Why am I suddenly a fan of the New Orleans Saints? Is it because they embarrassed the Giants' division rival Redskins? (Kinda.) Is it because Drew Brees is a one of a kind talent? (Nah.) Should I keep asking myself questions and answering them in parenthesis? (Probably not.)
The real reason is that Saints' coach Sean Payton is an ObscureCraft reader! What? It's true! Well, at least, I think it is. Check this out: last week,
I wrote about the folly of resting your starters heading into the playoffs even if you have a perfect record, citing the epic Week 17 matchup between the Patriots and Giants in 2007. This week? Sean Payton says that the
Saints are going for it. Take it away Peter King:
Payton's about to have a lot more admirers around the United States.
He told me Saturday he's not going to take the foot off the accelerator
down the stretch, not even if the Saints have homefield advantage
clinched in the NFC playoffs. The Saints, instead of taking the last
game or two to let players heal for the playoffs, will try to make
history if they're in position. They're aiming for a perfect season.
Payton loved what Tom Coughlin
did in 2007, having his Giants play the Patriots like it was the
seventh game of the World Series in a meaningless final game of the
regular season, going down to defeat valiantly and narrowly, and
setting up the Giants' 4-0 playoff run that ended in the Super Bowl
upset of the perfect Patriots.
Geaux Saints!
| 6 (3) |
 |
10-2 |
THERE you are, Brett Favre. We've missed you? |
| 7 (7) |
 |
8-4 |
The Packers all but secured a playoff spot with last night's win. No, I've never heard of a reverse jinx, why do you ask? |
| 8 (9) |
 |
8-4 |
Next week's game against the Giants will decide the NFC East. |
| 9 (10) |
 |
8-4 |
Don't count them out of the division yet: two of their losses came with their starting QB injured. |
| 10 (17) |
 |
6-6 |
That being said, the Dolphins aren't making the playoffs this year. |
| 11 (6) |
 |
7-5 |
Bill Belichick is singlehandedly trying to disprove the theory that teams do not go for it on fourth down often enough. |
| 12 (15) |
 |
7-5 |
*cautiously optimistic fist pump* |
| 13 (20) |
 |
7-5 |
I'm not commenting on them until somebody can prove anybody in the world give's a shit. |
| 14 (11) |
 |
5-7 |
Okay, so we all got a little excited. 9-7 could still get them into the playoffs! |
| 15 (12) |
 |
6-6 |
Remember when this team was a powerhouse? They went downhill faster than a fat girl on a rocket sled towards a Dunkin Donuts. |
| 16 (21) |
 |
6-6 |
The Jets have the unique ability of hanging around just long enough to torture their fans. |
| 17 (8) |
 |
8-4 |
BOLD PREDICTION ALERT: the Cowboys will not make the playoffs this year, once again capped by an embarrassing loss to Philly on the final game of the year |
| 18 (14) |
 |
6-6 |
That'll teach you to make an enemy out of the Suze, Pittsburgh. She has mysterious powers. |
| 19 (16) |
 |
6-6 |
Is it racist of me to observe that all the people waving Michael Vick jerseys it Atlanta this weekend were black? It is? Dammit. |
| 20 (22) |
 |
5-7 |
So how did it feel to be on the other end of a quarterback apocolypse for a change? |
| 21 (18) |
 |
5-7 |
One loss away from putting off their first winning season until next year. Again. |
| 22 (27) |
 |
5-7 |
Okay, so you aren't one of the worst teams in the league, just part of the flabby, uninteresting middle. Not what Chicago was hoping for this season. |
| 23 (25) |
 |
4-8 |
Bruce Gradkowski threw more touchdowns in the fourth quarter (3) than JaMarcus threw all season (2). |
| 24 (23) |
 |
4-8 |
The Toronto Bills looked alot like the Buffalo version: not good. |
| 25 (29) |
 |
5-7 |
No, they didn't win two games this week, I just had their record listed wrong last time. Funny how nobody noticed. (Note: not actually funny) |
| 26 (19) |
 |
5-7 |
2-6 since the Crabtree signing. |
| 27 (24) |
 |
3-9 |
Matt Cassell, signed for $14M in the offseason, might not make it all the way through this season. |
| 28 (26) |
 |
2-10 |
Thank you, Detroit, for existing, and giving me a team to pick against every week in my suicide pool. |
| 29 (30) |
 |
1-11 |
Thank you, St. Louis, for existing, and giving me a team to pick against every week in my suicide pool. |
| 30 (31) |
 |
1-11 |
How do you roll up over 500 yards of offense and score only 6 points? Throw 5 interceptions, including 3 in the red zone. |
| 31 (32) |
 |
1-11 |
Plunk. |
| 32 (28) |
 |
3-9 |
Little known fact: "Suisham" is actually Swedish for "Cut me before I cost you your job, Jim Zorn. Oops, too late!" Those Swedes can pack alot of meaning into one word. |
