Predicting the unpredictable- NFC edition

I am a HOMER, much like you. You have no viable reason as to why you feel your team will go 16-0. I read your post, and 14-2 or 16-0 do not seem realistic for me to believe. I don’t even think the Saints will go 14-2 or 16-0, and I am a huge homer. I never got upset, I never went off the handle, but I think you take too much exception to someone criticizing your predictions. I think I struck a nerve calling you a homer, but honestly, I don’t mean it in a disrespectful way. If you take it that way, then that is all on you. You give the Saints the same record as the Lions, THE LIONS for crying out loud. Not that I think the Lions will go 1-15 again, but I think 8-8 is a stretch for them, and 8-8 is an insult to the Saints, especially when your reasoning behind it is “The Madden Curse”. Sorry, but if you said something to the effect of our defense has been weakened by the loss of talent in free agency (even though we really didn’t lose anyone), or that the offense has not been producing very well for the last three years (even though we have led the NFL in offense for 3 of the last 4 years), or that our coaching staff doesn’t have the cohones to take chances to win games (reference “Ambush” in SB44), then I might not take quite as much exception and insult to your frivolous argument. The Madden Curse isn’t a reason to insult the intelligence of so many readers of this fine upstanding publication.

Also, I did show the Cowboys some love and respect in my post, if you read that far down:

For one, I believe the Cowboys will win the Division, 2 – not with 14+ wins – more like 11 or 12

I don’t know how much disrespect I showed your team by stating they would win the NFC East with 11 or 12 wins. 11 or 12 wins is hard to come by in the East because I consider it the toughest division in the NFL. Also, you have a harder schedule this year than last year, so the wins will not be as easy to come by.

Also, as far as justifying my reasoning, I can do that.

The Saints did not really lose anyone of great key importance. We lost Scott Fujita to Free Agency, and he was an average LB at best. He wasn’t bad, he wasn’t great and we can maintain or upgrade his position from within the team instead of free agency, probably Jo Lonn Dunbar, maybe a rookie that was injured last year Stanley Arnoux. We did pick up Clint Ingram from Jacksonville and talent wise, he is probably on the same plain as Fujita as well, so LB is covered for now. At LDE we released Charles Grant. We played every play off game without him, so he was not that crucial to our line. We added Alex Brown who is comparative of Grant, only cheaper in salary. We drafted a young stud from LSU as a project DT, and he will receive a little playing time this year and hopefully shore up our run defense or at least provide depth at the position. A slight upgrade to our current situation. Our secondary remains in tact for the most part but we are switching Malcolm Jenkins into a safety role and bringing in another young stud defensive back in at safety. Sharper is getting older and Jenkins will be learning more from one of the best in the game. Essentially we are laying a foundation to strengthen our secondary. Jabari Greer has just as much ability and talent as Revis of the Jets, but less known due to the other playmakers the Saints have. His stats were a little overshadowed by the 9 INT’s that Sharper hung up, three of which were returned for TD’s, and Tracey Porter’s INT of Favre in the NFCCG, as well as the deal sealing Pick 6 of Peyton Manning in SB44. Our Defense was the highest scoring D in the NFL last year. Sure they gave up yardage, but they also created a lot of turnovers and scored off of them. Our key players on defense are still in tact and Gregg Williams is still in charge of them. I think they will improve after a year of experience and cohesion in Williams’ schemes and packages.

