The Saints Come Marching In
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There’s something you should know about me. I watch a lot of Saints football.
I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for New Orleans and their Saints following Katrina, even scooped one of these to help the cause. I always thanked the Saints for giving us Willie Roaf, and for taking Joe Horn off our hands — most of the time, anyway. When we were little, the Old Chief bought Zach and I NFL helmets, but to be fair neither one of us could pick the Chiefs. Zach picked the Jets (pretty sure it was a green one back then). I picked the Saints, because, hey, even as a kid I thought their unis were pimp (they really are). Picking up Marques Colston miraculously snuck me into the playoffs of the Dirty Dozen, my family and friends league, his rookie year. This year, Drew Brees has single-handedly kept me in the hunt.
The rule is no second teams. I abide that rule. At the same time, I find myself watching a lot of Black and Gold football and half-smiling for the good people down in Nola when they do well. Especially when Drew Brees gets me a W in fantasy. But this week the play our Chiefs, so, as Alice Cooper would say, “no more Mr. Nice Guy.” They will get the Arrowhead Advantage treatment just like everybody else, and hopefully an ass whoopin’ less than 24 hours later.
All that being said, the Saints are a very, very flawed football team. They can’t run the ball. They can’t stop anybody defensively. Jeremy Shockey has been at least a bust, if not a cancer as well. And now Mike McKenzie, Reggie Bush and Will Smith are all out. This is a game we can win, but the Saints are still dangerous. The key is to strike first and get after Brees early.
If Brees gets off to a scorching start right away, you can pretty much forget about it. If he does have one flaw, however, I believe it’s that at this point his has almost too much confidence in himself and his accuracy at this time. Given that we are one off the league lead in takeaways with 18, this could be key. Brandon Carr and the corner store backs (because it’s like we just went around the corner and bought them in a pinch) will also really be tested by Lance Moore and Marques Colston. Moore is like a poor man’s Marvin Harrison, and Colston is like Roy Williams minus the whole diva routine. Devery Henderson has also shown the ability to strike deep and tight end Billy Miller is also a threat.
We absolutely cannot allow them to find success in the running game, something they haven’t done all season, especially sans Bush bouncing things outside. Even our rush defense should be able to at least contain Aaron Stecker, Deuce McCallister and Pierre Thomas. I hope we have Turk McBride, because if we don’t we’ll be getting to know Jason Babin and Wallace Gilberry (is that really dud’s name?) better than we’d like to.
This is a game we can win. I won’t be heartbroken either way, but a home win would be good for the young guys and the fans. I don’t know if Herm Edwards can pull it off, so we shall see. The other thing is that I don’t expect us to end up with a worse record than the Lions, and possibly the Bengals and Raiders, anyway.
Regardless, I think this is going to be one the most exciting game Arrowhead has seen since the Jayhawks and Tigers clashed there last year. Let’s just make sure that the scoreboard operator is well stretched and has plenty of fluids.
well i live in saints country down here and honestly the fans a cry babies well most of them and they jump on and off the bandwagon after there 2006 success i barely hear of them anymore down here and that shows me noone in the nfl has fans like the CHIEFS
GO CHIEFS!!!
November 15th, 2008 at 4:47 pmIn principle I agree on “no second team” rule. But I was a Redskins fan before I even knew who the Chiefs were. Thanks to Topps football cards for that, I suppose when I was 6 years old. So I guess what I am saying Adam is I understand where you are coming from, but I have been bleeding Arrowheads for 15 years, and that’s how it will continue. I hope Thigpen keeps playing well. He has a lot of talent on the offense to help him.
November 15th, 2008 at 5:05 pmPS I’m pulling for LJ big time … this is a big game for him.
November 15th, 2008 at 5:06 pmNow that Vick is gone I actually like the Falcons down here, but the Chiefs definatly come first. My outrageous cable bill from the NFL Sunday Ticket can prove it. But when the Chiefs are off or play at a different time I do like to watch the Falcons. When the Chiefs came to town I went to the game to support them, not the Falcons.
But Honestly I’ve been liking this offense without LJ. He hasnt done well this year and I think it is just because he doesnt have an all HOF OLine to help him. He doesnt seem to have any emotion, he does not hit the hole with any conviction, I hope he shows some heart today. If not I’m 100% on the trade LJ for picks bandwagon.
November 16th, 2008 at 10:42 am