Saints Not What They Were!

I'm afraid it's true. The Saints are not the team they were just 5 weeks ago. But in all fairness, it's not their fault. All teams have starters and backups. The Saints right now are playing a lot of backups and replacement players. Especially on defense and in the secondary. Just take a look at the fact that they had to bring back previously-released Mike McKenzie and sign extra help off the waiver wire on 2 separate occasions. The only plus is that at least McKenzie is familiar with the personnel, mostly. The rest have been patch work to try to beef up a secondary that was riddled with injury during that stretch. Add to that the fact that the O-line has started to show problems at left tackle with Bushrod fighting off injuries on Brees's back side and you have a formula for a team that can be beaten. Even by a lesser team.

The Saints are in position to secure home field throughout the playoffs and that will certainly be the most important factor as to whether New Olreans can continue to make a run toward the SuperBowl. What they have to do now is to concentrate on what their ultimate goal should be. That's winning the next two games and having a chance to heal before the playoffs start in earnest. You take the games one at a time and concentrate on the next opponent.

If the Saints can get home field advantage, their road to Miami will be much easier than perhaps having to play the Vikings in Minnesota on THEIR field. Are the Saints good enough to win the playoffs and NFC Championship? If their defense can rebound from their injuries, then there's no reason why the Saints couldn't win the NFC crown. Their offense can already take care of itself, but they also need a little healing.

So, I guess it's time to pass out the bandaids and liniment and try to get the job done again.