Don't Worry, New Orleans: Saints Will Be Just Fine Despite Opening Loss to GB

What were the words that rolled off of your tongue when the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers in Superbowl XLIV? Did you count Ben Roethlisberger out as one of the top-tier quarterbacks that the league has today?

How about when Rashard Mendenhall only rushed for 45 yards in the most important game of the season? Were you shouting from your couches that he should be traded amongst others Steelers veterans that made a few mistakes against the incredible Green Bay Packers defense and stellar, still rising, offense?

The answer will most likely be no.

For those who felt differently, give me a break. There is always a winner and a loser in the NFL. Everyone cannot walk away with the crown. Where would the fun be in that?

The New Orleans Saints fell to the Green Bay Packers in Thursday’s season opener. Now, there is talk that maybe Reggie Bush’s release should not have been sponsored.

Maybe he was the key to the Saints’ success. Fans could account that version of events or we could force ourselves towards the truth: There is no part of the opening game versus the Packers that says things would have been any different had Bush been a part of that offense instead of Darren Sproles.

One game is not enough to make me completely forget that Bush was a part of New Orleans’ Super Bowl-winning offense. There were things that Sproles was not able to do that I can recall saying, “Bush would not have made that block either!” Yet, still, I am waiting for the moment where Sproles proves that he can be so much more than Bush turned out to be for the New Orleans Saints.

Otherwise, the deal was just in order to change faces. A facelift is not what the Saints needed. A remodel at the RB is what was truly necessary. It is up to either Sproles or rookie Marcus Ingram to create the resurgence needed.

Ingram had a 40-yard rushing performance that could be interpreted as the start of a bright future, or just the sputter in the career of a rookie back similar to that of Bush himself. Either way it goes, New Orleans fans should not be too worried about Reggie’s exit. The financial sprout that it provided the Saints is undeniable.

There is also a fact that will steadily remain, despite a lack of contract agreement: Drew Brees is still the heart of the New Orleans football team and, as far as this season goes, will remain a standing member of the Saints offense. Maybe he had a few mistakes here and there. Not to mention several drives in the first quarter without production that allowed the Packers to take a 14-zip lead early on. However, it should be as thoroughly evaluated that Brees threw for 400-plus yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Call me crazy, but that sounds like an elite NFL quarterback among the few that the league puts on display.

Brees finished Thursday’s game with a 112.5 QB rating and 65.3 percent completion rate. The Saints QB leads his team with rigor and the finesse of leadership that many quarterbacks in the league have yet to grasp a hold of. Not only does he have the vision, but he has a few targets that are ready and willing to demonstrate why they are deemed professionals.

Marques Colston, with 81 yards and one fumble against the Packers in the season’s opener, has been the team’s most valuable receiver. Devery Henderson leads the charge with 100 receiving yards—three more yards received than in a game with the Dallas Cowboys defense, who had the 26th ranking in reference to opponents passing yards.

New Orleans, have no worries.