Hold the coronation

by Major on Oct 17, 2009 4:18 PM EDT Comment 14 comments

First, I want to admit that I was nervous about this game but that anxiety led me to take a deeper look at the Saints.
All week long I have been hearing about their offense and their new blitz style defense under former Redskins DC Gregg Williams and how Drew Brees is a borderline elite QB. The Saints are without a doubt a formidable team. If they defeat the Giants on Sunday every football expert on the planet will crown them as the best team in the NFC. If you judge them on 2009 alone then there is no doubt that the Saints would be in the discussion of the best teams in the NFL. If the Giants win, most certainly guys like Peter King and John Clayton will have Brett Favre and his Vikings ahead of the Giants.

This bothers me because I look at the last four years of the Giants development and I see a team that has earned the right to be where they are. The Saints, meanwhile, have not earned a thing. Last season Drew Brees threw for over 5000 yards, 34 TDs, 17INT and a 65% completion rate. Brees was sacked just 13 times last season, a testament to his O-line and his quick release. Outstanding numbers, just amazing. The Saints even led the league by scoring 463 total points last year. However, the Saints went 8-8, most of the blame for that went to the defense but if you look at their schedule they should've been 10-6 or at the very least 9-7. Why were they an 8-8 team? Against teams that made the playoffs last year the Saints were 2-4.

Moreover, against teams with +.500 records, the Saints went 2-5 and was 2-6 on the road beating the Bears and the 0-16 Lions on the road, while losing critical early games against the Redskins and Broncos. There is no question this team has the talent to be better and maybe this year the Saints have turned the corner. However, to be considered a top level team in the NFL, you have to win tough road games and you have to beat teams on your level or better than you and the Saints have not done so. To illustrate that fact, against teams with double-digit wins last season, the Saints were 1-4.

Much of the argument against the Giants winning Sunday is that the Giants haven't beaten anyone so far this season. Well, in recent years who have the Saints beaten? Where is the track record of success against winning teams? Granted this league is about what have you done for me lately but we what we do know is that if the Giants win on Sunday, they have had four years of experience beating teams that were supposed to be better. They have already won a game they were supposed to lose in Dallas in front of 110 thousand fans and largest TV audience in the history of football. They beat both SuperBowl participants last season on the road in games they were supposed to lose and some game in 2007 against a team with the greatest offense in the history of football, which also happened to be 18-0.

The Saints are healthy, they are at home, they have the best offense in league, they are rested, they have a better defense this season, all signs point in their direction. If the Saints win on Sunday it will be the first time that they've beaten a team as good or better than them in quite some time and they will be given the title of the best team in the NFC. If the Giants win it'll be no big deal, no fan fair, and no fireworks because unlike the Saints, winning big games isn't something they haven't done before.

FanPosts are written by community members. This is simply a way for community members to express opinions too long to be contained in a comment.

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It is without a doubt

a bigger game for the Saints than it is for the Giants. By no means am I trying to downplay this game as meaningless (that’s far from the truth, it’s a very important game) but this game is the Saints “Superbowl”, their crowning moment. If they beat the Gs, then they will command a little more respect. So far, they’ve beaten a rookie, backup, low tier and rookie QB. Granted, they have beaten the teams that they should have beaten, so have the Gmen. Time, road wins, playoff wins, and a Superbowl is what helps define this Giant team. The Saints are on a 4 game win streak and the Giants are their measuring stick. Win or lose, the Giants will help define the Saints. If the Saints win, then it will be a big deal for the fans and media…….when the Giants win, it will be ho-hum, who’s next. Bring on the Cardinals

by njgiant on Oct 17, 2009 5:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree

If the Giants win it will be downplayed. What sucks is that the Giants constantly have to prove to the media and the experts how good they are but a team like the Saints, with no real history of beating good teams, just has to beat us on sunday to get all the accolades because they have this crazy offense.

by Major on Oct 17, 2009 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Giants

handled Warner and his high flying circus last year and the year before that, when they were faced with an “unstoppable” offense, they walked away with a big shiny trophy.

by njgiant on Oct 17, 2009 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The list is long

Ari, Pitt, NE, Eagles, Cowgirls, Ravens. All teams were we supposed to lose to. If the Saints think they’re gonna truck us its not gonna happen.

by Major on Oct 17, 2009 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Not necessarily a bad thing

What sucks is that the Giants constantly have to prove to the media and the experts how good they are

I’m not sure why this sucks. This ain’t the BCS where your ultimate fate is dependent on a vote of the media and opposing coaches. Nope, the beauty of pro sports is that the games are won and lost on the field – no matter what the talking heads have to say about you.

In fact, any continued belittlement of the Giants on the part of the media could end up working to the team’s advantage. As do most pro athletes, the Giant players seem to derive added motivation whenever the media lays down the “no respect” card. It’s a silly thing, I know, but if that kinda talk keeps getting ’em good and fired up then the coaches should just keep on tacking those articles up on the locker room bulletin board.

by knickfan on Oct 17, 2009 9:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They prove it on "Trophy Night"

Screw the media..they just help the team motivate with their absurd critque…Like I said let our guys just fly under the radar and be “stealth”..and then before they realize they think they are looking at Geese..the Ganders arrive..

by Bobbiblue on Oct 17, 2009 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol

maybe the media really is on our side but they are using reverse psychology to motivate our team even more =]
smoke a blunt and ill be back for your input

by karamjitm9090 on Oct 17, 2009 10:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hahaha

You may very well be right..What exactly is a “blunt”?

by Bobbiblue on Oct 17, 2009 11:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

A type of cigar...

usually one that would be sliced open and gutted of its tobacco contents..then filled with some of the stickiest of the icky.

….Elders…….

..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...

...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.

---Carl

by FreeBradshaw on Oct 18, 2009 7:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

As a Saints fan...

I don’t agree with you guys’ take on our perception of this game. This is by no means “our Superbowl” You guys are giving yourselves a little too much credit. The reality down here is that we are aware that both of these teams, this year, have feasted on lesser-talented teams, and that both of these teams will be in the playoffs, regardless of Sunday’s outcome.

by Hollywoo! on Oct 17, 2009 11:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Who cares what the experts think

The past 4 years have nothing to do with this game this season or how the giants will pan out this year.

by Giantsfan77 on Oct 18, 2009 9:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Different Year , Team

As a Saints fans we’ve learned over the years to look forward to next year and not dewell on the past. Giants fans shouldn’t count on past accolades to predict this years game out come. I don’t see this as a measuring stick for either team againts the leauge but rather againts each other on this Sunday. I just hope our stick is bigger than yours. :)

by Lyle Lirette on Oct 18, 2009 10:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs