Game 6: You're Welcome

Wouldn’t it be nice to play the Raiders every Sunday? I mean seriously, just imagine every week being able to calmly watch the 4th quarter of a Saints game without the urge to kick your dog, punch the TV, down a bottle of Vodka, or reach for a defibrillator. Simply splendid.

Of course, there’s the expected black and silver cloud looming over this decisive win: It was just the Raiders. But we can’t let that cloud overshadow a phenomenal offensive performance that seemed to be in stark contrast to last week’s Monday Night Meltdown. So who gets the game ball? You might be surprised.

Let’s start with the obvious candidate: Drew “Easy Brees-y”. He went above and beyond the call of duty on Sunday with a near perfect game: 26/30 for 320 yards and 3 touchdowns. He started the game by completing his first 16 passes. He had a 144 passer rating. Seriously, a 144.4 passer rating. Saints fans thank you Drew. My fantasy team thanks you. But no game ball for you this time around.

What about our running game? The stallion like legs of Deuce McAllister helped us rack up more than 100 yards. Reggie Bush was even able to sneak one in for a touchdown. Kudos to the backs for creating play action opportunities by producing on crucial 1st and 3rd downs. But as helpful as it was to finally run the ball effectively, I can’t say our ground game played the biggest role in this impressive win.

What about some major disciplinary improvements on offense? Somehow we managed to survive an entire game without those silly, unnecessary false start penalties. If it weren’t for those two obnoxious holding calls against Jammal Brown, our offense would have survived this game penalty free. Is it a step in the right direction? Sure…but not quite game ball worthy.

What of the defense, who managed to do to Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas what they did to Adrian Peterson just a few nights earlier? The Raiders rushed for an abysmal 85 yards, a pathetic showing when you think of the talent on their roster. But with Jonathan Vilma flying all over the place, their rushing tag team found themselves going nowhere fast. And poor, poor Jamarcus Russell landed himself in Jason David and Bobby McCray’s highlight reel more so than he (or any of us fans) probably ever anticipated. Sorry sap. More importantly, the strong defensive showing kept the Raiders to just 3 points, a feat we haven’t accomplished all season long. And yet somehow, even with all those phenomenal highlights, the defense still falls short as the game’s MVP.

Which brings us to our brand new kicker, who missed his first field goal and shanked a kickoff, but later redeemed himself by hitting a 44 and 33 yard field goal. We’ll chalk those first few miscues up to a “case of the rookies.” Still, we need to see more out of Taylor Mehlhaff before we can say for sure that he’s the real deal.

When it’s all said and done, there can only be one true hero to emerge from yesterday’s game. This dedicated warrior from the Black and Gold nation lead our team to the right victory at just the right time. And so, it is with great honor and pleasure that I hand over the game ball to a Saintly soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure victory in the dome: Congratulations to me, Nola Chick, for a job well done!!! After all, it was I who sacrificed myself in a 100% silk ball gown to the Fleur-De-Lis in the middle of the Superdome. Remember?

So to all those who took great pride in what the Saints managed to accomplish on Sunday against the Raiders, allow me to be the first to say…”You’re Welcome.”

Be sure to join ‘Da Chicks’ tonight at 7:30 EST to recap all the Saints Raiders loveliness. Call [phone] or push the button below.