As for the offense, as I previously stated, we have had the #1 offense 3 of the last 4 years. We lost Mike Bell, but we hardly even knew he was still on the team past week 10 last year. Lynn “Photo Op” Hamilton will probably take his place. Hamilton is mostly a goal line back, but he can be used as a bruiser back to gain tough yardage. Bush will be another year healthier this year after having no major set backs last year. He is starting to get the hang of lowering his shoulder and towards the end of last year and through the playoffs; he was progressing more and more. He is developing into a better back with each game. Pierre Thomas is another threat that is returning on the ground. He led the Saints in rushing last year and is also a double threat used in the passing game. He is tough to bring down, and he has excellent ball security. Heath Evans will be back this year after being on IR for much of last year. During his playing time he was a huge scoring threat willing to tip toe the sideline in order to stay inbounds just to score. Shockey is returning and maybe we can keep him on the field this year. Go back and check your stats, every game he played a down last year, the Saints won, the three games he sat out were the only three games we lost. No matter his stats, he brings a lot to the team. Dave “The Baconator” Thomas served double duty as a TE/FB last year and is a threat to score when we are in the redzone. He can pave the way for an HB, or he can take it in himself through rushing at the goal line or by catching a pass from Brees. We added depth at TE through the draft in case a TE or FB goes down with injury. The O-Line is still in tact and we have had one of the best O-lines in the NFL for the last 3-4 years. The weakest link last year was Bushrod, but he gained valuable experience at the position, in fact, he gained so much that Payton felt comfortable dealing an All-Pro Left Tackle to the Redskins after he spent all year on IR. Our PK, Hartley set a Superbowl Record being the only kicker in NFL history to boot 3 field goals of 40 yards or greater in a Superbowl. Thomas Morestead was a rookie last year. He has a great leg, needs to work a bit more on consistency, but he handles kick-offs, punts, and he is the guy that kicked the “Ambush” kickoff to start the second half of the Superbowl. Now we can talk about WR’s. We have quite arguably the best WR corps in the NFL. Colston is the big man, hard to bring down, and normally has hands like a bear trap. He is the most dependable target on the field. Meachem is a burner and he has a desire and dependability to win games. His weakness seems to be running more complicated routes, but I think he can be coached into it. Henderson is also a burner. His weakness is random bouts of "Stonehanditis". He is comparable to Roy Williams, minus the ego. He actually dropped a sure TD pass in the endzone against the Cowboys last year. Then you have Lance Moore. He caught a TD pass from Drew Brees against the Cowboys last year. He wasn’t heard from much because he spent most of the year injured with ankle problems. He is back healthy this year, and provides Brees with yet another threat. He stepped up to be our #1 WR in 2008 when Colston was injured and came close to eclipsing the 1000 yard mark that year. Hard to do with the Saints offense, cause now we get to Drew Brees. He set the NFL completion percentage record last year. He is the only QB, besides Dan Marino, to throw for over 5000 yards in one season. Last year he tied for NFL TD lead, threw to 8-9 different teammates per game (WR, TE, RB, FB). In the last 4 years, since joining the Saints, he has thrown for more yardage than any other QB in any consecutive 4 year stretch of their career. He led the league in QB rating last year, had a great TD-INT ratio, and also had 2 rushing TD’s. He led the Saints to their first ever 13-0 start, which also happens to be the longest win streak in Saints history, and he also happened to lead them to a Superbowl Victory, tying a Superbowl Record, set by Tom Brady, for completions in a Superbowl, earning him a Superbowl MVP award to go with the Lombardi Trophy. Do I think they can repeat, yes, do I think they will go 14-2 or 16-0, no. Is this enough justification?

To see Detroit take anything from them besides abuse. CHicago will be the dark horse to bet on this year. They have made some quality improvements this year, They snagged Chester Taylor from the Vikings. He is easily a starting quality back, he just couldn’t get the reps in Minnie because of Adrian Peterson. This will improve their ability to run the ball effectively and help open up the passing game. Cutler definitely made a lot of mistakes last year. He was unhappy in Denver and begged to be traded. He got his wish and went to the Bears where he miserably failed. One of two things will happen, either he will learn from his mistakes or he will fail at such a high level Ryan Leaf will look like a better choice. Cutler has the potential to do big things in Chicago, and I think he will have a break out year. He will be more settled in his roll, he will know the schemes and personnel better, and he will be a little more humble to all that is around him instead of being centered on himself. Martz will make a difference in his play on the field. Cutler has the arm to be effective if he has the right guidance.