Jshox would like to apologize for being silent for more than a week after the greatest moments in Saints' history.
But it just goes to figure, after starting this blog in preseason, I get sidelined by a work/living transition during a part of the year none of us have ever seen the Saints still alive.
Saints Alive!
I'm feeling pretty good about this matchup with the Colts. For one thing, I can't think of a single game where the Colts lit up an opponent like what we did to the Giants, Hoodies, and Cardinals. Peyton's team has been on survivor-mode all season.
But give Sean and Drew a couple weeks to plan and design and, oila, the Pats and Cardinals are burned to smithereens.
History is on our side. I even say the NFL's whorific attempt to claim rights to 'Who Dat!' is, in part, a presumption that a dynasty could possibly be in the making, although the corporate vermin who run the NFL didn't care who said 'Who Dat!' or sold a shirt with the phrase for the past 30 years.
Whatever. I have to admit that when this blog started, I, jshox, thought it was more likely Shockey himself would 'badass' it back to the Pro Bowl before the Saints reached the Super Bowl. But I prefaced the description of this blog with 'Saints Win the Super Bowl!' So consider this site a token to destiny.
Last Sunday's victory against the Cardinals was the greatest playoff game in Saints' history.
It was also Reggie Bush's most explosive. It stacks against any singular performance he dished for USC.
On Sunday the Saints play the biggest home game in the history of New Orleans professional sports. It's history some -- like me -- had felt would elude us forever after our team won its first playoff game (2000 against the Rams) only to fall next to the Vikings, 34-16.
Of course those games were eons ago in the time line of professional football. And rosters change. But colors stay the same. And epic games in which your beloved sports team gets crushed don't fade easily. They stick in your craw like Skittles compacted in the cavities of your freshly pulled third molars and resurface with surprise when you see something good -- like the 49ers' heir to Joe Montana winning Super Bowls or a bowl of freshly popped popcorn.
Which is kind of like saying it takes a stud quarterback to make a second appearance in the NFC Championship in four years. This is the Drew Brees era.
But it's also coach Sean Payton's, who now seemed to have presciently held Reggie back much of this season while he regained strength following knee surgery. During pre-game against the Cardinals Reggie gripped a bat emblazoned with 'Bring da Wood' before splitting Arizona's defense with a north-south running attack that No. 25 had never displayed in the Dome before. It's like what G. Bomb said in the comments: "He hit those guys early and they went 'Hey, aren't you supposed to be dancing and stuff back there until I catch you?' 'No,' Reg said, 'coach said bring the wood. So I am bringing something. Even though I don't know what that means.'"
It seems that no one in this country realizes what this Saints season for the fans means. Like as if the city of New Orleans is rebuilt and the washing away of 42 years of mental anguish and ineptitude for a sports team is less a story than an over-the-hill solipsistic quarterback who went to the Dark Side for one last chance at glory and a new Wrangler jeans contract.
It's like a fluff fest for 40-year-old Favre out there. And his biggest lover, Madden, isn't even around to fellate with the rest.
The Saints are used to getting hosed. As one of five football teams to never reach the Super Bowl -- including Browns, Lions, Jaguars and Texans -- the Black and Gold are on the brink in its own venue and set to recalibrate the way a nation and sports culture identify with a city's team.
Destiny, which doesn't count yet for the Jaguars and Texans because they are still infants in the realm of expansion teams, is on the Saints' side. Revenge is ours against the Vikings. And Favre, who hasn't won a road playoff game in 12 years, is set to crack. I've watched him this year and he played his best game against the Cowboys -- no way he follows that with an identical performance.
I see Favre getting smashed in the mouth and intercepted at least twice. Yep: twice.
As for Brees and Co., it will be same 'ol same 'ol: Saints score at least 35.
This is a new Saints era. No one outside the team and fan base is ready to accept the team as contenders -- but one more win will change that.
No one is ready to accept Brees as the best quarterback in the NFL, despite breaking records and putting up better numbers these past two seasons than the Colts' quarterback -- but one more win will change that.
The main ingredient is there. The most explosive offense is ready. We're already proud of our Saints team, but let's cheer them on so we can proudly back our loyalty in the face of Cowgirls, Massholes and numerous other douchebag fans of America.
