The ways of media and its younger, but now potentially bigger brother social media, flow like an ocean. Sometimes the tide is for you and sometimes it is against you. You’ll never control it. Thus, as we roll into the 2019 NFL season the New Orleans Saints are still at the top but now the waves are slightly going against them as the national media ponders Drew Brees’ age and arm strength and talk about missed opportunities.
You just have to ride it out, New Orleans. The backsplash was inevitable and, again, words on a page mean nothing. Writers are basically just your drunk uncle at the family picnic who goes on and on about how the country would be perfect if everyone would just listen to all of his great ideas.
So, the heck with negativity. Here are the top five reasons the New Orleans Saints are going to win the Super Bowl.
- Defense
I love time travel. I assure you whenever they get that figured out I’m going to be the first to sign up. Anyway, if I travelled not even that far back in time, let’s say to the year 2016, and told you that the Saints were going to win the Super Bowl because of their defense you would have laughed in my face, right?
Of course you would have in those most dreadful Brandon Browner and Jairus Byrd days. It was awful and our defense was a joke. No more.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has this team thinking defense first and Cam Jordan and crew are winning Sundays for the Black and Gold. I absolutely love that the organization is still adding fuel to the fire with the additions of Malcom Brown on the line and drafting safeties Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Saquan Hampton. The defense played good enough to win it all last year and create a buzz on the field that most clubs just don’t have.
- Alvin Kamara
Sure, Michael Thomas is the 100 Million Dollar Man but the most exciting player in the NFL is in the Saints’ backfield. Alvin Kamara is electricity. Alvin Kamara is the greatest show on turf. Alvin Kamara is an unstoppable force of nature. Alvin Kamara spends more time in the end zone than the guys that paint the damn end zone. Get it?
- Drew’s Still Got It
It must be rough to go through your career as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time just to get close to the end and hear a bunch of guys that have never played pro football talk about if you still have “it.”
Drew’s still got it. I don’t believe Drew would wreck the team by playing at a subpar level just to keep his ego intact. I don’t think he’s that type of guy. Moreover, I think he plays this year and next year at least. I assure you, the brass talked to him about his plans before giving Michael Thomas all of that cash.
Plus, Brees playing at a slightly diminished level can still lead this team to the Super Bowl. Just ask a Denver Bronco fan about the year they won it all with Peyton Manning.
- The Early Schedule
The early schedule is nasty and that’s a good thing. Not that the Saints need anything other than themselves to keep them focused but the early schedule will require laser like precision to avoid a bad start. The early schedule of the Houston Texans, L.A. Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys will have this team sharp as knives and playing playoff level football from the get go.
Even if the club goes 2-2 in their first month they will be feast on the next four teams and be ready to pounce on their favorite victims, the Atlanta Falcons, on Nov. 10.
- The Dome
This is about the Superdome. This is about magic. This is about Dome Magic. Even with the NFL screwing the Saints over at home in the NFC Championship there is still no better stadium than the Superdome.
Twelve dollar beers and $18 cocktails aside, there’s still no place like Dome when it comes to the NFL. The crowd is peerless and I’ll admit has bought a tear to the eye of yours truly more than once.
In the end, I don’t think the Saints will have a scorched earth 13-3 campaign like last year but will battle into the playoffs and win out at home. At worst, they might have to go to L.A. to play for the NFC Championship but the Rams crowd probably will have something else to do that night and the Saints revenge tour will send them to the Super Bowl to where I’m sure, because why not, the New England Patriots will await them.
Who Dat! Let’s gooooooooo!
And like a fine wine with a steak dinner, every game should be accompanied by a beverage and song.
Beer Pairing: Aventinus Wheat Dopplebock
Playlist Recommendation:TRU – “Hoody Hoo”
Around the Way
As a kid there was nothing more fun that getting on the road with the team, heading to a different stadium and playing ball. Of course, by on the road, I meant jumping into a bus and heading a few counties over. So, I can only imagine that the Eastbank Little League softball and baseball teams, straight out of River Ridge, are having the most epic of road trips in Williamsport, Pennsylvania at the Little League World Series.
The girls’ softball team had an impressive run in the tournament going all the way to the championship before falling to the Southeast team from Salisbury, North Carolina. They collected wins over teams representing Europe-Africa, Latin America, Oregon and Canada and hopefully a wealth of great memories along the way.
The boys’ tournament is still underway and the young men have gone 1-1 so far in the tournament with a win over the Northwest contingent. You can watch most of the games on the ESPN networks. Before that, give this article a read about the rare feat that the Eastbank Little League system pulled off by sending both a boy and girls’ squad to the Little League World Series.
