Tomlinson was held to only 17 rushing yards. Personally, I don't think Philip Rivers is a strong enough quarterback to carry the team on his own.
Stay tuned, because the season is still young and there's no telling who will be the next breakout star or team. Keep your eyes open for teams like Arizona and Cincinnati, and whatever you do, please pray for those Saints.
First of all, what's up with the Saints? After an exceptional 2006 season, when they were one game away from the Super Bowl, they started this season out 0-2. To begin with, they lost to Indianapolis in week one. I can look past that, seeing as how the Colts are one of the toughest teams in the league, but the Saints lost that game 41-10. Drew Brees, who led the NFL last year with 4,418 passing yards, was completely shut down by Indy's defense.
Then Tampa Bay beat the Saints 31-14 Sunday. This is just astounding. New Orleans was the number one ranked offense in the league last year, and they've only managed to compile 24 points in two games this season.
"We've been inconsistent and made a lot of mistakes. I am disappointed," said Saints head coach Sean Payton, after their last game.
He calls it disappointment; I call it embarrassment. The Saints play Tennessee in week three; I'm already dreading the outcome of that game.
On the brighter side, Indianapolis came out this season looking like the world champs they are. After their routing of New Orleans in week one, they edged by Tennessee 22-20 Sunday. I expect a lot from Indy this year even though they lost several key players in the off-season. On a side note, one of the players they lost, cornerback Jason David, now plays for the Saints and gave up three touchdowns in the Indy-New Orleans game. How's that for irony?
The New England Patriots, however, seem to be everyone's favorite pick this season. Even though New England is one of my least favorite teams, it's not hard to see why many experts have already pegged this team to go very far. The Patriots acquired wide receiver Randy Moss in the off-season, which was bad news for me and every other Patriot-hater. New England destroyed the Jets 38-14 in week one, where Randy Moss and Tom Brady connected for 183 yards and a touchdown.
Another team everyone is wondering about is the San Diego Chargers. After losing in the playoffs last year, head coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired and replaced with Norv Turner. Many fans questioned the move and wondered if Turner could continue the success of San Diego's 2006 season were they finished 14-2. They got by Chicago 14-3 in week one, but LaDainian Tomlinson was held to only 17 rushing yards. Personally, I don't think Philip Rivers is a strong enough quarterback to carry the team on his own.
Stay tuned, because the season is still young and there's no telling who will be the next breakout star or team. Keep your eyes open for teams like Arizona and Cincinnati, and whatever you do, please pray for those Saints.
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