Since I was born, Saints quarterback spot, you've come a long way, baby: Archie Manning, Bobby Scott, Bobby Douglass, Dave Wilson, Ken Stabler, Guido Merkens (why bother with a last name when you have that perfection?), Ken Stabler, Dave Wilson, Richard Todd, Bobby Hebert, John Fourcade, Steve Walsh, Mike Buck, Wade Wilson, Jim Everett, Doug Nussmeier, Heath Shuler, Billy Joe Hobert, Danny Weurffel, Billy Joe Tolliver, Kerry Collins, Jake Delhomme, Jeff Blake, Aaron Brooks, Todd Bouman.
And coaches too (Ditka was only half dumb, Mora was total passive-aggressive asshole (NSFW)):
In what is undoubtedly the most surprising and inspiring game plan this season, the Saints have re-signed half back legend Deuce McAllister a day before the divisional playoff game against the Cardinals.
So far most sources are saying Deuce will be listed as inactive but an honorary team captain. While that's great, this smells as of a purely a crowd-motivational move, and also a psychological one. The Dome wasn't rocking when the Cowgirls came to town a few weeks ago and Dallas won easily.
But when Deuce is introduced, you know the crowd will go nuts. And the signing has likely gotten most of Who Dat Nation wondering what the signing of Deuce means instead of fretting about Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. Slick move, Saints organization. And with that, here's a tribute to No. 26, who embodied both power and speed.
After watching that 51-45 barn-burner in which Arizona outlasted Green Bay with a turnover returned for a touchdown, I'm not sure it mattered who won. Either team is a tough match-up.
Indeed, Arizona will be tough. Obviously this team can stretch the field like a coonass can stretch a pot of chili with rice.
Defense on either side might be an afterthought.
But here's how we'll be alright: Drew Brees and the boys score seven on their first possession, just like they did in every game of the first half of the season, and finish strong in the fourth quarter.
Until the last third of the season, no other team was more impressive than the Saints with beginning and finishing a game.
As for the defense, we can only hope for a few three-and-outs; a couple turnovers. Arizona seems to have hit its prime with the passing game at the right time of year, just like last year. The best possible scenario, I believe, for defending Arizona is to get ahead quickly and make the Cardinals play catch-up.
The defense will get its turnovers.
Also, after weeks of substitutes, Gregg Williams will finally have the luxury of calling blitz packages with an entirely healthy secondary. Jabari Greer, our best cornerback, is returning after several weeks of being sidelined by a MCL injury, and Tracy Porter and Scott Fujita should be in tip-top shape.
And I'm sure GW will have schemes designed to kill those post routes the Cardinals used to destroy the Packers.
Defensive end Charles Grant, however, is lost for the playoffs with a torn tricep. But defensive end Will Smith is the star in our front-four pass rush, clocking in twice as many sacks as Grant; and more tackles. And backups Bobby McCray, Anthony Hargrove and Paul Spicer shouldn't be a big drop off from Grant's play.
We hope not.
First off all, GW should plan to wear a visor and punk them blonde tips. That shit is scary. With that in order the blitz packages should fall in line.
In other news, besides Drew Brees getting hosed by voters who chose Peyton Manning for MVP a second consecutive season, despite Brees' nearly breaking Dan Marino's single-season passing yardage record (falling 15 yards short) in '08 and completing over 70 percent of passes this season, a new NFL record . . . my quarterback is smarter than your quarterback.
As previously posted here, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis, who felt in 1974 that his team was intimidated by the Big Red Machine before pumping them up with yells of "We gonna get down! We gonna do the do! I'm going to hit these motherfuckers!" and beaning Rose, Bench, and three other players before getting tossed (his team got the message and won), had a interesting documentary made about a certain no-hitter he threw in 1970.
Although Mark McGwire admitted today that he did use steroids during his career and 1998, when he smashed 70 home runs and Roger Maris' record of 61, the latest baseball documentary to go viral is one about Keith Hernandez: I'm Keith Hernandez from water&power on Vimeo.
My Grandpa and Uncle Boo used to say there are only two teams you ever cheer for -- the Saints and whoever's playing the Cowboys.
This code of fandom was usually reminded to me on the way home from a Saints and Buccaneers game in the Dome, back in the '80s, when the Bucs were horrible and I was young -- and older relatives joined my Grandpa and Uncle Boo for better games.
So it still pains me to have watched the Saints get a boot in their ass from the Cowgirls.
And it churned greasy bacon and eggs on top the previous night's whiskey and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale in my stomach to watch the Saints get shutout by the Bucs in the second half and lose by an overtime field goal.
I was bitter. And I was traveling and visiting relatives during the holidays. Without a laptop. And too pissed to hop on an in-law's pc and blog about two games the Saints showed up a total three quarters for.
