New Orleans Saints: Does Their Loss Kill Their Mystique?

Uh, yeah.

If you're a Saints fan, stop reading. I mean, you can keep reading, but you're not going to like what you hear.

The truth is, Mardi Gras is not on it's way. Not for the Saints.

Plain and simple: They just aren't what they're cracked up to be.

Yes, their 13-0 run was impressive.

Hell, there were certain points in this season that they were downright magical.

They could not be beaten.

The Miami Dolphins had them around the throat. The game was over before it started.

But Drew Brees led a fiery comeback, and this team was officially a very scary team.

The the same thing happened against the Carolina Panthers.

And then the Washington Redskins.

And then the Saints held off the injury-depleted Atlanta Falcons.

Until, of course, their high hopes of shutting up the 1972 Miami Dolphins was ruined by a weak performance on Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

You know, the same Dallas Cowboys who have lost two straight and appeared well on their way to yet another December collapse.

Let's take a real, hard, unbiased look at this.

If these Saints are truly "the team to beat," would they have lost this game?

Hell, would they have almost lost to the Rams, Falcons, Redskins, and Dolphins?

If we're being honest and if we're considering ourselves students of the game, and even more importantly, students of this 2009 NFL season, the answer is an emphatic, "no."

If you really think about it, the only thing this team has going for them is a passionate and crafty leader (Drew Brees) and a "never say die" mantra.

Outside of that, they really do appear to be no better than any other playoff team.

Granted, no lead can kill this team.

No amount of points is insurmountable.

There is no such thing as a lead when facing these New Orleans Saints.

We get it. They have an insane offense. Their quarterback doesn't quit. Their coach is a genius. They are one of the most resilient teams in the league, if not the most resilient team.

But it's time to draw the line. It's time to realize the difference between being "resilient" and being "average."

Sure, they do a great job of getting themselves out of holes.

And that defense that everyone loved to talk up in the beginning of the year, they sure do play at an elite level in spurts.

The truth is, we've been crediting them for their comebacks and game-saving plays too much.

We're ignoring how much luck had to do with their incredible 13-0 run.

We're looking past how much they still resemble last year's team that missed the playoffs.

We're ignoring their awful run defense, their early season pass defense that was stingy and made plays, but now is just sort of there.

Their rush offense isn't what it was, either.

And now, even though it's only led to one loss, we're not even so sure we can count on the heroics of Drew Brees, the man who, to this point, hadn't failed us.

He's committed turnovers before.

Oh, yes.

And really, they should have led to losses earlier in the season.

But just because they didn't, doesn't mean we can continue to look through the many mistakes this team continues to make, as well as the countless holes they've dug themselves.

Because if you don't think these "mighty" Saints have truly been exposed by the Dallas Cowboys, you're in for a rude awakening come playoff time.

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