A Warning To The New Orleans Saints: Potential Breeds Expectations

The word "potential" can drive us nuts.

The word "potential" gets people fired.

The 2009 season is full of potential for the New Orleans Saints. 

They have a franchise quarterback, an offense littered with stars and potential breakouts, and a rebuilt defense.

This could potentially be the best Saints team ever.

But what happens if the Saints miss the playoffs?  Again?!

There will be complete uproar in New Orleans.

If the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions both go 8-8, Sean Payton probably gets fired and Jim Schwartz probably gets a pay raise.

Why?  Potential.

Potential brings with it expectations.

I must apologize to my fellow Saints fans for that picture.  You probably just threw up a little in your mouth.

I chose that picture because no other player has put Saints' fans on more of a roller coaster or evoked more profanity than Aaron Brooks.

Here's some background for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about or just completely blocked him out of your memory:

The Good

• Brooks became the first player in NFL history to throw for 400 yards one week and run for 100 yards the next week.  He did this in weeks 14 and 15 of the 2000 season.
• Brooks led the Saints to their first playoff win in franchise history, against the defending champion St. Louis Rams.
  

The Bad

• The Saints were just 35-34 in 4+ seasons with Brooks as a starter before the disastrous 2005 season (I won't count 2005 against him).
• He never completed 60 percent of his passes for a full season.
• He rarely had good pocket awareness as shown by his 31 career fumbles. 
  
• His 50 sacks in 2001 are three more than Drew Brees has had combined in three seasons in New Orleans.
• He often threw off his back foot which probably accounts for his mediocre career completion percentage.

The Ugly

• Aaron Brooks was once so turned around and flustered in the pocket that he threw the ball 20 yards down field—backwards!
• After one of his numerous blunders, Brooks could do nothing but smile about it.
• His last game for the Saints was a 36-17 beating by the Falcons in week 14 of the 2005 season.

After defeating "The Greatest Show on Turf" at St. Louis in his first career start, everyone could see it—potential.

But Brooks never lived up to that potential and eventually departed New Orleans after countless times being showered with boos from frustrated fans.

After a short stint in Oakland, Brooks hasn't appeared in an NFL game since Dec 31, 2006.

There have been other teams with great potential that ultimately ended the season with great frustration.  Here's a short list of the "Aaron Brooks" category of NFL teams:

• 2008: Even with a team loaded with Pro-Bowlers, the Dallas Cowboys finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs.
• 2007: Never has 18-1 been so disappointing.  The Patriots cap a perfect regular season with a last minute loss in Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants.
• 2006: Led by MVP LaDainian Tomlinson the 14-2 San Diego Chargers lose in the divisional round by three points to the Patriots.
• 2005: Number one seeded Indianapolis Colts lose to the number six seeded Pittsburgh Steelers at home.  Mike "our idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off" Vanderjagt missed a game-tying field goal with a few seconds left.

This season the 2009 Saints will undoubtedly etch their names on one of two lists—they will either join the "Aaron Brooks" list above or they will join the list of 43 previous Super Bowl winners.

Here's a toast to the New Orleans Saints, in hopes that they will join the latter.