I'm sure we're all bitter. But remember this: so far this season has been one a fan can only dream about. And it's far from over.
Ironically, the Saints can prove their road invincibility by beating Carolina, although the only road win that matters from here on out is the one in Miami: the Super Bowl.
Still, the Saints should destroy the Panthers -- like they did the Jets, Giants and Patriots -- so they can get their swagger back and game-plan aggressively with confidence for the playoffs.
After all, it'll be a new decade. A new year to spit-shine the rust off the run-defense that made Cadillac Williams look like a Pro Bowler and Tony Romo a Top Five quarterback, instead of just a smirking douchebag.
Let's hope the offense in this Carolina game will get back to 40-plus-point scoring fashion. It will be special against a Panthers defense that has allowed less than 12 points a game in its last five match ups.
I want to see the Saints air it out. Let's watch Drew Brees and our offensive arsenal torch them cats -- let's do what we do and let's be special.
The running game, honestly, with Brees and Sean Payton -- and the arsenal -- forever shall be, secondary. We are the forerunners in the modernization of the NFL: pass, pass and more pass. Only rely on the run in red-zone, short-yardage and run-out-the-clock situations.
Let's slide into this postseason with our guns blazing. Our defense is still ranked third in pass defense, behind the Jets and Bills, and Jabari Greer is due back.
And our offense is the only one to score 500 points. And by the way, Brees leads the quarterbacks of the Colts and Chargers, teams that lead in power rankings, with a 109.6 passer rating and 33.3 ppg.
The Saints are doing better than your TV-shooting-neighbors would lead you to believe. It's damn hard to win more than 13 games a season. Just ask the 2008 Steelers (12-4), 2007 Giants (10-6), 2006 Colts (12-4), and 2005 Steelers (11-5).
Who was the last team to win a Super Bowl with 14-2 reg-season record, you ask? Yep, the 2004 Patriots. And they did it in 2003 too. But shit on them.
So it's time to concede that I, jshox, the alter ego of Jeremy Shockey, is a bit disappointed my namesake did not make the Pro Bowl. But this blog is really about the Super Bowl!
And there's always next year.
However, let's congratulate the Saints who have been honored this year among peers and fans: Brees, Jahri Evans, Darren Sharper, Jonathan Stinchcomb, and Jonathan Vilma.
Now let's put our Who Dat! asses in Miami for another reason.
With the Saints marching to 13 wins, the team's most in a single season, Who Dat Nation has plenty to cheer about. The Saints swept division-rival Falcons 26-23 in Atlanta on Sunday, a feat I didn't think was possible in August, and keep the magic of an undefeated season alive.
The Saints' previous best two regular seasons were in 1987 and 1992, both of which they won 12 games, only to get drubbed in the playoffs 44-10 by the Vikings and 36-20 by the Eagles, respectively.
In fact, the Saints and Colts have already joined a very elite club even if neither go 16-0. Only five other teams have gone 13-0.
Here's how that panned out: 2007 Patriots, 16-0, lost Super Bowl XLII; 2005 Colts, 14-2, lost divisional playoff; 1998 Broncos, 14-2, won Super Bowl XXXIII; 1972 Dolphins, 14-0, won Super Bowl VII; 1934 Bears, 13-0, lost NFL Championship.
With that record in mind, it's safe to assume both the Saints and Colts have an 80 percent chance of playing in the Super Bowl. Of course, history will be made if both teams go 16-0 to get there, wherein the Saints crush the Colts 36-24.
Needless to say, that fearless prediction will prove true as long as cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter return healthy. Linebacker Scott Fujita will be a welcome return over third-string action too. Because we're gonna need the best talent our roster has to offer if we're gonna stop Peyton Manning's aerial attack.
Especially after witnessing the defense allow two Sundays in a row quarterbacks Jason Campbell and Chris Redman pass all over it as if they're Peyton Manning. Filling in for injured Matt Ryan in his first full game, Redman chunked the pigskin around for 303 yards.
Sedrick Ellis got a handle on Redman in the first quarter. But the front four didn't put him on his backside enough and had zero sacks.
However I'm confident the return of Greer and Porter -- which is highly likely since neither have been moved to the injured reserve list -- will get defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' schemes back to their disruptive orders, allowing the front four to wreak more havoc.
When it looked like the Saints put the game away in the third quarter by going up 23-9 with a Reggie Bush screen, the Falcons got right back in it with Redman's 50-yard-pass to Michael Jenkins. Williams had dialed up a "Chucky" -- a double cornerback blitz he had designed years ago when facing Jon Gruden's Buccaneers -- and the Falcons immediately recognized it and got free safety Darren Sharper to bite with a stutter to a seam route over the top.
