Adversity aside, Saints ready for 2012 season
July 25, 2012
The $100 million man: Brees re-ups with Saints
July 25, 2012I wish I could tell you that I knew exactly what was going to happen this season for the New Orleans Saints.
But the truth is – I don’t have a clue!
In reality, how could I? Heck, how could anyone else reasonably say that they have an idea regarding how the team will fare this season?
The circumstances the team is facing in 2012 are unlike anything else that we’ve ever seen in the world of sports.
Start with the obvious – the Saints don’t have a head coach.
I’m no football Einstein, but that’s sort of a biggie.
You all know just as well as I do that Sean Payton has been suspended for a full season.
Not only will he be unavailable for games. He is also banned from having contact with any of the team’s players.
He has not, however, been banned from dancing with college girls at bars in Texas.
That’s another story for another day.
Zings against Payton aside, his absence will hurt the Black and Gold.
No coach is more valuable to his team than he is to the Saints’ organization.
He is a coach, offensive coordinator, play caller and motivator all wrapped into one.
I understand optimistic thinkers – I am one myself.
But losing Payton is a serious blow, no matter how one looks at the situation.
But probably the biggest blow in this whole Payton situation is that the team’s “second-string” coach is also suspended.
Interim coach Joe Vitt will be sidelined for the first six games of 2012 – a batch of games that include road tilts with the Panthers, Packers and Bucs. The Saints also play the Chargers and Redskins in that stretch.
Before you discount the Redskins as a threat, let me remind you all that they beat the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants twice in 2011.
And heck, even when Vitt is in the hotseat, who’s to say that he is even a legitimate NFL head coach?
I’m not knocking the guy – he may well be a solid replacement.
But I think even the most optimistic Saints fan could admit that even at his best, he’s no Payton.
Coaching situation aside, the Saints also don’t have a few key players in their lineup – one for the whole season and the other for four games.
Start with the big one – linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
The former Pro Bowler and elite tackler is on the shelf for all of 2012 for his alleged role in the infamous bounty program.
He has appealed his suspension and lost.
He is threatening to take the case to the courts.
Vilma won’t win.
Don’t expect to see him on the field in 2012.
Vilma’s loss is softened because the Saints signed replacement Curtis Lofton to take his place. Lofton is a former Falcon (a plus for New Orleans) and also a viable NFL linebacker.
But Vilma was the team’s emotional leader.
Even though he may be past his prime in terms of performance, you still cannot replace the spiritual hold that he had inside of the team’s huddle.
He will be missed.
Other notables on the MIA list include Will Smith, who will be out for the first four games of the season and also general manager Mickey Loomis, who is sidelined for eight games.
Smith’s loss isn’t overly significant, nor is Loomis’.
But if the team is plagued by injuries early in the season and needs to sign bodies off the street and/or make a trade, being without a general manager could be problematic.
OK, all of the above is the bad news – the Saints have had enough of that in the past six months to last a lifetime.
Now, for the good news.
I believe the Saints will survive and stay afloat in 2012.
Why?
Because they have the most important thing in the NFL – talent.
New Orleans is loaded thick with good, solid football players.
Start with the most important position in all of sports – quarterback. Drew Brees is arguably the best signal caller in the NFL.
I, personally, have him ranked second behind Aaron Rodgers. But precisely where he is on the list is not important. No sane-minded football fan can claim that Brees isn’t in the elite tier.
In today’s NFL, just having a ticket to the big boy table is all that matters.
Aside from the $100 million man, the Saints also have immense depth at halfback and receiver. They also have a beefy, but talented offensive line.
Their offense will score plenty – with or without Payton calling the shots.
On defense, the Saints have a lot more question marks.
But people forget that the team’s new defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, is a former Super Bowl champion.
Those aren’t available to very many teams in the NFL.
A lot can happen between now and the regular season opener.
Preseason injuries could derail plans and unknowns may emerge from the woodwork to alter the team’s outlook.
But if one absolutely forced me to make a pick, I’d say that the Saints ride a powerful offense to a 10-6 record.
From there, I think they will bow out of the playoffs fairly early.
Not having a head coach in today’s NFL is just too much to overcome.
Very few teams have ever won big games without great coaches, so it’s a lot to ask of the Saints.
The fact that I believe they can win 10 games without a coach proves just how talented and deep I think this team really is.
They are that good.