When the same thing had happened in the first quarter Jenkins had dropped the ball.
Reggie had a big day with two touchdown catch-and-runs and also ran for 33 yards on six carries. His 79 all-purpose yards was a great return to the lineup -- again.
Stay healthy Reggie.
For the second week in a row middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma practically saved the game himself. It's like as if he's Mr. T with a Night-F Mohawk, intercepting passes on final drives or shutting down the Falcons in the middle on fourth-and-two.
With 1:12 remaining, Vilma sniffed out a short pass to Jason Snelling -- the same play went for 38 yards in the first quarter -- and stuffed the running back on fourth down.
It was a pretty big deal because the Falcons were at mid-field and had plenty of time to tie it up.
Of course, if kicker Garrett Hartley hadn't missed that extra point in the first half the game wouldn't have been another fibrillative story.
Then again, if we had just kicked a field goal on our final drive the Falcons would have been forced to score a touchdown to win it.
Instead, coach Sean Payton ordered a fake. And who else but Mark Brunell rolled out to his left and attempted to line up guard Carl Nicks, of all people, though I won't question his athleticism, for a touchdown pass, before checking down to tight end Darnell Dinkins in the flat. But Brunell waited too long to pass, so when Dinkins caught it he was already stepping out of bounds.
But did Nicks' fat man route running fire me up? You bet!
Despite the close wins these past two weeks, the Saints have remarkably allowed only two sacks and two turnovers in the past three games.
Drew Brees rarely rolls out of the pocket and almost always steps up to get defenders behind him, but showed some nimbleness by evading Thomas DeCoud.
Falcons coach Mike Smith provided
some comic relief in the third quarter when he smashed his headset after the Falcons were penalized for pass interference.
On Sunday Terry Bradshaw expressed concern for the Saints moving away from a balanced attack. The Saints have thrown the ball more than 40 times in the past two weeks while running it about 25 times a game.
Then again, in just 49 plays while destroying the Patriots, the Saints ran the ball 26 times and Brees had 23 pass attempts for the best day ever.
Pierre Thomas has thus far rushed for 713 yards for 5.3 a carry. It'd be pretty cool for him to break 1,000.
Mike "The Hammer" Bell has ran for 598 yards at 4.2 a carry.
The Saints haven't had a thousand-yard rusher since Deuce McAllister.
Bush has added 310 yards at 5 a carry.
I'd say we're running the ball pretty well.
Having said all that, I keep failing to mention the Saints locked up a bye, only their second in franchise history. And we've got a two-game lead on the Vikings for home field advantage. I say bring 'em to the Dome, where we can get it on!
As usual, Brees got all his receivers involved in the game. Here Devery Henderson runs past cornerback Brent Grimes.
By the way, Lance "Mighty Mouse" Moore is due back for Saturday's game against Dallas. It'll be interesting to see how Payton and Brees mix it up to get 2008's best receiver involved.
In another update, The Unknown Who Dat, TUWD, Mr. Meaux Jeaux, 'Ol Blue Dat, Crazy Uncle Saints Fan, or whatever you might call him, is still out there. But I'm hoping there's some sort of fan tribute to him in the Dome this Saturday so maybe he'll actually find out there's a nationwide search for him. A fan with a sign needs to proclaim a TUWD Alert!
Normally jshox tries to steer clear of re-blogging content that has appeared elsewhere on the internets, but Who Dat Nation is in search of a fan, and I'm not talking about a super Saints fan, because what's a super fan? But sometimes there's a fan. And I'm talking here about the The Unknown Who Dat.
At the Redskins game he was the fan for his time and place, appearing on TV decked out in black and gold in the classy seats with a grin void of teeth and hair that had that freshly rained on look, although it did not rain at this game, sending ghastly bewilderment throughout Who Dat Nation -- who is The Unknown Who Dat!!?? -- just before Drew Brees delivered a touchdown and 12-0 salvation.
Reportedly, and jshox has talked to one eye witness who sat a couple of rows behind him, The Unknown Who Dat arrived to the 45-yard line seat, located behind the Saints bench a few rows up, steaming and with at least one corned-up female companion in tow during the final quarter.
The Unknown Who Dat gave it his best in overtime, pumping his fists with fingers taped up in white tape.
And even if The Unknown Who Dat is a lazy fan, and he quite possibly could be the laziest fan in all of Saints history, he is an authentic fan, without desire to paint himself or strut like a peacock in a homemade costume. No, indeed, The Unknown Who Dat might possibly drink the paint and do his thing. And that's why he is loved -- he's one of us.
He who has never drank too much paint at a Saints game can cast the first Dome Dog. But this guy's got mojo.
Sometimes there's a fan . . . sometimes
there's a fan.
Game account from Bob Snowman: "I forgot about that! She had on gold tights. I still say this guy is about as hardcore as it gets. He was rocking out and keeping the faith when the Skins were driving towards that missed FG. One of our friends wanted to leave before the FG b/c she said watching the Skins seal the deal would make her sick. I told her, "We ain't leaving till that dude leaves!"
To help Who Dat Nation identify The Unknown Fan, visit the new fan page of his at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=199840076243
Or email Bobby Hebert at WWL -- cannon@wwl.com -- so he can help us figure out, who is The Unknown Fan?
Bob, you were right. There's a girl with gold pants on the shoulders of the very fired up The Unknown Who Dat!
The Redskins played the Saints very well. Quarterback Jason Campbell brilliantly threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns, seemingly owning Gregg Williams' defense as if the Redskins had dialed up its former defensive coordinator's number the week before in practice, and the defensive line straight-up owned the Saints' running game.
One play stood out among the others that collectively said 'Calm down (especially you, bandwagoning wife), Saints got this,' and that was Robert Meachem's strip of safety Kareem Moore in the second quarter which he recovered and returned for a touchdown just moments after Moore had intercepted Brees on a third-and-26 pass.
Now in his third season after being a first-round pick out of Tennessee, Meachem has finally caught fire and is proving his draft value with eight receiving touchdowns as a complementary burner to receivers Marques Colston and Devery Henderson, not to mention again this plucky defensive touchdown.
Meachem also got the magic touch from Brees in the fourth quarter when he scored on a 50-something-yard pass against former LSU safety LaRon Landry in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 30-30 and give Who Dat Nation even more mojo to believe in.
This might seem like a Meachem love fest but the dude virtually won the game, 33-30, to keep the Saints undefeated at 12-0.
Twelve and freaking 0. I wasn't so worried about the Saints not going undefeated on Sunday as they trailed the lowly 3-8 Redskins, at that point, all game, as I was about the national recognition and perception of the team doing a 180 following its rout of the Patriots only six days before.
But the Saints prevailed. After falling to trail by 10 points, 30-20, with over seven minutes remaining, you sort of knew that Brees could still get the team back in it. And he drove them to a field goal. But then the Redskins responded with another drive -- yet missed a field goal chip shot. At that point Redskins coach Jim Zorn had a look on his face that said We gonna lose! And about 33 seconds later Brees tied it when he hooked up with Meachem.
With still about a minute left in the game, the Redskins had enough time to drive the field for a field goal, but linebacker Jonathan Vilma came up with an interception. The Saints were without timeouts and failed to get the ball close enough to line up a field goal for kicker Garrett Hartley -- his 58-yard attempt was short -- but momentum of the game had definitely turned. Saints Alive!
Plus, a buddy at the game who was fortunate enough to sit behind the Saints bench in the eleventh row got to see Jeremy Shockey throw his helmet and knock over water coolers when the offense was initially taken off the field with seven seconds left on the clock before being sent back on to try and gain a few yards on a sideline route. That pass failed.
The Redskins won the coin toss in overtime. It appeared they might win -- NFL rules in overtime are sudden death, the first team to score in 15 minutes wins.
But then cornerback Chris McAlister forced Mike Sellers to fumble on a pass play, and Vilma got even more fired up.
Hartley celebrates the win after booting a chip shot hiked from the one-yard line.
Defensive tackle Remi Ayodele blesses Hartley.
Running back Mike "The Hammer" Bell is like Who's Twelve-N.O., now, beeatches!
And then Bell gets cozy with fans at the first game the Saints have won in cold weather -- 40 or below -- since 1995.
Wide receiver Marques Colston, who initially burned LaRon Landry for a big-play touchdown in the second quarter, autographed game programs pre-kickoff for fans Grayson Bralley and Shepp Shirey.
Another awesome video of Bobby Hebert, with wig, in the press box, and highlights from the Monday Night Football game. Although I heard today that on camera Golden Boy can be seen saying to Darth Vader's chick "They score so fast," this can't be seen on the video. Nor can Wes Welker be seen wide-eyed and shaking his head in the third quarter after Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper totally made him a non-factor. But those images will replay in my mind, so without further ado, Saints Go All The Way!
